Foot treatment from Clarins.

Spa therapists are a lot like craft bartenders – turn them loose with exotic new ingredients and techniques, and they’re happy.

As it happens, we’re big fans of plain vanilla – a basic massage by a skilled therapist makes our senses dance – but mash-ups that blend several treatments into one uber-experience have their charms. This week a slew of spas unveiled their latest creations designed to promote wellness, renewal and repeat visits at the annual International Spa Association event in New York. Five treatments – and a nifty fitness apparatus – grabbed our attention. And yes, we even found a couple of hotel – and New York — connections. (more…)

What are the top treatment requests at spas? Forget reflexology and mud wraps. Swedish massages and basic facials, the spa world’s plain vanilla, rule. But that hasn’t stopped spas from dreaming up fresh ways to promote relaxation, wellness and repeat visits.

Five new treatments, three at spas easily reached from New York and none of them cheap, caught my eye during the International Spa Association’s annual visit to New York.

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