The best affordable spa treatments in NYC

New Yorkers are low on time but high on self-care. Luckily, taking time for yourself and upkeeping your appearance doesn’t mean spending hours at the spa anymore. Silver Mirror Facial Bar, which has locations in Flatiron, the Upper East Side and near Bryant Park, has created a space that’s easily accessible but offers meticulous facials you would expect at a traditional spa. The facial bar is actually a space with semi-private rooms that exude a casual atmosphere, easy for popping in and out of after work or on your day off, with plush (heated) tables that offer a cozy experience while your esthetician gives you a thorough facial. By that, we mean each esthetician walks you through exactly what products they’re using, why they’re using them and how to use them if you choose to. They also ask about your current skincare regimen to pinpoint areas of concern or where you could improve your texture. They even follow up each appointment with a summary of your visit and the products they’d suggest for your skin based on your discussion. It feels like you have a close friend who happens to be a skincare expert.

Try this: Its 30-minute signature facial is just $99 while its 50-minute special facials are $159.

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Minimalist facial bar Heyday offers a deal that fits into your schedule and budget (minus the annoying wind chimes). Consider this spot, which has locations across the city, an anti-spa. The skin-care therapists will customize the session to your needs (like getting rid of pesky dry spots or pimples). Better yet, this place opens early and closes late on weekdays, so you can pop in before or after work rather than sacrifice your weekend.

Try this: A 50-minute signature facial for $145 (or $114 for members), a laser facial for $375 ($225 for members) or the Laser Lite + Consultation for $99, then add on if your heart desires more, including gua sha, red light therapy and more, starting at just $50.

Season Spa is not super-luxurious, but for doting and soothing salves, booking a mini facial treatment (40mins, $50) is totally worth it. The aesthetician will usher you into a small room with an unexpectedly comfortable bed and proceed to mollycoddle you with cleansers, creams, toners and moisturizers that will soothe your mug.

Try this: Shell out a little more dough for an extraction and combo facial massage followed by a 15-minute mask ($65). Even better, the spa offers affordable massages: an anti-stress back massage for 30 minutes at $38; a reflexology foot massage for 40 minutes at $50; an hour-long Swedish massage for $70 and more.

Brooklynites don’t want for anything these days—not even a luxurious day spa. Located in Greenpoint, this small spa offers a full-size menu of indulgent services: facials, body scrubs, massages and reflexology, all at comparatively gentle prices.

Try this: A detoxing facial for $60 or a “Pure Qi Detoxifying” package for $190 which includes a 60-minute body wrap, a 60-minute anti-stress massage and a 20-minute reflexology session with hot stones.

Cosmetics company LUSH has a book-a-bath experience, that includes access to a petite and pretty bathroom with a clawfoot tub. Staff members prepare the water with a themed bath bomb, which creates colorful, glittery water. Plus, they offer a fresh face mask tailored for your skin, a curated playlist and a refreshing drink at the end. The luxurious book-a-bath experience runs about 30-45 minutes, and it costs $75/session. The most recent themed bath was Wicked.

Try this: Other experiences include two facial options—the 30-minute Fresh Facial ($90) and the 60-minute Validation Facial ($160). The spa also offers a service called Tangled Hair, a 25-minute Japanese-inspired experience with massage techniques focusing on the scalp, face, neck, chest, shoulders and arms ($62). 

If you’re looking for less participation and more playing dead, consider Oasis Day Spa’s lava stone massage. During it, you’ll get to lay immobile and have a trained professional do the heavy lifting. In addition to a full-body massage with warm oil and basalt, marble stones heated to hot, warm and cool temps are placed alternately on the body to relax and release tight muscles.

Try this: For $145 do either a Swedish or a deep-tissue massage for 60 or 90 minutes, but we'd really suggest grabbing a spa package. For $180, you can get the Oasis Express, which includes a 30-minute Swedish massage and a 30-minute Express facial.

If it’s absolute relaxation that you’re after, look no further than these viral head spa sessions: not only will you not have to worry about washing your hair that day—which, as anyone with long locks can attest to, is a to-do list item akin to a chore—but you’ll feel weightless, at ease, the proprietor of a head filled with dreams and ambitions. Head massages, it seems, are the antithesis of the New York hustle. The experience at GuiFei Spa kicks off right as you enter the basement at 136-89 37th Avenue. Amy, the vivacious owner of the space, will immediately start conversing with you despite a language barrier, advising you on what treatment you should indulge in, a 40-minute one or an hour-long session, both which include a deep scalp cleanse and massage with a specialized tea tree oil based shampoo, a shampoo and scalp massage with products “unique to your hair type,” a light neck and upper back massage, a rinse, a blow dry and a scalp inspection. It was $48 plus tip for the 40-minute session.

Haven is specialized in traditional body treatments, waxing, electrolysis and laser hair removal, skincare, hand and foot care, massage - solo and couples, express treatments and it has steam rooms within its men’s and women’s locker rooms. Owned by Gabrielle Ophals and Audra Senkus from Queens, Haven is truly a welcoming and cozy spa that'll make you feel like you matter.

Try this: Get a 30-minute facial for $115, which resurfaces, hydrates, addresses some hyperpigmentation, diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, firms, deep cleans pores, brightens, stimulates collagen production, nourishes, boosts cell turnover. For $105, the "For Your Eyes Only" massage focuses on the fragile skin around the eyes to treat fine expression lines, puffiness, dark circles, and muscle fatigue. The "Escape" mini-facial for $95 has no extractions so it is ideal for an instant glow before a special occasion. If you're into quick, 30-minute Swedish or deep tissue massages, Haven offers it for $100. Find these and more affordable services here.

This Brazilian spa is an oasis for Astorians and Upper East Siders looking to get some primping and relaxation done. Once you step into the salon-spa, you’re whisked into dark, private rooms where you can enjoy incredible facials (from acne relief to microdermabrasion), massages (Swedish to sport) and several beauty care services, including waxing, eyelash extensions and more. Its mini-facial is $75 and includes cleansing, exfoliation, high frequency, mask, and light massage to brighten and hydrate your skin. Its signature facial is just $98, as well. You can also grab a 30-minute massage starting at $60! It’s a clean, contemporary and professional one-stop-shop you can count on when you need some me-time.

Struggling with kinks and knots? This joint will knead them till they’re gone, guaranteed.

Try this: After discussing your target areas with the therapist, sink into a heated bed for a basic Swedish massage. The therapist will massage your oiled back with constant pressure, then move on to a brief foot, neck and head rub (30 minutes, $75).

World Spa, the new-ish 50,000-square-foot space at 1571 McDonald Avenue in Brooklyn, boasts a slew of authentic spa experiences from all around the world smack-dab in the middle of Brooklyn. Visitors can indulge in Eastern European banyas (Russian steam baths with wood stoves), Finnish saunas, cleansing Himalayan salt therapy sessions, Turkish and Morrocan hammams (types of steam baths), Japanese onsens (hot springs) and much more.

Try this: If you aren't looking for a specific treatment but just want to soak all day, go during the week when admission is just $95. 

If you’re looking for a really great deep-tissue massage, then this is the place for you. Best of all, the service costs $53 per hour, which may be the best deal in town (it’s just $31 for a 30-minute session). During the rubdown, clients are treated to a private room (with a door), and by hour’s end your tense muscles will be raising the white flag.

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Rego Beauty Spa is beloved for its incredible massages, including its hot-stone, shiatsu, Swedish, Ayurvedic massages, for singles and couples. This high-demand spa is affordable, clean and comfortable and has a friendly staff and receptionists. Make sure to book in advance as appointments fill up quickly!

Try this: A one-hour massage with hot stones for just $45 or 90 minutes for $65. 

Based on the theory that water brings health, this Noho mainstay is outfitted with a popular water lounge that boasts subterranean pools, saunas, steam rooms and a three-and-a-half-story waterfall.

Try this: Get a Coconut Paradise Manicure ($40) or enjoy the water lounge, which is complimentary with services over $125, or a three-hour pass is available for $60.

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This Williamsburg spa is basically a yoga studio, but also offers excellent massage services for prices that won’t necessarily ruin your bank account.

Try this: A 30-minute aromatherapy session using pressure point reflexive massage and feather striking for $60, or a one-hour deep tissue massage for $110. Hot stone massages run another $10, but there are also half-hour massages available. Plus, the spa frequently runs Groupon deals and offers bulk massage packages to keep prices down, though the therapists’ hands will keep you coming back for more.

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Walk into this small but uncluttered spa, which calls itself "New York's easiest spa," where your therapist will lead you to a relaxation room complete with Celtic-sounding music and incense. The therapist will give your bod a traditional rubdown using unscented oil on your back and legs, while working efficiently to de-kink your troubled areas. For $65, you can totally justify spending a small chunk of change for 30 minutes of peace with a deep tissue massage.

When you just need to escape for a few minutes, book a session in the Himalayan salt cave at this Hell’s Kitchen spa. Bricks of pink salt line the walls of the room, and a mild, infrared heat keeps it pleasantly warm. The salt particles in the air are purported to have detoxifying benefits, but if nothing else, the silent room works as a relaxing form of sensory deprivation. One session is about $55, and for the same price, you can access its infrared sauna.