Spa treatments by body part

Whole body

Bellissimo Hair Spa: Full-body Swedish massage 
29-07 39th Ave at 29th St, Astoria, Queens (718-937-7773, bellissimohairspa.com). $70.
The soft-spoken technician at this pretense-free spot was skilled, focused and thorough, applying the perfect amount of pressure and variation on my limbs, back, fingers and toes. As the owner, Raul Mesias, explained afterward, traditional Swedish massage has a top-to-tail focus, so the session included both foot reflexology and a cranial rub.
Best part: I didn't think I needed a facial massage, but the technician was able to untangle two previously unrecognized knots of stress above my cheekbones.
Why it's worth it: Similar one-hour treatments can cost quite a bit more in Manhattan, making this no-frills joint worth the trip.—Michael Martin

Cynergy Spa: Seaweed-Mud Body Treatment 
87 Fort Greene Pl between DeKalb Ave and Fulton St, Fort Greene, Brooklyn (718-403-9242, cynergyspa.com). $150. TONY deal Mention TONY for 20 percent off any single treatment through Feb 29.
After giving me a cup of cinnamon tea and a hot washcloth in the waiting area to cleanse my hands, Cynergy's owner, Marsha-Ann Boyea, scrubbed my skin down with a dry, coarse brush, covered me in a detoxifying combination of organic seaweed and mud, and wrapped me in a thermal blanket for about 20 minutes. Afterward, I received a refreshing massage using grape seed and rose oil.
Best part: Boyea's sweet disposition and delicate-yet-firm touch totally unclenched my muscles, weary from clinging to subway poles.
Why it's worth it: Once I got over a bout of modesty, a deep calm washed over me and lasted well beyond the allotted hour.—Rachel Brodsky

Asia Tui-Na Wholeness: Deep-tissue massage 
37 E 28th St between Madison and Park Aves, suite 800 (212-686-8082,asiatuinawholeness.com). 60-minute massage regularly $60. TONY deal Mention TONYwhen booking for $5 off this service; new customers only.
Although the setting is slightly clinical, this massage holds its own against one at a ritzy resort. My therapist, Elaine, warmed up my back with a towel, using forceful head-to-toe movements (a signature of this modality, which emphasizes rhythmic compressions) before implementing long, kneading strokes that popped several joints in my back, neck and ankles. To conclude the hour, she scooted a hot bag of herbs from my neck down to my lower back and removed any residual oils with a warm, damp cloth.
Best part: After correctly guessing that my extremely tense neck and shoulders were from sitting at a computer all day, Elaine returned to the area multiple times to ensure that every last knot was eradicated.
Why it's worth it: Besides the seriously low price, this massage will leave you euphoric for days.—Sarah Rammos

Graceful Spa: Body scrub 
205 W 14th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves (212-675-5145, gracefulspa.com). 50-minute scrub $60.
This affordable minichain offers two kinds of full-body skin scrubs: one with sea salt and another with a vanilla-latte brown sugar. Curious about the difference, I asked my aesthetician, May, to treat different parts of my body with each, so I could compare. To start, she covered me with warm water and steam, then gently rubbed the coarse grains into different areas of my entire body—salt on the back, sugar on the front. 
Best part: After I rinsed off both solutions in the shower, a brief rubdown with thick lotion seemed to lock in moisture for days. 
Why it's worth it: Though I felt a little like a turkey being brined, the satisfying scratch of the salt buffed my skin and removed any traces of dead cells without leaving me smelling like a bakery.—Adam Feldman

Back

Greenhouse Holistic Spa: Hot-stone massage 
88 Roebling St at North 7th St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-599-3113,greenhouseholistic.com). 60-minute massage regularly $80. TONY deal Mention TONYwhen booking for 10 percent off a 60- or 90-minute hot-stone massage through Feb 15.
After discussing my various aches, lead massage therapist and founder David Greenhouse rubbed me down from head to toe, using heated massage stones to relax my muscles. Though his firm kneading caused me to grit my teeth at times, I could feel the deep-seated knots in my shoulders and upper back giving way.
Best part: My keyboard-based day job leads to pent-up stress in my shoulders, while my waitressing gig causes tightness in my legs. Greenhouse eased the stiffness in my upper body and still had time to soothe my sore calves.
Why it's worth it: The therapists do their best to help you decompress even after you leave: Greenhouse showed me stretches I could do at home to relieve my tension.—Marley Lynch

Face to Face: Back or chest treatment 
20 W 20th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, suite 603 (212-633-0404,facetofacenyc.com). 60-minute massage regularly $140. TONY deal Mention TONYwhen booking for 20 percent off through Mar 31.
I knew I was in for a high-end pampering session as soon as I walked into the spa and was offered a glass of wine. Once I decided which body part to focus on—my back, in this case—owner Enrique Ramirez examined my neglected dorsal pores, and set about remedying them. Using soothing strokes, he applied a Declor cleanser and exfoliator, followed by an Aura Research hydrogen-peroxide mask (meant to disinfect and open pores), before performing thorough extractions. While the mask was working, he expertly massaged my feet, lower legs and grape-addled head.
Best part: The final step of the treatment is dictated by what your skin needs most—it might be a moisturizing paraffin mask to combat winter dryness or a fruit-acid peel to treat breakouts.
Why it's worth it: Unless you're as bendy as Mrs. Incredible, chances are your oft-neglected reverse could use the hour of close attention that this clarifying experience provides.—Sarah Theeboom

Aura Wellness Spa: Signature back facial 
49 W 33rd St between Broadway and Fifth Ave (212-695-9559, spaaura.com). $120.TONY deal Mention TONY when booking for 20 percent off all facials (except express facials), regularly $120 to $150, or 10 percent off all 60- and 90-minute massages (regularly $120 and $160) and Korean body scrubs through Feb 29.
"Your back is very clean," said Itsuka Kobayashi, Aura's "back facial" specialist, as she quickly mapped my skin. It's her job to get that hardest-to-reach area prepared for swimsuits, low-cut gowns and the like. Kobayashi customizes her treatments: microdermabrasion reduces visible scarring while high-frequency light therapy kills the bacteria that encourages acne. Given the Usher--level smoothness of my posterior, I receive a foaming cleanser, a light exfoliation and a clarifying masque; other less fortunate souls would get a more heavy-duty regimen. Each portion of the treatment is punctuated with hot towels, healing lotions and mini massages and scrubs. She even identified and took care of a half-dozen blemishes in need of extraction. 
Best part: I followed the relaxing, detailed service with downtime in Aura's Korean igloo-style dry saunas (complimentary and unlimited with any hour-long treatment) before heading out to the frigid city.
Why it's worth it: I learned there's at least one body part I don't pay enough (meaning any) attention to. Kobayashi recommends five to six monthly treatments for serious issues, so start now if you want to look hot on the beach this summer.—Robert Haynes-Peterson

Hair

Chris Chase Salon: Shu Uemura ume conditioning treatment 
182 Ninth Ave between 21st and 22nd Sts (212-206-7991, chrischasesalon.com). $50.
Many hip NYC ladies rave about pricey but effective Keratin treatments, but this salon also offers a series of conditioning services created by Japanese wonder brand Shu Uemera that offer shorter-term smoothing results for a fraction of the cost. My upbeat stylist, Jenna Montefusco, offered me a glass of wine, before helping me select the best conditioner for my hair type (moisturizing and volume-enhancing are among the options). She washed my strands with Shu Uemura's cleansing oil shampoo, then painted the conditioner onto my hair in small sections. 
Best part: The replenishing tonic tamed my frizzy tresses into smooth waves, and the extended scalp massage that set the conditioner in my hair was killer.
Why it's worth it: The treatment eliminated the buildup caused by my usual products, and I opted to add a blowout, which yielded several compliments while I was out on the town that evening.—Sharon Steel

Oasis Day Spa: Dry-scalp treatment 
1 Park Ave between 32nd and 33rd Sts (212-545-5254, oasisdayspanyc.com). 40-minute treatment regularly $50. TONY deal Mention TONY when booking for 15 percent off this service Mon--Thu through Feb 29 (excluding Feb 14).
Manager Carmine Fischetti vigorously massaged drops of Moroccanoil's original formula into my head, explaining that this treatment is especially popular during the colder months (heaters can dry out your scalp) and with clients who color their hair regularly (ditto for the chemicals in many dyes). I relaxed and sipped tea for ten minutes, then hopped over to a washing station for a shampoo, light dry and conditioning.
Best part: As a scalp-treatment newbie, I appreciated how the affable Fischetti explained each step of the process.
Why it's worth it: Walking up Park Avenue afterward, I caught a glimpse of my silky-smooth hair's sheen in a cab's window.—Tim Lowery

The Sanctuary Salon: One-hour hair spa treatment 
527 Atlantic Ave between Third and Fourth Aves, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (718-243-9300,sanctuarysalonbrooklyn.com). Regularly $55. TONY deal Mention TONY when booking for a complimentary fashion blow-dry through Feb 14. 
After an initial consultation and analysis, my stylist doused my dye-wrecked locks with an Aveda Damage Remedy as I sipped champagne. A few minutes later, after the salve had time to penetrate, came a thorough shampoo and blow-dry. My mane emerged so healthy-looking that I was tempted to swing it around in commercial-style slow-motion.
Best part: As I waited for the hair products to penetrate, my hand and arms were given a deep massage and warmed with hot towels. Then, before my hair was rinsed and shampooed, I received a mini aromatherapy session. 
Why it's worth it: The extra TLC made the session hypnotically relaxing.—Rachel R. White

Hiro Haraguchi Hair Salon New York: Hair restoration treatment and blow-dry 
41 E 57th St between Madison and Park Aves, suite 400 (212-593-3030,hiroharaguchi.com). Regularly $150. TONY deal Mention TONY when booking to receive $20 off this service. 
Though this process was invented to decrease postdye damage and fading, the experts here have found it also works as a perfect remedy for dry, coarse or otherwise underappreciated strands. Hair therapist Yuko Tatemoto shampooed my uncolored (but nonetheless frizzy and unruly) mane before applying a treatment to restore the hair's cell-membrane complex, which helps your locks retain moisture. In this process, CMC was infused back into the hair follicles, leaving my mop shockingly manageable. 
Best part: Unlike deep-conditioning treatments I've tried in the past, this one didn't weigh down my curls or leave them limp and greasy. 
Why it's worth it: This regimen left my hair easy to style, and I had a weeklong string of good-hair days I never thought possible.—Genevieve Tax

Mousey Brown Salon: Scalp Rx 
732 Lorimer St at Bayard St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (718-486-7971,mouseybrownsalon.com). $20. TONY deal Mention TONY for 15 percent off any I.C.O.N. products through Feb 29.
The homey vibe and pleasantly chatty staff here will immediately put you at ease. The owner, Meredith Chesney, kicked off this service by applying an invigorating mix of peppermint and eucalyptus oils, followed by a thorough head massage. The blend contains a natural form of salicylic acid, which removes any buildup or dry skin on the scalp. She rinsed the first batch of oils from my head with a double dose of shampoo and conditioner—the latter was light enough to work from root to tip without worrying about any greasy residue. The final touch was a handmade blend of rosemary and argan oils, which penetrated the hair follicle and left me with a mane that I couldn't stop running my hands through.
Best part: The peppermint oils had my head pleasantly tingly for hours after leaving the salon, and my newly sleek hair smelled refreshingly like rosemary until its next wash. 
Why it's worth it: While this treatment is recommended to deal with the harsh, winter weather, its oils and herbs can also help undo a summer's worth of chlorine damage or stimulate hair growth.—SR

Hands and feet

Relax Foot Spa: Foot reflexology 
202 Hester St at Baxter St (212-226-8288) • 193 Center St at Hester St, second floor (212-226-5635) • relax-footspa.com. $30.
A mere 30 bucks buys you an hour-long reflexology session at this minispa. My masseuse, Xiao, began working on my head, neck and back, while my feet soaked in a warm herbal tonic. After 10 to 15 minutes, I eased into a recliner, and he got to work on my feet.
Best part: Having your feet and calves rubbed with moisturizer after the massage remedies any throbbing from the preceding compressions.
Why it's worth it: Xiao's commitment to getting the job done (versus chatting) means you can bask in some much-needed quiet time.—Sophie Harris

Jin Soon Natural Hand and Foot Spa: Magic Clay Slipper for Hands 
421 E 73rd St between First and York Aves (212-249-9144, jinsoon.com). Regularly $32. TONY deal The first 50 readers to mention TONY when booking receive a free CND Scentsations lotion (8.3-ounce bottle, normally $12).
Once inside this antiques-shop-turned-salon, I was offered tea and ushered to a small table. One of the friendly technicians whipped my nails into shape and scrubbed my arms from fingers to elbows before slathering them in an almond illuminating mask. A final shaping and paint job—you can select from myriad Chanel, CND and Zoya shades, among others—made my digits photoworthy.
Best part: The mask has a fresh, understated scent and gives your skin a pearly glow. 
Why it's worth it: When I visited my newborn nephew a few days later, my once winter-chapped skin was still as soft as his... well, you know.—Karen Snyder Duke

The Grotto Spa: Paraffin Manicure 
Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 South Ave at Hughes Ave, Staten Island (718-876-8700,thegrottospa.com). $28.
Think of this 45-minute treatment as a much-needed upgrade to your usual manicure: After the standard regimen of filing, oiling and cuticle-clipping, I dipped each hand three times into a large container of bright purple wax. My arms emerged pale and prosthetic looking, and were immediately wrapped in clear plastic and terry-cloth for 10 minutes, so that the wax could so the wax could moisturize my skin and harden. Afterward, my attendant stripped the mittens and wrap, very slowly pulled off the skintight layer of paraffin and proceeded with the usual hand massage and polish, plus clear topcoat and more oil to seal in the softness. 
Best part: The wax pulls out impurities and moisturizes dry skin you probably never knew you had.
Why it's worth it: For not much more than a standard manicure, my hands emerged velvety soft without feeling greasy.—Annemarie Dooling

Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa: Bergamot Orange Pedicure 
222 West Broadway between Franklin and North Moore Sts (212-925-5441,sweetlilyspa.com). Regularly $68. TONY deal Mention TONY when booking for 20 percent off the seasonal Bergamot Orange Pedicure (usually $68) through Feb 9. 
Once I was comfortable in an overstuffed floral-print armchair, a foot bath of sea salt and bergamot essential oil (known for its mood-lifting properties) arrived in a charming, farmhouse-style enamel bucket, and the congenial technician, Soni Shrestha, massaged my feet with an individual bergamot orange soap—made especially for the salon by Red Hook--based company Saipua. She then expertly tended to my nails and cuticles, exfoliated my gams using an invigorating sea-salt-and-citrus scrub and applied a bergamot-oil-spiked whipped shea-butter cream to my feet and calves. Following a precision paint job with toluene- and formaldehyde-free Zoya polish, I settled into a cushy sofa to air-dry—in keeping with the salon's emphasis on natural nail care, you'll find no infrared driers here.
Best part: While many salons skimp on the massage element of a pedicure, Shrestha gave my soles and calves a lengthy kneading, tending to each gam for more than five minutes.
Why it's worth it: The personal attention, cellphone- and TV-free serenity, and use of well-being--enhancing natural products turn this pedicure into restorative ritual rather than mere maintenance.—Lisa Ritchie

L'Institut Sothys: Hanakasumi Foot Ritual 
37 W 57th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-688-9400, sothyspa.com). Regularly $60. TONY deal Mention TONY when booking for 25 percent off this treatment through Feb 29.
Like many New Yorkers, I walk a lot—and not always in the most comfortable shoes. This 30-minute foot treatment was the perfect cure for my tired dogs: My massage therapist, Simona, worked out the kinks in my feet and calves, and the improvement was apparent as soon as I stood up. My legs felt like jelly—in the best way possible.
Best part: Although this isn't a traditional pedi, the technicians use Sothys's lush line of products, which incorporate rice powder and Japanese cherry blossoms to thoroughly exfoliate the skin.
Why it's worth it: Despite the relatively short time slot, the experience is luxe: I reclined on a heated massage bed with a warm cloth over my eyes while Simona worked her magic.—Amy Plitt