Revive those tired cells with a pampering session at the city’s many Day Spas. Reshmi Chakraborty tells you where to go

The beauty parlour has grown up. Now you can attend a power meeting at work in the morning and de-stress in the afternoon, without leaving the city or spending megabucks. Welcome to the world of Day Spas, a concept fast catching up in the Capital. These are unwind zones that not only make you look good but feel like a princess!

For working women, Day Spas are a dream come true. Ritu Sahni, a travel agent, treats herself to a day’s pampering every month. “After working odd hours and generally not having a life throughout the week, I deserve it,” she says.

Day Spas offer you the luxury of pampering yourself at sudden notice and at a much lesser cost than an out-of-town spa break. They are very hygienic, run by experts and most double up as parlours, fitness centres and beauty shops. Here are some of Delhi’s best places to de-stress:

Suparna’s Aaveda
Nestled in a quiet little corner of Nizamuddin, they promise to pamper and nourish your body from head to toe. Run by Suparna Trikha, the ambience is quiet and clients (and therapists) are encouraged not to talk. The treat begins with a yummy flower drink made from fresh rhododendron flowers. You can then choose between hair packs and oil massages for soft, shiny hair. A must-try is the Cleopatra Hand and Foot bath, where your hands are dipped into litres of warm milk with rose petals and exfoliated with sugar and lemon slices. Delicious!

The Sea Salt Spa Treatment with sea salt scrubs in five different essential oil blends exfoliate and detoxify the body. Get the glow back on your face with a ‘honey and milk’ massage or an ‘Almond and Walnut’ treatment.

Tired eyes? Try the fabulous eye pack. You’ll wake up wanting more! There’s also an absolutely delicious soup thrown in somewhere in between. The cost factor? Starting from Rs 200 to Rs 800 for the different treatments, it’s almost negligible.

Bliss
“De-stressing and de-toxing done at regular intervals heightens physical and mental energy,” says Dr Poonam Bali, who runs Bliss, located at the swanky 1, MG Road. Set aside at least four hours and Rs 3,200 and get pampered with an ‘Acupressure Head Massage.’ Follow it up with a ‘Destressing and Detoxing facial’. The package also includes an Aromatherapy body massage in the Swedish or Shiatsu technique for an hour, followed by a manicure and pedicure with reflexology to revive your tired feet. There are other comforting (and cheaper) options like a Body Care Package at Rs 1,800.

If your hair has reached the broomstick stage, it makes sense to try Dr Bali’s hair care package at Rs 5,500 for 10 sessions lasting an hour each once a week, with a goodie bag of home care products and medicines.

Blossom Kochar’s Pivot Point
“A day at the Spa is like slipping into a cocoon and stepping out years younger and brighter,” believes Aromatherapy expert Blossom Kochar. Some of the spa treatments offered by her include the Head to Toe Package, which is a complete day programme designed to soothe and relax. The package includes blissful bonanzas like hydro-soak, body scrubs, massage, wrap, facial deep cleansing, treatment for hands and feet...zzz...

For muscles that are more exhausted than the mind, try the Recline and Rest Package. Apart from the snooze-inducing head massage, it also has an acupressure back massage and hand and feet reflexology.

Blossom offers hydrotherapy treatments to relieve stress and ailments. You could also go in for Mineral Baths, an aromatherapy massage and the ubiquitous skin and hair cures. The prices range from Rs 400 to Rs 900 for the different treatments. Heaven without denting your pocket!

Jay Wellness Centre
Want to learn ‘new mind and body skills’ to relax and stay fit? Step into this state-of-the-art day spa at East of Kailash. From personalised face and body treatments, soothing hot and dry saunas to rejuvenating mineral scrubs, it’s all here. There is an Aqua Aerobic Pool specially designed for aqua aerobics and under water gym facilities. If you prefer stretching your limbs on firmer ground, JWC’s fitness centre is a complete exercise circuit with 14 individual cardio theatre stations, supervised by experts.

Sounds like a lot of exercise and very little laze? Try the various massages on offer — from Thai to Indian to Swedish. The delectable exfoliating scrubs range from edible sounding ones like Detox Papaya Exfoliator, Sea Salt Scrub, Rose Oil Body Polish, Indian Herbal Scrub and Rice Pure Indulgence. They also have a low-cal health food café in-house. But you won’t be awake for that, would you?