Beauty & Spas in New York

Brazil Bronze Glow Bar owner Sally Blenkey-Tchassova knows how difficult it can be to get pale skin to cooperate. She spent her childhood in England applying self-tanning creams to her naturally ivory skin, trying every formula and label she could in her ongoing quest to find the perfect, long-lasting solution. It wasn't until she moved to New York City and found a passion for the highly competitive––and very tan––world of ballroom dancing, that she gracefully stumbled upon the concept of airbrush tanning. From that moment on, she decided to learn everything she could about airbrushing, daring to dream about a world where every pale person could instantly transform herself into a Brazilian goddess whenever she pleased. However, her first attempts with highly perfumed, commercial-grade formulas left her feeling sick, so she took it upon herself to build a better bronze, eventually perfecting a 95% organic product, as well as a sculpted application designed to add subtle definition to curves, décolletage, and the body's natural pinstriping. According to New York magazine, Blenkey-Tchassova now divides her time between "the West Coast for celeb regulars and awards-season appointments" and the New York City salon, which has blossomed into an international operation recognized by numerous media outlets, including Allure magazine, which noted, "Her spray gun creates streak-free color that fades as evenly as the real thing." Salon technicians even travel to bring the airbrush experience to homes, offices, or subterranean doomsday bunkers, and further boost clients' self-confidence by planning flirty boudoir photo sessions.

Most painters don't have a body count on their website. Danny Setiawan is the exception—he’s artfully slathering 292 people with paint in 2012. He's been painting traditionally since he was a child in Indonesia, but after graduating from Parsons The New School For Design in New York, he shifted his brush from synthetic to living canvases, layering participants’ skin with lush koi fish, patterns, and re-creations of famous masterpieces. As he told The Today Show, Setiawan became a body painter to imbue his artwork with more relevancy. "You cannot ignore a piece of art if it's painted on a human body," he said, echoing the sentiments Da Vinci expressed when Da Vinci added a miniature Mona Lisa to the forehead of the Mona Lisa. Since he began filling his portfolio with body paintings, Setiawan's work has been far from ignored. In addition to visiting with Kathie Lee and Hoda, DenArt Studio has been recognized by Last Call with Carson Daly, as well as American Airlines, American Express, and Stoli. Many of his clients are not only attracted to the studio's colorful portfolio but also by its unique services. Guests can commission an artist to paint them clothed or unclothed as individuals or couples, expectant moms can opt for a maternity body-art session, and Halloween celebrants can enlist the studio's help bringing their costumes to life with body paint. At the onsite photo studio a photographer captures the resulting images in dramatic detail. Attendants can also paint each other at a casual Art on Live Canvas workshop, and ambitious artists looking to become the next Danny Setiawan can enroll in a body-painting or makeup course.

Asanda Spa Lounge's aestheticians, massage therapists, and stylists offer a full menu of Aveda face, hair, and body treatments at two locations. Located on the corner of Broadway and Houston, the original location fits right in with its fashion- and beauty-centric SoHo surroundings. The salon invites clients inside with striking, squeaky-clean white decor, high ceilings, and sparkling crystal and Murano-glass chandeliers. The staff of stylists channel the salon's bright, modern aesthetic into chic styles and a menu of aesthetic services that harness the power of botanical-based Aveda products. Massage and facial rooms accented with soft mood lighting and music comprise two-thirds of the lounge's 5,000-square-foot space. At the Midtown location?on the corner of Park Avenue and 56th Street?customers enjoy a new 6,000-square-foot facility that boasts over-sized rooms, hydraulic massage beds, lockers, showers, and a separate spa relaxation room. On sunny days you'll enjoy a private courtyard deck area where you can unwind before or after services. Groupon Guide Favin's Weekend at Asanda Learn more about Asanda's menu of spa treatments from Groupon's beauty blogger Favin.

Candy Kids Spa combines things that kids love—including more than 100 types of candy, candy-flavored facial masks, a heaping helping of personalized attention, and fun activities such as karaoke—into one memorable experience. It should come as no surprise that the company's formula is a successful one, since it was, in fact, inspired by a 6-year-old. As she told Elizabeth Carey in a 2010 Buffalo Business First feature, owner Ayanna Williams came up with the concept when her daughter requested her own special treatment after seeing the pampering going on at a traditional spa. Williams and her daughter decided to retrieve some frosting out of the cabinet and had a good time creating their very own tasty "facial." Williams's daughter told her friends at school about it, and soon Williams started traveling to people's homes for mobile parties. She then bought a storefront on Niagara Falls Boulevard, gutting the building herself and painting the walls in bright rainbow colors. Williams eventually expanded the business to include two more locations in New York state and is in the process of creating franchises elsewhere. The innovative spa, which has been featured on WKBW Channel 7 News, offers services ranging from candy-colored mani-pedis to a spa factory where kids can make their own lip gloss and candy-scented perfume. They also host parties to celebrate a birthday or a long-awaited truce in a war over which sister gets to sleep on the top bunk.

?Pamper Yourself," two words stamped in gold that command all who enter Therapeutic Massage & Bodyworks' domain, asway with lush greenery. With this mandate always in mind and therapeutic scents lingering in the air, ice-cold goblets of lemon water or steaming cups of herbal tea comfort guests losing themselves in the fireplace?s warm, flickering ballet. Gentle exhalations stir the still air, raising scents that hint at fistfuls of rose petals and fruit-based masks that harness the same natural powers as the fine mud and fresh avocados enhancing the salon?s full-body treatments. A reliance on the bounty of Mother Nature carries through into massage treatments that use warm seashells to chase away stress. Skincare and body waxing are performed by licensed aestheticians who hold secondary certification in zamboni operation.

Describing itself as an "ultra-relaxing urban escape," Skin Station radiates tranquility from its outdoor patio garden to its private treatment rooms stocked with the latest aesthetic technology. Aestheticians specialize in customized, clinical facials that harness the hydrating, age-reversing powers of firming radio frequencies, vitamin C and collagen-rich serums, or age-spot clearing IPL. Hot-stone massages and scrubs enriched with brown sugar and Dead Sea–mud help leave bodies feeling soft and stress-free, while unwanted hair can be swiftly evicted with light technology, sugaring, strongly worded letters, or traditional wax treatments.