Two Southern Breeze editors divide and conquer the Gulf Coast in search of the ideal spa experience for both guys and gals.

By Mark A. Newman and Courtney Austin - photography by Jack Gardner

 

Getting away from it all has an entirely new meaning in this economy! Now airlines are charging you for sodas not to mention checking a single bag. Who could blame you if you decided to just stay home?

 

Luckily you can still escape from the stresses of everyday life, but your oasis is closer than you think. The Gulf Coast is rich with spa retreats that will have your stress melting away in no time! So no matter where you are, there’s an unforgettable spa experience just waiting for you and your other half. That’s right: a trip to the spa isn’t just for the ladies anymore. Not only are more men indulging in massages, facials, and mani/pedis, but they are loving it! There are even packages you can experience together as you soothe your body, mind, and spirit. So leave the kids with grandma, turn off your cell phone, and prepare to be pampered!

 

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun By Courtney Austin

More women than ever are taking the time to pamper themselves during a visit to the spa. And the Gulf Coast is the perfect place to relax and rejuvenate with an abundance of extraordinary amenities.

 

As a lady, I try to take the time to pamper myself. But let’s face it, try is the key word here. Through the hustle and bustle of everyday life, making sure my nail polish isn’t chipped and my complexion is perfect after a routine facial usually seems to fall behind the mundane tasks I face. Sometimes the stresses get to be too much and it’s time to get away from it all. Alas, my haven for all things peaceful – the spa. I’m glad to report that after personally testing out the facilities, I discovered two Gulf Coast spas that delight in pampering you to your wildest whim. Come on ladies, it’s time to be treated like a queen!

 

The Spa and Fitness Center at Emerald Grande, Destin, Fla. Emerald Grande is the epitome of luxury – and the spa is the lap of luxury! This brand new facility combines outstanding amenities, exceptional service, and all things relaxing into an experience I discovered to be nowhere short of divine. I stored my belongings, wrapped myself in a lavish robe, and made my way into the waiting area. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the Emerald Grande pool deck, with stunning views of Destin Harbor, inviting guests to relax and soak up the beautiful sights as they wait for their treatments.

 

After a few tranquil minutes, I was greeted by Melissa who would be taking care of me during my visit. She led me to my private getaway where I prepared for the Blue Lupine Hydrating Body Mask. During the spa’s signature treatment, rich properties of the Blue Lupine, a flower indigenous to the Destin area, white algae extracts, and squalene quickly renew dehydrated skin.

 

Being on the beautiful Emerald Coast, there was no way I was going to miss out on an afternoon on the beaches, but what I should have missed out on was the sunburn! I learned from first-hand experience that a sunburn and exfoliating scrub do not mix! Fortunately, the Blue Lupine Body Mask soothed my skin and left it silky smooth! As the cooling mud was painted onto my body, the minerals seeped into my skin, delivering nutrients and removing toxins from within. Not only did the mask leave my skin looking great, but the pain of the sunburn had disappeared!

 

At the culmination of the body wrap, it was time to move on to my manicure and pedicure, and an extra girly one at that. The Heavenly Treat Manicure and Pedicure provide a sweet treat for hands and feet. I was indulged in a warm, chocolate scented soak followed by a cookies-and-cream exfoliating sugar scrub. It was almost lunch time, and the aromas made me want to skip a meal and head straight for dessert! After my hands and feet were manicured to perfection, I received a relaxing massage followed by a cocoon of warm towels, topped off with the polish of my choice.

 

The Spa at Emerald Grande is a soothing oasis -- the perfect place to relax, unwind, and reenergize. Featuring indulgent treatments and packages that include any type of service imaginable, this is the place to let go of every worry and enjoy the ultimate pampering experience.

The Spa at Emerald Grande 10 Harbor Blvd. Destin, Florida 850-424-0617

 

Fusion Salon and Spa, Orange Beach, Ala. The beaches of Alabama provide a tranquil getaway – a place to escape the stresses of reality. And an even more tranquil getaway exists along the Coast at Fusion Salon and Spa.

 

After a very busy few weeks in the office and a ski trip that left me oh so sore, an afternoon of relaxation at Fusion was calling my name. My treatment began with a warm footbath that literally made me feel like royalty. It was then time for my Elemental Nature Massage, a personalized experience based upon Aveda philosophies and aromas. I had the choice of earth, air, or fire aromatherapy oils, and chose the latter. The uplifting scents of sandalwood, jasmine, and ylang ylang took me away to a state of euphoria. I melted under the masseuse’s hands as I felt the tension escape my body. There was something special about this massage – it felt more like a healing practice rather than a simple relaxation technique as my muscles seemed to be molded back into the state they were meant to be.

 

I then continued my afternoon of relaxation with the Pure Focus Facial. I chose the face and neck massage option that left me in a state of relaxation unlike any I’ve ever experienced. Sweet Aveda oils were massaged into my face and neck, and soothing music seemed to play as a soundtrack that went along with each portion of the facial. Tension left my body as pressure points were focused on and the aroma of the warm oil filled the room. Cooling blue oil, exclusive to Aveda, was then applied to my face and massaged over my shoulders. To finish off this lavish treatment, I was wrapped in warm towels and the blue oil’s peppermint properties began to tingle throughout my body. I began to feel reenergized, but wished the treatments never had to end. Unfortunately they did, but the feeling of relaxation lasted throughout the rest of the day.

 

And I can’t go on without mentioning the salon at Fusion. A trip to this salon involves more than a haircut. Not only are the stylists fantastic at what they do, but they provide an experience nowhere short of heavenly! Complimentary hand massages are provided as the stylists work their magic, followed by a shampooing that is more like a full scalp massage rather than a simple hair cleansing. After a trip to this salon, you feel great and look even better!

 

I literally felt like I was in a dream during my visit to this spa – words can’t describe how truly magnificent it really was, so you’ll have to see for yourself. Fusion provides an oasis of repose – the perfect place to tickle your fancy, be treated like a queen, and receive that much needed pampering you deserve! Fusion Salon & Spa at The Wharf 4776 Main St., Suite 109 Orange Beach, Alabama 251-224-HAIR

 

Let’s Hear it for the Boys By Mark A. Newman

Even the manliest men are getting their nails buffed, eyebrows plucked, and backs rubbed. Here are some high points along the Gulf Coast where the guys can go…to feel pretty.

 

As Editor of Southern Breeze, I feel it is my duty to personally test out some of the area spas to see how well they treat us guys. I’m glad to report that there are some stellar facilities—some in casinos, some in resorts, and some right down the street—where a guy can go to get pampered. And judging from the way the ladies in the office were going nuts over my newly manicured nails, there could be worse things in life, fellas.

 

Beau Rivage Spa, Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Biloxi, Miss. The Beau’s Spa offers a treatment package called “All About Him” especially for the boys. The locker room, showers, sauna, whirlpool, and steam room are just what you’d expect from any high end resort. Appointed in earth tones, the locker room is very much that of a professional sports team’s.

 

After slipping into a comfy spa robe, I was treated to a Swedish massage, my first massage ever. This type of massage is one of the most gentle so there was not a lot of kneading, just gentle rubbing. The use of oils and an ambient atmosphere with aromatic candles and new age music was very relaxing despite being buck naked while a stranger touches you…but that’s what a good massage is, right?

 

Next was a manicure. I’ve never seen the need to pay someone to do something I can do myself, but a manicure is much more than clipping your nails just before they start tearing holes in the furniture. My nails were clipped, buffed, massaged, heated, and oiled. My cuticles were trimmed (I don’t know why, but it sure made a difference) and my hands also got the luxe treatment with lotions, oils, etc. The finished product got raves, but I’m not throwing out my 20-year-old clippers just yet.

 

The Beau’s spa offers a new “guys only” treatment called the Gentlemen’s Zen Trilogy Wrap and although it sounds like an appetizer at the Asian restaurant Jia, this treatment is equally delicious. The first part of the trilogy is a rub down with Napa Valley grape seeds that exfoliates your skin. The next step is will literally turn you green, not with envy but with relaxation as you are encased in a body wrap of ginger root, green tea, and seaweed algae. As you lay there for 20 minutes or so like a Burrito Supreme, the masseuse gives you a thorough scalp massage that will leave you utterly soothed albeit with a make shift faux hawk! The final step is a gentle massage with lemongrass lotion. The purpose of the Zen Trilogy is to balance your yin and yang and is an ideal antidote for jet lag or long nights. And trust me, after the previous night at the Beau’s Thursday night Club Tiki Pool Party, it works like a charm!

 

My treatment was finished off by a much-needed facial. Masks were applied to and peeled from my face, various hot and cold applications were performed, and oil and dirt was squeezed—sometimes painfully—from my pores. But after all was said and done, my skin never looked—or felt—so good! I could definitely get used to this kind of pampering!

The Spa at the Beau Rivage 875 Beach Blvd. Biloxi, MS 39530 888-750-7111, ext. 7472 or 228-386-7472 www.beaurivage.com

 

The Ritz-Carlton Spa, New Orleans If the Beau’s spa was akin to an NFL locker room, then the spa at the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans extends the Ritz brand even further. With a granite fountain and marble floors to welcome you to the multi-level facility, you know you’re still nicely ensconced in the Ritz! To say the spa is luxurious would be a gross understatement, but trust me, you will find it hard to leave.

 

For guys they have the Gentile Men package that includes a massage, mineral salt rub, facial, hot towel shave, pedicure, manicure, and a foot treatment called a “Submerge and Massage,” which if you didn’t know was for your feet might raise an eyebrow or two. As you can imagine, anything the Ritz offers is going to be top of the line and their spa treatments are no different. The massage was great and the facial was, by this time, much needed since so much time had passed since my last one (I don’t even like shaving so giving myself a facial is not on my to-do list). Also the aesthetician who administered my facial used hot rocks—usually associated with massage techniques (see below)—on my chest and shoulders as she plucked and squeezed and they totally put me in the zone (relaxed enough not to care that my cheeks, forehead, and nose were being manipulated like a hyperactive toddler with Play-Doh).

 

A treatment that’s even more relaxing and less manipulative is the warm stone massage. Don’t worry, you don’t get a bunch of hot rocks dumped on your bare skin; the therapist uses warm stones as his “weapons of choice.” When he’s not gently rubbing them on your skin, he’ll place them in the palms of your hands for a surprisingly relaxing sensation. The lemon grass massage oil doesn’t leave you feeling greasy and the smell is as refreshing as the massage is relaxing. I underwent this particular treatment after a day at the Super Dome for the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience and it was the perfect finale for a very busy day, but I can’t imagine it not being an ideal beginning, middle, or end to any day.

 

As part of the Gentile Men package I was treated to lunch where I chose a shrimp po’boy and a bowl of gumbo (I was in New Orleans, after all) and that great meal made me want a nap, but instead I underwent the above-mentioned foot treatment. The Submerge and Massage is one of the greatest things ever! You’re seated in a comfy chair—they are arranged in pairs for couples on honeymoons, getaways, etc.—and you dip your feet into a mini Jacuzzi and trust me, this ain’t Aunt Mildred’s foot bath! First off the water is hot, so hot, in fact that when I yelped as my feet went in, Doris the masseuse asked if I wanted her to add some cold water.” No,” I said through gritted teeth, “I’ll be fine.” I didn’t want Doris to think I was a wuss. She didn’t. In fact, Doris complimented me on what nice feet I had, a definite first for me!

 

Aside from the fact that I felt truly refreshed after my visit to the spa at the Ritz-Carlton, I have the confidence to wear sandals on a regular basis. Thanks, Doris! The Spa at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans 921 Canal Street New Orleans, LA 70112 504-524-1331 www.ritzcarlton.com

 

• Art & Leisure: Northwest Florida art trail
• chill out: gulf coast spas for gals and guys
• oh what fun! Gulf coast christmas festivals
• Shine on: gulf coast lighthouses
• Artist rendering: mississippi gulf coast art trail
• unmasked: mardi gras cajun style
• towering inferno: a louisiana holiday tradition
• well-sown seeds: golf at alabama's craft farms
• the bug easy: new orleans' audubon insectariam
• the best little roadhouse in louisiana
• back to nature: eco-tours along the gulf coast

• Ogden Museum of Southern Art
• Center for Southern Craft and Design
• The Gaffrey Art Gallery
• Big Mama’s Hula Girl Gallery
• The Eileen West Gallery
• Fire Restaurant
• Donna Burgess Gallery
• Graffiti and the Funky Blues Shack
• Fusion Art Glass
• Apalachicola Museum of Art
• The Artemis Gallery
• the Richard Bickel Photography gallery

please don't start the music

Picked by Mark A. Newman

As relaxing and soothing as these spa treatments are, every single one of them has two things in common—ethereal new agey music piped into the therapy rooms and aromatic oils or candles. While the aromas are relaxing and pleasing to the nostril (none of the “clean linen” or “cinnamon strudel” smells so prevalent in typical scented candles), the music needs to be rethought.

 

From spa to spa, city to city, treatment room to treatment room, the tunes are all the same: indistinguishable instrumentation that floats along without any real melody, much less a beginning, middle, or end. Is that a pan flute accompanied by bamboo wind chimes? The music becomes more of a distraction as you concentrate on the tunes. And it’s not just me being a curmudgeon; the therapists and masseuses are sick of it too as the tunes flow on an endless loop ALL DAY LONG! And you thought Nickelback was maddening!

 

However, there are a few easy solutions to remedy this conundrum that should make both client and therapist happy.

 

Here are my suggestions:

 

• Satellite radio: Put a receiver in each of the treatment rooms and let the clients select the genre of their choice. Although the NASCAR channel or Rush Limbaugh wouldn’t soothe anyone’s nerves, it would be nice to have options other than harps and chirping budgies.

• iPod docks: Everyone has their own iPod these days. If the rooms each had an iPod dock, the client could pre-set what his listening pleasure would be for the treatment: Neil Diamond? Hoobastank? The In the Heights cast album? It’s all good!

• CD Selection: Each room would have a CD player and the spa would have a library of options. Also, the client could bring his own CDs. Just be sure not to get massage oils on the discs!

• Enjoy the Silence: Then again, who says you need any music? Some people might prefer no music whatsoever, just complete and utter silence. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

 

These solutions would be easy for the spas to implement and would shorten the path to insanity so many of us are on and it might reduce the absenteeism among spa staff!