My Favorite (Hidden Gem) Spa in New York.

You probably know this about me if you are a regular reader, but I am a little bit of a pampering junkie. I didn’t start getting facials until my early thirties as I didn’t really need them and would have rather put the money toward a massage or a manicure/pedicure.

Oh how things change in as little as just a couple of years. The pores on my nose have gotten larger, and if I travel too much or even just have that extra glass of wine, the dehydration really shows the next day. For that reason I try to get a facial at least once every two months. For my blog, I have been fortunate enough to be invited in to so many amazing salons for some really extravagant treatments but that can be hard as those treatments aren’t always something I can regularly afford to do with my own money. I had also been craving a smaller, more intimate spa; something with more of a neighborhood feel. If I’m going every month or so, it’s really nice to feel like they recognize you and remember you.

Enter DAPHNE Studio… a cute little spa in Nolita on Broome Street that specializes in European skincare. I was first drawn in (full disclosure) when the salon’s publicist invited me in to experience the salon’s signature GLOW Treatment.

The GLOW is basically a non surgical face lift, with a slimming sudatonic body wrap. The facial left my skin super firm and de-puffed… and the body wrap made me really, really sweat. The sudatonic is said to burn between 1,500-3,500 calories – something I was skeptical about until I experienced it firsthand. Wow. It’s intense.

The aesthetician slathers your entire body in a special cream… paying extra attention to trouble spots (hello, inner thighs and love handles – this gets personal!!!) and then wraps you in plastic wrap and then the infrared blanket. You get hot. You sweat. A LOT. Like a lot. I probably sweat more than I have in my entire life, and I’ve run marathons before!

After the wrap I was obsessed. I had so much energy (and was incredibly hungry – in all seriousness, I felt as though I’d run ten miles, HA). My skin glowed for days (and was so much firmer – my jawline was super defined for days, and I swear I looked younger).

Of course, I had to go back. On my own dime, of course. I was obsessed with the sudatonic body wrap but felt like my money would be better spent on a deep cleansing facial vs. the face liftso on my second time back I went for the European facial, with the body wrap as an add-on.

What I love most about DAPHNE – the small, neighborhood vibe… the fact that they only use Biologique Recherche products (an amazing line from France which is SO hard to find in the US). I am now absolutely hooked on their PS 1970 Toner (more on that to come in a future beauty post, but it’s amazing – like a facial in a bottle). And maybe I am a masochist but I loved that the aesthetician did not fawn over my skin and tell me how beautiful it is, and blah blah blah. She made me feel a little bit ugly to be honest… but that’s what I want. If my aesthetician thinks I have perfect skin then we are not going to get anywhere. She immediately zeroed in on the clogged pores on my nose, the whiteheads I didn’t even realize I had at my jaw (probably from my phone, ew), and my need for regular exfoliation.

She poked and prodded and it wasn’t always comfortable but when I walked out, I was glowing, and my clogged pores were GONE. Consider me addicted. Whether you live in New York or are just visiting, it’s absolutely 100% worth popping by for a bit of pampering.

Also! I went and updated my New York Pampering Guide – it’s now up to date with all of my favorite spots.