Have you ever heard of a tourist massage? We’ll I haven’t either until I stumbled across this service offered by Haven Spa NYC. I was intrigued by the massage because I thought it would be perfect for me since I just came back from Iceland not too long ago. Haven, located on 250 Mercer Street is a serene day spa that offers multiple services including massages, facials, hair care, foot care, and body therapies. With all that comes with being a New Yorker, who wouldn’t want to experience a nice self care day?
Upon arrival, I was greeted by a wonderful receptionist and my fussiness was instantly calmed by the atmosphere of the space. It was pouring raining when I visited, so it was nice to be welcomed by a peaceful environment. Once I settled in, a staff member showed me around the facilities and guided me to the steam room. I don’t remember the last time I’ve been in a steam room, so I was excited because I know that steam helps to remove toxins from the body and cleanses the pores. It was exactly what I needed from the long week and extremely therapeutic for me. Although I couldn’t see much with the fog, I tried to tune in to my body and calm my mind. I don’t think I lasted more than 10 minutes, but to me it was enough to disassociate myself with the outside world and be present with my tourist massage that was to follow afterwards.
I have experienced massages in the past and they were either Swedish or deep tissue massages, so I was curious to know what the differences were in those compared to the tourist massage. My massage therapist Ariel Raovfogel educated me that the tourist massage “is a treatment that is more directed, less generalized.” Even though he used similar techniques to other massages, it’s actually not a whole body experience as I expected. He used a variety of other specialized modalities including a concentration on the lower parts of the body as well as a stretching component, both targeted to resetting the body, releasing built up tension and relieve soreness.
When asked about the techniques used in the tourist massage, Ariel Raovfogel explains,
We use trigger point therapy, intense deep tissue massage, some Chinese Medicine pressure points, and heat and cold therapies, to really zero-in on the parts of the body that need it most.”
I really admired the fact that this massage would be targeted because I definitely felt like some parts of my body needed more attention than others, considering what it has been through with travel, jetlag and of course the everyday movement that comes with being a New Yorker. What’s even more interesting is that the timing of the massage plays a vital role in the techniques and target points of the massage. My appointment was scheduled for 10:30 am, but had it been at a different or later time, Ariel would’ve used different target points for the duration of my massage. I thought that was extremely odd, but also brilliant because our bodies do work with our current time zones.
20 comments
I never heard of this before! Must try next time!
xoxo, Vanessa
http://www.WhatWouldVWear.com
It’s such a cool concept!
First time hearing about this, loving the pictures!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
THAVEN spa is amazing!
This place looks amazing and so zen!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Couldn’t agree more!
Wow, what an amazing spa! Looks gorgeous there!
Raindrops of Sapphire
It’s a wonderful place to relax!
OMG WOW this place looks AMAZING! I will have to give this spot a visit once I start working again.
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Yes definitely do!
This is exactly what I need right now! I’ve been feeling so stressed. This would be helpful.
XO
Candace
http://www.thebeautybeau.com
You should try this when you’re in NYC babe!
This place is a dream. I would love to visit it. Great photos and presentation.
https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/
Thank you so much darling!
What a charming place, so cozy and luxurious. Thanks for sharing dear!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
It truly was magical!
This spa looks amazing!! Wow 🙂
x Merel
http://www.andathousandwords.com
It’s truly amazing!
This spa looks soooo nice! This is my first time hearing of a tourist massage, but it is perfect for the traveller like you! Sounds like a wonderful and much-needed experience!
xo Samantha
It was truly a great experience!