I was walking down the street to Elite’s (where I entrust my eyebrows to Olivia) when I saw the sign for Paradise 54 hanging from the second floor of a building. After Elite’s I went back, and got lost trying to find its door. The door is actually a little bit to the left of where the flag waves, and you then take the elevator up to the 2nd floor. A serendipitous experience. I met Elise, who is a passionate, Parisian sexy, colorist with the boldness to start her own spa in Midtown Manhattan.

Before I even said a word to Elise, she was already holding my hands, asking to sit down and have tea. I have to laugh at the fact I had to resist even though I was tired from work and so glad she had asked because the answer was irrevocably ‘yes’ in my head. I mean, I had only gone up there to schedule an appointment for another day. I had to force myself to take a raincheck.

At long last I went back to Paradise on the date I scheduled for. Right away, she took me to the comfy couch to have tea with her and her hairstylist Raymond whom I got into a conversation about my hair, and agreed to the haircut he envisioned for me that I had seriously always wanted. Going back to the spa now. I must have spent about a half hour of lively conversation before letting my masseur take me away. He’s Romanian and has worked all over the world – Italy and Egypt were the two I remember.

Aptly the door to the spa area has a sign that reads Paradise Heaven. I unchanged in the room and climbed onto the massage bed – literally because I’m petite, with a bit of an athletic body, and with a tendency have tense muscles, so I asked my masseur for a deep tissue massage. The massage was luxuriously, like lying out on a tropical beach. My impression is the spa isn’t called paradise for nothing. The architectural design that creates a space between the walls and the ceiling and when you’re in the room, laying down for that massage. The music drifts around you like it would if you were out in the outdoors.

My masseur used gentle lightly, fragranced oil on my body. The massage was as thorough as one can get. It took me to my “Happy Place,” where I was in a dreamy state and my muscles were calm and steady, ready to play Wii golf.

This spa/hair salon has a lot a lot of modern beauty. It’s the creation of a women described as I already did, who is great on camera by the way (see the video!) She looks glamorous but she also loves the natural touch, hence why I think the spa is called Paradise. I left with a great fresh look and sense of vitality. I mean that literally too – the haircut for my difficult hair came out amazing too.

Elise adds special and romantic touches to couples packages for Valentine’s Day. Guys and Gals, book here.

Paradis 54 Salon and Spa is located at 54 W. 39th Street, New York, NY 10018 and their website is http://www.paradise54.com/ .You can call them at (212) 596-4158.