My experience with spa-going, sadly, isn’t particularly extensive; I’ve only been maybe a handful of times. So I don’t have an enormous frame of reference for what to expect, but I’ll tell you what I expected from one with the name “Trump” attached: something involving gold leaf, crystal, and marbled everything. But the Trump SoHo’s new spa, which I got to check out at last night’s press event, is everything that you don’t expect – and I mean that in the best possible way: it’s pure elegance, simplicity, and style.
See? Gorgeous. What happened to prevent the hotel – and the spa – from turning into this was basically that Donald handed over the reins to his kids and let them do as they wished. What they came up with was a space inspired by Ivanka’s travels in Istanbul, featuring shell-tiled ceilings (stunning) and an entryway fashioned in the style of a Moroccan courtyard. Guests can enjoy gemstone massages tailored to their “Trump Personal Intention” (Calm, Balance, Purify, Heal, or Revitalize), treatments designed by celebrity aesthetician Kate Somerville, and even customized iPod playlists.
The centerpieces of the spa are the separate men’s and women’s hammams (Turkish baths), which I am now dying to try out for myself. Why? Let me explain: The Turkish Hammam treatment, for example, involves lying down on a heated belly stone made of Calcutta marble and being bathed with warm water from silver bowls, exfoliated with a traditional kessa mitt, lathered up with bubbles, and spritzed with rose water. Oh, and then they give you tea, stuffed olives, and halvah. Yee.
Also, there’s a bar. In a spa! I’m sold.
So yeah, I had a very excellent time at last night’s opening (above right, I’m on one of the outdoor relaxation decks with my new buddy Jay). I brought Morgan along with me, and we sipped champagne and munched on tuna tartare (and shockingly delicious tofu thingies) while checking out the different treatment rooms and trying out some fun new products. One pretty neat discovery was Sprayology: homeopathic formulas that you spritz under your tongue. I was given a sample of WomanPower, which apparently reduces PMS symptoms and irritability and ups your sex drive. Huh. I’ll let you know how that one goes (maybe not).
Morgan and I also watched a demonstration of that Clarisonic thing that everyone is freaking out about (it uses sonic technology to deep-clean your face, reduce pore size, clear up blemishes, and allow whatever other products you use to penetrate more deeply). The Clarisonic rep used the Opal Sonic Infusion on my eyes…and yup, it’s completely amazing. Instant depuffery and dewrinkling. Granted, I only tried it the one time (and it apparently takes up to 8 weeks to see full effects), but it was pretty dramatic even so.
Most fun of all: I got henna-ed! With black glitter ink!
…And now I want another tattoo.
Maybe not one quite so big.
