Calming Down at the Mandarin Oriental New York

It’s nice to know that there are some choice sanctuaries available to take respite from the never-ending hustle-bustle of The City That Never Sleeps. One of my personal favorites is the Mandarin Oriental, New York, Columbus Circle’s own luxury oasis which never fails to leave me feeling renewed and rejuvenated (and excited for my next visit!). My last visit, however, just took the cake as my new fave NYC spa experience, the latest treatment on the spa menu: The Calm Mind Retreat.

As always, the experience began the moment I opened the doors to the spa where I was greeted with a complimentary hot tea, warm towel, and spa sandals to wear for my visit. After changing into my warm spa robe and settling into the Tea Lounge, I met my therapist La Juana and was brought to one of Mandarin’s comfortable treatment rooms. La Juana took me through the treatment verbally and asked me a few questions in order to best customize the treatment to meet my intentions. I then was asked to select from Mandarin Oriental’s signature scented massage oils (which are for purchase in the reception area) and landed immediately on the detoxifying Juniper, Jasmine, and Black Pepper blend – subtle yet invigorating.

At the start, Thai cymbals are struck to send tones through the air in order to bring positive energy to the room and to begin your mind’s journey into finding calm. You then deeply inhale the aromatic oils which you’ve selected and before your therapist even begins I can guarantee you’ll  already be slipping into a state of relaxation. To start La Juana focused on my head, neck, shoulders, and back with an acupressure massage over the towel. I could feel the blocked energy and tension releasing from my body immediately. After that a warm towel was placed on my back and another round of acupressure points were addressed, along with rocking movements to help lengthen my muscles and further align my joints, this was followed by a back and neck massage that was so wonderful I honestly think I fell asleep for a moment. I usually find massage to be somewhat uncomfortable due to all the tension I hold in my neck, but La Juana’s technique was strong yet incredibly gentle, she didn’t need to force the knots out but rather coaxed them to relax themselves.

Following the massage I was asked to flip over on my back, so my hands and feet could be covered with a calming rose-hip lotion, wrapped, and then placed into warm mitts. What followed was a neck, decollete, and scalp acupressure massage, and a hand, arm, leg, and foot massage after the mitts were removed. I was in such a state of blissful relaxation as the chimes rang out again to call in the positive energy and to signal the end of the treatment.

Despite having the treatment yesterday I’m still feeling the mind-body-soul harmony today and believe that this is the perfect treatment for anyone who is in need of a little break from an otherwise stressful reality (not to mention, a wonderful gift for Mother’s Day!).

The 80-minute Retreat is available at $435 weekdays and $445 weekends; and the shorter 45-minute Calm Mind treatment is available at $215 weekdays and $225 weekends.

Photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group