I ran as fast as I could to the 23rd C,E station off 8th Avenue and got there just in time to miss the train. I stood there looking at my watch leaning over the tracks to see if I could make out headlights approaching. Sound familiar? I was late. Like had been all week. I needed a break.

Exhale Spa was my destination. Exhale carries some of the best skin and facial products around. It’s set up like a small boutique, keeping Central Park South and Upper East Side women in shape. I, for one, took a core fusion class that gave me a new outlook on life. But today the business at hand was soothin’ not fusion.

As soon as I walked through the door, I got the first release I’d had all month. The lighting was soft, the scent in the air was relaxing, and the people at the front desk weren’t rushing me (even if I was late-late-late). They told me softly who would be taking care of me and showed me to the locker room. Clothes off, robe on, I tiptoed to the waiting room to find Mary, my smiling masseuse.

I have had professional massages before, each one very different and each one very necessary. As I slipped off my robe and buried myself under a heavy blanket and between silky sheets, I thought to myself, “This is it.” Mary didn’t even have to come in. I was content just getting some sleep, listening to Enya, and dreaming. When she did come in, she began the massage with a little lesson on oils and the type of massage she would be performing.

Exhale’s signature massage, the Deep Flow Massage, was the perfect medium - pleasurable, not painful. I’ve had deep tissue massages that were hard enough for me to scream uncle, and I’ve had massages that didn’t seem to actually take place. It’s all about the pressure, right? My only complaint could be that it was too short, but you’re talking to the most hedonistic person alive.

When Mary says “thank you,” it feels like a break-up. They say that chemicals release during sex that make women feel attached to their lovers. I think the same rule may apply when someone brushes my hair or gives me a Deep Flow Massage. Mary left me in a relaxation room to listen to music, read magazines under dim lighting and coax myself into walking out those front doors and into the city once again.

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 23rd, 2006 at 1:33 am and is filed under Glamour, New York City, Spa, Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.