Any of the massage treatments that we offer can be done in the couples room (it’s simply performed on our heated massage tables side by side). In that suite we also have a wonderful top-of-the-line SANIJET Hydrotherapy Tub. This tub has jets that are removable and can therefore be sanitized completely between uses.  If you’re like me and wondering what “complete sanitation” actually means, SANIJET guarantees “hospital-grade disinfection”. This “pipeless” technology makes it ideal for a spa setting that does a lot of traditional hydro-therapy treatments. Best of all, our couples massage guests can relax in the tub before or after the massage soaking in a wonderful herbal bath that’s both relaxing & therapeutic!

One of our most popular treatments for couples is the Javanese Beauty Ritual, but Friday’s bookings actually show a preference toward the therapeutic deep tissue & relaxation massages. I’ll ask a few of the couples why when they come in this week. Many are new clients, so perhaps they just wanted to get their feet wet with menu items that are a bit more familiar? During special times, like Valentine’s Day, we’ve had to extend our hours to allow maximum use of our couples room. In fact, we’ve even moved two massage beds in our single rooms in an effort to maximize our availability for couples wanting to share the experience together.

Massages don’t always have to be solitary experiences. In fact, sharing the massage experience with a good friend or significant other has an uncanny ability of creating wonderful moments in time that can be treasured and warmly remember for many years to come.

Suffice to say, our next expansion for Complexions will most definitely include another Metta Couple’s Suite to satisfy the growing demand for this experience.

Couples Massages Are Popular Right Now, But Why? is a post from: Complexions, a Day Spa & Hair Salon in Albany NY

Rose Petal Bath

Continuing with my search for new services, we have recently added another wonderful service to our menu.  It is more of a total spa experience than a single service and one I think will move quickly to the top of our favorite’s list.  It is called the Javanese Lulur…A Royal Celebration of Love.

The Lulur originated in the royal palaces of Central Java, Indonesia, dating back to the 17th century.  It is still practiced today among Indonesian women and spa goers throughout Asia. The ritual is performed for 40 days, every day leading up to the wedding ceremony.  It would be given to the bride-to-be by the other women in the family as a time for nurturing as well as a time when they would pass down their wisdom and sacred stories.

The traditional lulur ritual begins with a massage using coconut oil infused with pandanus leaves and cempaka flowers followed by an invigorating total body exfoliation using the lulur recipe containing a blend of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, jasmine flowers and a hint of jasmine oil. The skin is left soft and gently scented. The massage and exfoliation treatments are followed by a flower bath laced with petals of jasmine, rose frangipani, seasonal aromatic blossoms and astringent leaves. During the bath, the bride sips a traditional tonic beverage called jamu made of turmeric, ginger, egg yolk, and healing herbs which purifies the blood. The lulur is completed with an application of jasmine and frangipani moisturizer. The ritual itself takes about 2 hours. As a spa treatment, this is one of the most pampering experiences available today.

The extensive use of flowering plants, rice and coconuts throughout the lulur ritual and wedding ceremony is symbolic as well as fragrant and beautiful. For the  wedding, the jasmine “melati” flower is essential, and adorns both bride and groom as a symbol of love and fertility.  The frangipani “jepun” flower is placed on prayer temples and in the home and is an essential flower of the Balinese culture and spirituality.

We are pleased to be offering this treatment using JAMU, a product founded in Bali, Indonesia in 1993 by a woman named Kim Collier.  The products are natural, vegan, ORGANIC nourishing recipes, animal and cruelty free, and biodegradable.  I am also happy to be supporting this product because

• 10% of our Blessing Bath profits go to UNICEF :)

I know you will enjoy this incredible experience and we are so pleased to be offering for you.  This treatment is perfect for the bride-to-be, mother of the bride, and the bridal party.  It also makes for an amazingly romantic honeymoon, anniversary or ‘date night’ couples massage … and truth be told, works just as well if you’re single ;)

The Javanese Lulur – An Acient Royal Bridal Ceremony Perfect for… Everyone! is a post from: Complexions, a Day Spa & Hair Salon in Albany NY

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Organic Sunless Tanning – Peak Season Equals Now is a post from: Complexions, a Day Spa & Hair Salon in Albany NY

“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word – excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.”

- Pearl Buck, The Joy of Children, 1964
- US novelist in China (1892 – 1973)

Whenever I travel, I always try to set aside enough time to experience at least one notable spa within the area I am touring. Several years ago, while on vacation in the Maya Riviera, I visited a beautiful Oriental Express Hotel that did a superb job incorporating traditional Mayan healing and wellness rituals into the therapies they offered. Blending the indigenous cultures, traditions and modalities of one’s location into treatments that produce interesting and original experiences using ancient, centuries-old methods gives the guest a unique and  memorable experience.

So there I was, enjoying amazing Mayan therapies each more pleasant than the last, and yet, when I left for home several days later, the one treatment I couldn’t stop thinking about was the only one not of local origin! Simply put, the Hot Poultice Thai Massage is like a dream. The bouquet of aromatherapy oil & herb filled poultice cradles you like a baby while you float into the most tranquil, peaceful and meditative state.  Of course, a treatment with origins half a world away & hundreds of years of history is never easy to get just right and often can end up costing spa owners far more to source than they end up returning. Nevertheless, I knew this was something that had to be shared with the rest of the Complexions community and so made the decision to go ‘all in’.

From Wanting to Having the Hot Poultice…

After returning home, I attended  a spa show in New York City to see if I could find a provider of the poultice I experienced. Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly depending on how many trade shows you’ve attended), I did find several outfits that happily offered “similar” and/or “comparable” products but in the end, when it comes to putting together a new treatment at Complexions, I’d rather not offer it than cut a couple corners. Which isn’t to say that the path to a place on our menu is overly daunting for those committed to top quality therapies & experiences – your product simply has to demonstrate clear wellness & health benefits for our customers and A-level marks in each of the following:

1. The class, consistency, integrity and reliability of the source ingredients.
2. The ability, experience and “authenticity” of the instructors who will be responsible for the training of our staff.

Why so rigorous? As with most of our investments, when it comes to new product and treatment decisions, my strategy has always been to minimize/eliminate as many upfront ‘risks’ as possible. Squaring down the above typically takes care of 90% of what goes into an excellent spa experience.

The Importance of Keeping it Authentic…

One of the most important responsibilities I have is stewarding the trust my customers have built up in Complexions for never compromising on value or taking any liberties with the marketing behind or reasoning for the treatments and services we offer.  If we can’t find either the local indigenous product  someone to train the exact technique, then we will not compromise the experience.  If we put it on our menu, it has to be offered with  accuracy.

There’s something magical in the experience of a faithfully reproduced therapy born from an ancient (and sometimes extinct) civilization – a wisdom and grace that’s difficult to express but easy to feel. It’s what separates deeply-seated primordial therapies from other more modern forms of healing & wellness. In the case of our Thai poultice, if either the prai or kaffir lime were to be sourced from somewhere other than Thailand, than the service simply isn’t “authentic” and would not have been labeled as such. Thankfully, I was able to secure the ingredients by virtue of our relationship with Ytsara Organics and so moved onto the second hurdle – training.

I searched high and low to find an educator. Finally, I decided to call the spa director in Mexico and discuss my desire. She was very kind and offered me the contact information for the educator that they used in Mexico. After discussing her teaching style & schedule at length, I offered to pay for her to come to Complexions and train our therapists in the magical art of Poultice.

Today, I am happy to say that this continues to be one of our most popular services. Not only do our guests appreciate its authenticity they can be assured they are getting. In fact, they are experiencing the same quality of service as if they were in Thailand getting a Samunprai, Hot Poultice Thai Massage. In the resort that I experienced this treatment for the first time, I paid close to $300.00 for, we only charge $154.00  because of our location. We are not in a big metropolitan city that can support that price tag, but our guests, can receive the same uncompromised quality of service as if they were at a 5 star resort

The Story Behind our ‘Signature’ Hot Poultice Thai Massage is a post from: Complexions, a Day Spa & Hair Salon in Albany NY