Special Valentine's Day discount deal for SPAlendor readers

SPAlendor is happy to announce its association with deals.livingsocial.com. Sign up on the website for interesting deals. Today's special deal is 59 per cent off on in-home massages. Please log on for more details.
ESPECIALLY FOR SPAlendor's readers: Go through the blog and get special "$5 Deal Bucks" to spend on your first purchase. Happy shopping this Valentine's Day!

Special discount for SPAlendor readers from secretcache.com

Endless Summer by Ocean Dream is available at secretcache.com. Price: Rs 4,250.
10 per cent discount will be given to readers of SPAlendor. Make sure you give the code SPA09 while buying the product online.

I have some great news for SPAlendor readers.
Secret Cache, a renowned couture swimwear brand based in New York, which is now supplying some trendy and very wearable beachwear for young women in India, is offering a 10 per cent discount for SPAlendor readers.
I've personally enjoyed going through the website http://www.secretcache.com (you can order your swimwear from here) and what I find best about the products here are, they're not just sexy, they're very, very smart and extremely trendy.
So, do check out the website and once you do start filling up your online cart, remember to use the code SPA09. There are no shipping charges levied for products that you decide to buy. Remember the code is SPA09.

SPAlendor.blogspot.com has been with you since April 09. Since it's our first festive season together, here's a little gift from me to you. Do enjoy the discount and keep on visiting and reading the blog. I promise, I'll try my best to bring forth other festive discounts to you as well.

PS: A big shout out to Shruti and Tushar, promoters of Secret Cache who fulfilled the promise and kept their word. Thank you, thank you, thank you

So stoned: Hot stone therapy session review

At Vidya Tikari Studio, besides other therapies, hot stone massage treatment is a big draw

Towards the middle of my hot stone therapy session, I find myself struggling to stay awake. My therapist has deftly cleaned my feet and massaged them in a rhythmic motion and allowed me to rest and enjoy the process of what is called hot stone massage therapy.
It’s only the beginning and I’m already comfortably – and happily -- numb at Vidya Tikari’s studio in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar while Nancy, my therapist, begins to scrub and clean my feet. It starts bang on time and lasts for almost two hours and all this while I’m enjoying the comfort and luxury of a therapy which dates back to centuries and involves the use of basalt, a black volcanic rock that is supposed to absorb and retain heat well.
If you’re getting a complete body massage done through hot stone therapy, the stones – after a traditional Swedish massage – are placed on the “chakra” points of the body. However, I opted for hot stone therapy for my feet and found myself instantly relieved of stress when Nancy started applying pressure on certain points with the stones on my soles. This she does after she has cleaned my feet thoroughly, applied a sugar peel to “scrub away the dead skin” and then slathered and rubbed my legs with an orange-flavoured body lotion – strangely called “body wax” – from one of the very reputed brands called Oligospa. That helps. The stones, it is believed, should not come in contact with any regular cream for fear of losing their properties. No wonder then that, it’s critical to ensure that the creams used for massaging are of supreme quality.
While the main aim of the therapy is to allow the tense muscles to loosen up, the massage – though referred to as “hot stone” therapy – actually revels in the philosophy of the yin and yang. This essentially means that the “hot” therapy session includes a segment where stones dipped in cold water too are applied before ending on a “warm” note. Put simply, after a round of session with hot stones, the therapist uses a cold rub and completes the session alternating it – towards the end – with another warm massage with stones. Note: Usually therapists will not apply hot stones (they are soaked in water that is at a temperature of 120°-130° F) directly on your body. They will warm their own hands and then gently massage your body before proceeding to rub the stones directly on the body. “Your body cannot take the temperature change suddenly,” explains Nancy while applying pressure on my soles with the warm stones.
Experts suggest that those with high blood pressure and also with extremely sensitive skins should avoid hot stone therapy. If, however, you like the massage but not the high temperature at which its set, request — at the outset — to have the therapy done at a temperature that’s convenient for you.
Personally speaking, I love the heat that is generated on the soles of the feet and on the legs once the therapist starts massaging them in rhythm with the stones. I feel like I’m diving in and out of a hot spring water stream and easing all the tension away. The stones that glide in a to-and-fro motion set forth a tidy tempo that’s so critical in massages.
The grand finale includes a foot-pack powder that’s mixed generously in rose water and applied on the feet which, in turn, is encased for 15 minutes in a cling wrap! It felt a little weird initially - she even puts little stones in between my toes - but after Nancy unwrapped it, I felt a surge of freshness and coolness.
Would I recommend it? Yes. In fact, at Vidya Tikari Studio, between 11.00 am-3.00 pm, you’ll be given a 40 per cent discount too. It takes time to undergo this therapy so make sure you’re in no rush.


Price: Rs 1,000 (including taxes)
Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Where: Vidya Tikari Studio, New Delhi
Contact: 011-416-30940/416-35074