2006 Spas special

THE MILKY WAY The Chopra Center serves its clients customized bath treatments.

Styling: Amit Gajwani; Makeup: Jessica Tarazi for Oliver Piro; Hair: William Williams for Bernstein & Andriulli. Special thanks to Chopra Center & Spa at Dream

Considering the zillion ways that New York City stresses out its inhabitants, it makes sense that the spa business is booming. Nearly ten new bastions of bliss have opened here in the past several months—and as part of our annual foray into the world of coddling, we visited them all to report back on their pampering prowess. In the following pages, you’ll also find out how to stretch your money by languidly lounging in a spa’s wet room, and where to try out the latest ingredients and techniques—as well as some time-honored treatments that deserve revisiting. Curious about just when exactly to wear underwear and which equipment to avoid? We’ve got the answers for those questions too. Go on, indulge—you know you need it.

For all venue information, see “The bliss list”.