Spa Week Media Group Ltd.,  an integrated boutique marketing and public relations firm that specializes in the niche spa industry was founded in 2003 by Cheryl Reid of New York. By reaching spa owners directly and offering treatments, regularly costing hundreds of dollars for only $50 the concept of having a website promoting these deals grew at a great rate. At first only having 25 spas participating, there are now Spa Week chapters in more than 21 cities nationwide.   

“In three short years, Spa Week has gone from one of Manhattan’s best kept secrets to a nationwide spa enthusiasts’ dream.  My goal is to have Spa Week in every American city that has a high proliferation of day spas to accommodate eager consumers looking for affordable indulgence and a peek into the future of wellness. I’m confident that the future of Spa Week will assist in educating Americans on the importance of spa as a part of a new and improved healthy lifestyle campaign,” said Reid. 

It is very easy to maneuver through the website, finding your city and spas offering deals near you. After booking your treatment you can check out the giveaways tab and enter to win as many goodies as you like, equally simple. 

This month Spa Week and Rioja wine are bringing you a chance to win a pair of Manolo Blahniks or a case of delicious red wine.  Heroes of the beauty industry like Chris McMillan and Pat McGrath, from Allure Magazine, reveal their secret beauty weapons this month too and give away the fabulous products and tools they speak of.

With the economy slowly settling, and your cuticles probably suffering form those at-home manicures, you are better of booking an affordable treatment at Spa Week that will cheer you up and not leave your wallet empty. And if you don’t want to get a treatment, you should still enter to win those Manolos!

Laura Albin (aka Jane) founded Chloe & Jane in 2007 after an “aha” moment in the shower with her friend’s, Wendy Viscuglia  (aka Chloe), handmade sugar scrub.  Realizing the importance of taking time to pamper yourself, she created a collection of bath and body products to inspire, renew, and entertain. What started with one scrub is now a five-product line in three delicious but subtle fresh spa scents that has celebs like Debra Messing and Christina Milian singing it praises.

“The idea, the initial idea, started in the kitchen of a friend of mine (Wendy Viscuglia), and she’s totally into going to the spa and I’m into buying soap at Target,” said Albin, co-founder, who started mixing ingredients for scrubs shortly after trying Viscuglia’s. “So Chloe became her image, a more fru-fru gal, and Jane was just plain Jane. We thought about this to show the two sides of the product, it’s a great line with fragrances that don’t overpower and won’t scare the people like me but it has high quality for the high maintenance women who want their spa needs fulfilled. The people I know are either one or the other type of consumer, but everyone likes this spa at home line”

In wanting to bring the products to “spa veterans and spa virgins” alike, Albin thought of possible recipes and packaging ideas. She came up with an eco-chic line made of paraben and artificial dye-free products and went with a recyclable packaging. Plus, she decided to never test on animals.

“It took 9 months to put everything together and we have been in the market for little less than a year. We didn’t expect it to be so well received and be such a great product so in that sense it has been very fun to bring the spa to people who have never been to the spa. We definitely want the brand to grow even more than body care, that’s the launching point for us, but we’d rather stay in the retail market rather than higher end stores. That way we reach more places and have the line be about girlfriends and taking care of yourself,” Albin added.

Each item smells and feels amazing with a choc full of “good for you ingredients;” like grapeseed oil, which helps in cell renewal, or Japanese green tea leaf extract, known to reduce puffiness and is packed with antioxidants.  But most appealing, oddly enough, are the product’s designs. Chloe&Jane prints fun anecdotes on the side of every package. From crazy waxing stories to do-it-yourself nightmare experiences. Once you see those little tales, you know the product is authentic, made and used by women who understand what women want.

Like Albin, also a mother of two, explained, it is always amazing to see how you can be great friends with someone so different from you. The stories added to the packaging help in creating a community amongst women who may be very unalike but can still form strong bonds despite it all.

“From a female perspective there’s this idea that you should exercise your passions and hope, follow your ambitions and that’s what we’re doing as far as the business. There’s a need to have good natural products that are not so serious, though, so we want to connect to our customers and we want to let you know its cool to be green while having fun and having a laugh,” Albin said. 

All the items retail from $12-$26 and are available online. For a limited time Blast readers can also enjoy 20% off the Chloe&Jane product line. Enter the code: Blast48 at the website’s check out, and if you’d like to win a spa kit enter the giveaway by February 28!

This month, one Blast reader will win a kit of their choice, worth $140, and, in keeping with a French theme, a $50 gift certificate to Manhattan’s Bruno Jamais Restaurant Club in New York City. No sense in wasting a glowing complexion on Chinese take-out and re-runs of “Sex and the City,” right?

The contest is open to US and Canadian Residents only. Email us your information at Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com by December 31 to enter and please indicate your skin type.

Although not yet FDA approved, the company has been using the products in their international spas and in New York City spas for years. Here’s a break-down of what each kit includes.

For sensitive skin types:

• A new formula used for Sothy’s Immuniscience Crème is said to hydrate and soothe the epidermis, providing a protective shield to combat the everyday elements that can make skin dry and chafed.
• A Clearness Serum gives a concentrated punch of natural polyphenols to help sooth and diffuse redness.
• The Clearness & Comfort Mask softens skin. Throw on some Chopin an close your eyes for the full calming effect.

For regular skin types:

• A Hydra-Protective Crème moisturizes with chaparral extract for extra protection.
• Vitamin Serum with chaparral and eau’thentique of strawberry is said to make a difference in six weeks. Our tester didn’t have quite so long to find out, but did note that the strawberry juices infused into this protective trio leave behind a delightful and light scent.
• A Desquacreme forms a lotion-like barrier as it cleanses, but rinses clean. Active ingredients are said to clear and tone the skin for impurities.

For oily skin types:

• A Hydra-Matt Fluid is a light gel made from biotechnological compounds to reduce shine, moisturize and protect.
• The Clarifying Correcting Serum is a concentrated formula, containing natural polyphenols with properties of regulation, protection, and immediate soothing effect for chafed, red skin.
• The Absorbent Mask goes on creamy, but is enriched with powders and menthol for a clearer complexion and clean, shine-free, healthy skin.

After getting pretty enjoy a night out at the Bruno Jamais Restaurant Club. It features fine cuisine of the French Riviera with the convenience of a taxi ride in New York’s upper east side. Dine until 3 a.m. on chocolate soufflé and Foie Gras. Reservations are suggested and chic attire requested to blend in with the décor that was given the “Best Interior Design” award by Hospitality Design Magazine.

The club has hosted celebrity guests including Billy Baldwin, Joan Rivers, Cindy Adams, Chazz Palminteri and former President Bill Clinton.