Have You Ever Been to a Spa Party?
Recently on my television show, we set the scene for a spa party. Where most parties are about turning up the energy, a spa party is all about dialing it down. It’s a really great idea for a bridal shower, a teen party, or a girlfriends’ get-together. A spa party could be entirely a do-it-yourself event with homemade treatments that you and your guests perform on each other, or you could hire professionals to service your guests. At our party, Susan Ciminelli, owner of the Susan Ciminelli Day Spa and Salon in Manhattan, brought a team to pamper us and to teach us about skin care. Sara Carey, the editor-in-chief of Everyday Food, shared a delicious shrimp Caesar salad recipe from our new cookbook, Everyday Food: Light. And my makeup artist, Daisy Schwartzberg demonstrated how to apply a full makeup routine in under five minutes! To find out what makeup she used, click here. To find out more about how to throw a spa party, click here.
1 Doesn't the audience look relaxed dressed in their comfy cotton robes, which were a gift from Cotton Palace? They're the exact same ones you'll find at the best hotels and spas. http://www.cottonpalace.com/401test.html
2 And don't you love their soothing gel eye masks? These are from Dream Essentials and they make a great party favor! http://www.dreamessentials.com/product-37/solace-gel-soothing-eye-mask
3 We turned the potting shed on set into a little spa. Susan Ciminelli, from the Susan Ciminelli Spa and Salon in NYC, brought her team to pamper our party guests, who were actually members of our studio audience.
4 Here I am getting a hand massage from Susan Ciminelli while sipping a carrot, ginger, and grapefruit juice. Healthy juices are so easy to make if you have a juice extractor. There are delicious recipes in the Feb. issue of Whole Living Magazine.
5 Joey Kola joined the party and waited for a massage while Katy Carter soaked her feet in chamomile bath in preparation for a soothing reflexology session. Katy loved her beet and apple juice.
6 Meanwhile, Mila Yelnikova gave Ali Carter an aromatherapy facial, which is very relaxing. It gets the blood flowing, increases circulation, helps balance the body's energy, helps the body heal itself, and helps to unblock blockages.
8 Katy and Ali's mother, Lisa Carter, relaxed while Marina Polyakova preformed reflexology. Different points in your feet affect different parts of your body. For example, you can work the foot to miraculously cure a shoulder problem!
11 Joey was in heaven! Susan's spa http://www.susanciminelli.com/ offers several different kinds of massage and many at 30, 60, or 90-minute intervals.
13 I'm taught Ali and Lisa how to make bath fizzies, a combination of citric acid, baking soda, and cornstarch, which, when combined with water, fizzes up. http://www.marthastewart.com/271871/bath-fizzies
14 The powdery mixture is scented, tinted, slightly moistened, and pressed into ice-cube trays, where they dry at room temperature. Gently pop out the cubes and store them in glass jars.
16 Here we are mixing. Ali made lemon fizzies, I chose lavender, and Lisa wanted peppermint. The scent is obtained from essential oils. The tint from a bit of food coloring.
22 To help demonstrate how to care for one's skin, we pulled audience member, Meredith Bailey Wynne. Susan began by washing Meredith's face with a milk cleanser, never soap! Soap dries out the skin.
24 Susan also made a mask by mixing plain full-fat yogurt with honey and some crushed up bee pollen, which she applied to Meredith's face.
Watch Daisy's Five Minute Makeup Routine here:










