Once in a while, I really envy people who live and/or work in Manhattan. Imagine having all those spas at your fingertips! You could try a different spa during lunch hour or after work every week - probably every day - and not hit them all in a year. I could see myself getting into a routine - one week a facial, next a massage, another a manicure, followed by a pedicure and, finally, a body scrub/polish/wrap. Repeat endlessly. I don't live in New York, but I did get a little taste of what it would be like when I was in the city for a series of meetings on one very long day. The first meeting started at 8 a.m.. The last meeting started at 7:30 p.m. with one smack in between. They weren't very long, and I had a few free hours between each one. Coincidentally, they were all within a few blocks of each other and within a few blocks of the Waldorf=Astoria which had opened a 4,000-square-foot spa, beauty and fitness facility, +1 Spa (Plus One Spa), only a month earlier. Of course, this was a perfect time to try it out! I scheduled my treatment a few days before the meeting day and was lucky they had an opening.

After my first meeting, I walked over to Park Avenue, found the Waldorf=Astoria and took the elevator to the 19th floor. (Did you know that the original location of the Waldorf=Astoria is where the Empire State Building is today? It was relocated so the now-famous landmark could be built!). I checked in at the reception desk and was given a quick tour of the spa before my treatment. The original facility was comprised of the fitness center, locker rooms and one treatment room. The spa expanded in June 2003 to include a lounge with changing room, a manicure/pedicure room, a VIP Suite with two tables for couples treatments with private bathroom with its own shower and two additional treatment rooms. The last two rooms are actually in one room divided into two by heavy drapes. The soft lighting and Asian-inspired décor is designed to evoke a tranquil atmosphere. 

After my tour, I was escorted to the VIP Suite where Kristin was about to give me a Waldorf Salad Gommage. She started by cleansing with a spritz of lavender hydrolat all over my skin (lavender has antiseptic and astringent qualities). This was followed by a full-body exfoliation with a mixture of finely ground walnut shells and bamboo suspended in an apple extract. The malic acid in the apple aids smoothing the skin's texture. When the exfoliation was done, Kristin helped me off the table and into the bathroom where I showered off the remaining walnut/bamboo grit. My skin was fabulously soft already, but there was more! I returned to the table and Kristin gave me a wonderful massage using an essential oil blend of lavender, lemongrass, and ginger to help warm the muscles and stimulate the senses. Not only was it extremely relaxing, when it was over, my skin was even softer. I returned to the streets of New York and my next meeting quite mellow (and soft!).

While the +1 Spa facility was updated, so was the treatment menu which now includes the Naturopathica treatment line - botanical skin and bodyline products designed to nourish the skin from the inside out, composed of 100 percent plant-based products free of irritating synthetic ingredients. The menu includes exclusive signature services and profusions such as:

• Waldorf Salad Gommage (using ingredients similar to those that make up the famous salad invented by Oscar Tschirky in 1896)
• The Duke and Duchess Suite Retreat (a couples massage followed by Champagne)
• The Chocolate Pansy ( a gentle chocolate sugar exfoliation followed by a milk-and-honey cocoon wrap with a tasting of rich chocolate)
• The Double Manhattan ( features two therapists working simultaneously to give guests a botanical facial massage and peppermint foot treatment)
• Lime Butterfly (scalp and full body massage with special blend of avocado, macadamia and hazelnut oils with wild lime blossom, ginger and sandalwood)
• Lemon Emigrant (fresh lemon and jojoba beads blended with extracts of ruby grapefruit and blood orange to exfoliate and soften the skin followed by a full-body hydrating massage featuring Crème de la Crème Body Corps Cream)
• Painted Jezabel (your choice of massage, body treatment and customized facial - three 50-minute treatments)

Other treatments include:

• Massage (Swedish, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue/Sports, Reflexology, Deep Tissue Hot Stone, Aromatherapy, Guest Room)
• Facials (The Waldorf Monarch, Waldorf Refresher, Clarifying, Detoxifying, Waldorf Renewal, Cleansing Back Treatment, Gentleman's), Waxing, Eyebrow Shaping
• Butterfly Body Treatments (Aloe Skin Serenity, Loofah-to-Silk, Aroma Salt-to-Silk Scrub, Warm Herbal Cocoon, Milk & Honey Cocoon, Seaweed Cocoon,  Essential Body Melt, Peppermint Foot Fantasy) 
• Dragonfly Just For Men (Gentleman's Facial, Swedish Massage, Cleansing Back Treatment, Deep Tissue Hot Stone Massage, The Presidential - personal training followed by massage)

As well as The Bridal Spa:

• Bridal Transformation (Milk & Honey Cocoon, the Waldorf Monarch Facial, Aromatherapy Massage, French Manicure)
• The Grooms Oasis (aromatherapy Massage, Gentleman's Facial)
• Tranquility for Two (Massage duet in private spa suite)
• The Garden Meditation (Lime Butterfly, Waldorf Refresher Facial)
• For the Bridal Party (Gifts including massage therapies, cocoon body treatments, transformation facials, gift certificates and spa products)

And Group Services - spa treatments such as healing massage therapies, expert facials and therapeutic body treatments scheduled right into group agendas to enhance overall function, reduce stress, improve awareness, enhance clear thinking and calmness, heighten sense of well-being and harmony, improve self-image and reduce anxiety.

In addition to the spa treatments, the +1 Spa provides fitness evaluations, one-to-one personal fitness training, yoga classes and nutritional counseling. The fitness area is equipped with treadmills, stationary bicycles, steppers, elliptical trainers, Cybex machines and free weights.