Firstly, don’t make the mistake of jotting down the wrong address because you may end up like me walking twenty streets uptown, getting my appointment at Madison Spa very late. I needed fresh air, so yes, I chose to walk over the subway and buses. The exhaustion of speedwalking up Madison Avenue was well worth the effort. This spa hit the spot just right and gave.

I was relieved that I finally reached 422 Madison. Incidentally, 422 is the same number as my home address. I got off the elevator nearly collapsed. I apologized to Margaret for being very lateness. She was the receptionist as well as my facialist and masseuse. She assured me it was no problem. Whew. Not that that’s any excuse to be late to your appointments of course. She led me to the facial room, and brought me a glass of water. Catching my breath and getting my bearings together, Margaret left me to undress. Now that time slowed down, I enjoyed looking around, getting to know my surroundings. The details that made the spa feel a lot like home was delightful. I put on a comfy navy blue robe, not a fancy white one. It was a simple, soft cotton robe in a color I’d pick for my home too. Also in the room, a tiger pattern fleece blanket at the end of the massage table, bumble bee pillow, and bright yellow and pink slippers.

Margaret came in and had me lie down on the table. She tucked me in with that, roar, blanket. The facial I was getting – golden, literally. The facial was so gentle and so relaxing I fell into a pleasant state of meditation. She used an ultrasonic instrument on my face that Margaret told me will painlessly take away layers of dead cells off your face and remove black heads, white heads. Exfoliation and extraction and this won’t hurt? I was skeptical. Now that I’ve tried it, ultrasonic blade is the gentler than anything I have ever felt. It was lighter than a feather’s touch. You can understand my amazement that this instrument performs it all. Margaret a formula with gold flake on my face as well. I wish I could have taken a picture of myself at that moment.

After my facial, Margaret led me to the lounge and what relaxation that was. I was comfy on the leather couch, still in the blue robe, indulging in biscuits, and then Margaret came in to pour me a cup of tea. What a place this is overlooking one of the busiest avenues in New York.

When I was ready, Margaret took me to the massage room for a sweet chocolate body treatment. I de-robed, climbed onto the bed, and wham, I was staring at the reflection of me naked in the mirror. I don’t care what your body type is, for some reason, this little surprise should make you feel like a million dollars. I was certainly feeling it. There were delicate eastern accents to the room. Margaret came back into the room with the chocolate caramel goodness for my body wrap. She didn’t use too much on my body, which let me enjoy more the human touch. She wrapped me up, put a thermal blanket over me, and let me melt away while my pores opened to absorb my chocolate body treatment. I smelled like a tootsie roll pop afterward. Yes, I smelled so good I would have licked me too.

When the treatment was over, Margaret led me to the shower, where I was delighted to be wrapped in chocolate/caramel color checker pattern towel.

Madison spa is a lovely spa to feel at home in. Not everything is interior designed and decorated to immaculate perfection. There are many touches to notice and appreciate here, much like being in my own place.

Madison Spa’s website is http://www.madison-spa.com/. They’re located at 422 Madison Avenue (4th Floorat 48th Street) New York, NY 10017. Call to make your reservation at (212) 758-3899.

Now here is a spa!  Though located in the middle of frenetic Korea town, on the fifth floor of a building that looks more likely to hold an illegal sweat shop than a boutique luxury spa, Juvenex calms the mind, soothes the senses, and pampers the diva within.  As soon as I walked inside, I noticed the ambient noise of birds and crickets and felt as though I had stepped into a clean jungle oasis.  A friendly woman behind the desk greeted me and helped me into jelly slippers (they offer slippers in the half size).  I had a 7PM appointment, and as the spa is female only from 7AM-7PM, I had to wait for all the ladies to put their clothes on before I walked in.

When I did, I had the place virtually to myself: I noticed only two female patrons and several female employees.  The spa centers around one main open area that includes three soaking tubs (filled with sake, ginseng, and Kombu algea), a steam room, and a dry sauna.  The space is well designed, with lots of bamboo, flowers, stones, and candles.  One of the employees instructed me to rinse off in the shower and then enjoy the sauna.  The sauna looks like a large, medieval oven, with 20 tons of semiprecious stones.  A staff woman kindly brought me a cucumber infused water as I sat baking in the dry heat.  Next, I took a dip in the ginseng tub, filled with full lemons.  There were so many lemons bobbing around at the surface, I felt like a birthday boy in a ball pit.  It was at this point that I realized the service at Juvenex is outstanding.  There were always staff women around, cleaning or generally keeping order like good Umpa Lumpas, and they made me feel comforted that if I had any problems or questions someone was right there to help me.  But at the same time, they kept to themselves and allowed me perfect privacy as I played with the lemons, tossing them into one another and squeezing them in my hand like stress balls.  Eventually, the lemons got old.  Time for my steam!  The steam room was a glass room shaped like an igloo.  Inside the hot white cloud, the moist air smelled of sweet herbs.  I sat there sweating until I could bear the heat no more.  On to the full body exfoliation!

And this is when the treatment got really good.  In an area to the side, separated by curtains, a staff woman told me to undress.  I wasn’t sure if I correctly understood her broken English until she pointed at my bathing suit and yelled “Off!”  I followed instructions and lay on a slippery mattress.  She poured warm water on my body, which felt ancient and luxurious.  And then, with green mittens that felt just slightly more gentle than sandpaper, she started scrubbing.  She scrubbed my back, she scrubbed my legs, she scrubbed the bottoms of my feet.  I kept imagining that scene in “The Wizard Of Oz,” as the people of Emerald City Dorothy greet Dorothy and her friends with the royal treatment (”Rub rub here, rub rub there, whether you’re tin or brass, that’s how we pass the day away in the merry old land of Oz…”)  At times, the exfoliation almost hurt, but it also tickled, especially as she got in my armpits.  After a full scrub lying face up, face down, and on both sides, I thought we were through.  But no, it was time for the soap down and shampoo!  This felt particularly nice after all that exfoliation, and by the time I was supposed to rinse off in the shower, I was so light headed with happiness I walked right into a bamboo wall.  When I made it to the shower (using no soap or shampoo, as per instructions), I noticed that my skin had never felt so soft.  My body was like a peach whose skin was just peeled.

Finally, it was massage time.  The woman (whose named, I asked later, was Karen) led me to a small room adjoining the main space.  She massaged me for an hour with a forceful touch.  She really showed her strength here, and I wondered if Karen had a previous career as a women’s rugby coach.  Towards the end of the deep tissue massage, she applied a cucumber mask, which felt cool and rejuvenating, like my face was waking up from a long slumber.  Just when I thought I was all done, Karen offered me pineapple and honeydew, a perfect treat.

My experience at Juvenex felt like I was far, far away from New York (and at times, the planet Earth).  If I were female, I would definitely be intrigued by the female only hours, when nudity is allowed.  The staff attends to your every need and makes you feel completely comfortable.  For patrons looking for a more European model, this probably would not be the right spa for you, as it definitely indulged Asian sensibilities.  But I would recommend this spa to anyone who wants to get pampered with an amazing body treatment at a shockingly affordable price.  (The Basic Purification Package with Exfoliating Scrub and 60 minute massage costs only $195.)  I would also recommend the spa to anyone who wants to go at odd hours: Juvenex is open 24 hours a day.  Juvenex Spa is located at 25 W 32nd St, between 5th and 6th Avenues.