Super-Hot, New, and Best Deal

Award-winning day spa Hiatus Spa + Retreat celebrates its grand opening in Austin with a Founding Membership in its membership program, the H-Circle, which locks in $49 per month spa services for life. This introductory offer is only available now through February 14, 2011.

How awesome is a $49 spa treatment a month? It’ll force you to go and is cheap! H-Circle members can enjoy a different signature “Essential Service” every month, including: Hiatus Massage, Hiatus Facial, Body Glow, Revitalizing Body Wrap, or a Mani-Pedi Retreat. Plus, Founding Membership offers unlimited spa services at significantly discounted H-Circle member pricing. A one-time initiation fee of $29 applies. Perfect for you and as a gift!

hiatusspa.com /  Gables 5^th Street Commons, 1611 West 5^th Street, Ste 155

For the Fellas

Staying in tune with Travasaa’s signature musical massage treatments, the Double Trouble couples massage is inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan, a Texas icon whose band was called Double Trouble. The treatment is composed of rhythmic movements that are choreographed to Stevie’s blues music. Reflecting the blues influence, the treatment features Blue Cypress, Agave and Sandalwood ingredients, a schematic blues-themed decor and guests receive a distinctive takeaway gift. (Cost $135 per person for a 50-minute session)

The new exclusive men’s What Ale’s You (apostrophe abuse but that’s how they spell it) spa package features an 80-minute Energetic Edge massage (intensive sports massage therapy for active athletes) followed by a Peppermint Zenergy foot treatment, completed with an refreshing, organic Texas ale of choice.  (Cost is $265, including gratuities with tax additional, for a 2 hour treatment)

All of Travaasa Austin’s spa offerings: travaasa.com/austin/#/travaasa-spa-overview

Seasonal Specials

San Saba Spa at Lakeway Resort and Spa has three new seasonal spa treatments:

Pumpkin Oatmeal Body Scrub: Natural apricot seeds gently scrub away dead skin cells while vitamin-rich pumpkin and oatmeal nourish the skin and work together to build up natural defense barriers. Botanical oils and extracts remind the senses of autumn delight. $210 for 100 minutes

Peppermint Mocha Scrub: the peppermint mocha body polish and white chocolate soufflé wrap includes the healing properties of chocolate with the gentle exfoliating peppermint mocha scrub to smooth and soften. A stress reducing and moisturizing White Chocolate Soufflé wrap rounds out this delightful treatment. $222 for 95 minutes

Spiced Stone Hot Massage: Using the traditional holiday spices of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Vanilla combined with warm polished river stones, therapists will soothe, balance and restore you thisholiday season. $192 for 80 minutes

http://lakewayresortandspa.com/

Yoga

Yoga on the Lawn (October 15): Strike a pose in one of Austin’s most scenic spots during Yoga on the Lawn, an hour-long session led by registered yoga instructor Angela Knight with acoustic music by Murphy’s In Laws. A $10 minimum donation to Seton is requested; all participants who donate more than $20 will receive a pool day pass valid weekdays through October 31, 2011!

Bar

Pink Ribbon Martini, $14: Made with Savvy vodka, Paula’s Texas Lemon, fresh POM and lemon juice with a pink sugar rim, this cocktail for a cure tastes great and does good with 50% donated to Seton.

Eat

Bake Sale and Raffle (October 21): sweetest fundraising event of all, the Bake Sale & Raffle offers more than 100 varieties of handmade cookies, cakes, and other treats ($1-$15), along with a raffle ($5) featuring gift certificates and items from the Hotel and Austin businesses. As with last year’s event raised more than $4,000, all proceeds benefit Seton.

Pancake Supper for Seton (October 26), $15: experience the nostalgia of breakfast for dinner at TRIO’s 3rd annual Pancake Supper. Choose from four delicious pancake options, each served with a choice of side; a limited á la carte dinner menu will also be available. 50% of total proceeds benefit Seton.

Spa

Pink Grapefruit Massage, $145-$160: Uplifting and stimulating, The Spa’s Pink Grapefruit Massage incorporates pink grapefruit essential oils into either a Deep Tissue or Swedish massage, with 10% of proceeds going to Seton.

- Ellina Modern Italian Restaurant is offering a $30 Prix Fixe every evening. Choice of appetizer, main course & either a glass of wine or a dessert. (a friend says this is the best meal he’s had in Aspen …)

- Il Mulino Prix Fixe $20 Lunch or $30 Dinner for Autumn Harvest menu! (a friend’s friend owns this restaurant and I CAN’T WAIT to try it!)

- Brexi offers a $34 prixe fixe – appetizer, entree, dessert (me & the Vermonster’s fave restaurant in Aspen)

- LuLu Wilson offers a $35 prixe fixe – appetizer, entree, dessert

- Takah Sushi is offering $6 sushi rolls & 1/2 priced atomic shrimp & sake

- Syzygy Restaurant offers a 3 course prix fixe for $39

- Silver Queen is now open–don’t know if they’re doing any specials, but definitely want to check it out!

Then, Viceroy Snowmass is offering Colorado residents a special rate of $95 per night per room, including parking.  The Spa at Viceroy Snowmass is also offering 25 percent savings on all spa services!! For Viceroy Snowmass’ spa, call 970.923.8007.

Hear of any more deals? Let me know!

1) Bleeker Street Gym

Of course it doesn’t have a website, because this is the bodybuilder’s gym where all the meatheads go, and they’re way too legit for that. Honestly, the gym is crowded with equipment, bodybuilding photos line every inch of wall space not consumed by mirrors (there’s not even a place for me to kick up for a handstand pushup), and it’s so low-tech that you sign in upon entry. Literally, on a piece of paper, with a pen–sign in. But Joe, the owner, is friendly and tough, and the clientele are mostly the same. It’s a good, solid gym and it’s definitely the cheapest in town.

It’s in Obermeyer Place – since there’s no website, you’ll have to just drop by. This town continues to amaze me with its low-tech lifestyle.

2) Aspen Club & Spa

Let’s not lie: I can’t afford to join the Aspen Club & Spa. It’s tailor-made for Aspenites, the kind of Aspenites that give Aspen its reputation: they fly in on private planes, take private Pilates lessons, eat at private dinner clubs, and want private hot tubs and steam rooms in their private gym, assuming it’s not in their private home. Naturally, the allure isn’t in the PRIVACY inasmuch as the exclusivity possessing privacy declares.

Anyway, I occasionally weasel my way in to the Aspen Club & Spa because I actually like the people who work there, and I enjoy working out in the brightly-lit, double-high-ceilinged main gym floor, despite the fact that I have to share the elbow room of my olympic lifting space with the bench press. The facilities are top-notch and both classes and personal trainers are plentiful. It’s really a destination, complete with spa, salon, and cafe.

3) Jean-Robert’s Gym & JR’s Gym Downstairs

The multi-level gym has very different personalities. The top, Jean-Robert’s Gym, is upscale, sleek, shiny, with all-red equipment, wood floors, and lots of windows. They have the latest in cardio equipment (including one of those crazy treadmills that doesn’t put stress on your knees), naturally, and all the weights match. I didn’t see anyone working out while I was up there.

I took my workout down to JR’s, the windowless literal basement of a gym that used to be the Aspen Athletic Club. It’s a maze of multiple layers with equipment crammed in where it can fit, but I had room to weightlift and they had a rower, so my CrossFit self was happy. The people down there were there to get in and get out–not unfriendly, but no sense of camaraderie. The most remarkable thing to me was the two-lane lap pool, whirpool, and–get this–ice bath! The only gym I’ve ever been to that had an ice bath. You bet I enjoyed it, until I realized I could just go get in the river by my house to ice my poor sore self (see: me, broken, after the half marathon I ran recently).

And there you have it, folks. The three gyms in Aspen. There are some other boutique personal training gyms (like the one with the owner who told me he was too expensive for me–without me asking a single question), but these are the main “box” gyms!

July 12th: Nelo (New EP launching July 14th)
August 9th: Bob Schneider
September 13th: The Gourds
October 11th: Encore Presentation, TBD

General Event Information:
Admission is $5 per person. Gates open no earlier than 4:00pm and only the first 1,200 guests will be admitted. Concert will begin at 6:00pm and continue through sunset until approximately 8:00pm. Concessions will be available, including a variety of food, beer, wine, and drinks. Parking is available on-site at the resort, including valet parking at $15 and self parking at $10. Complimentary parking lots are located at Live Oak Golf Course and Lakeway City Hall with shuttles to and from the concert provided by the resort.

Yelpers, my go-to for info, have nothing but good things to say about the South Congress salon and the other stylists. Even though I JUST got my hair done, I can’t wait to need to go back again and check out the other full-spa services Bo also offers … because I’d go anywhere for Johanna.

What is a daycation? It’s a package the Four Seasons is offering to lure locals to the hotel. You get lunch at TRIO, a 50-minute spa treatment, and access to the facilities all day. For lunch I had a delicious “Austin Hippie” salad with perfectly cooked scallops, and a side of the most amazing berries in the world. Okay, maybe not that good, but somehow TRIO always manages to have the juiciest, most flavorful berries around.

I’m headed to my massage in a few minutes, I’ll update later on how it goes. Ahhhh, daycationing …

Update: The. Best. Massage. Ever.

I’ll admit, up until today I didn’t really get what everyone was talking about with the massage deal. Sure, it feels nice to have your muscles rubbed, but blissed out? Hadn’t felt it. And I’ve gotten massage at some top notch places. But John at the Four Seasons today, he took it to a whole new level. He worked some serious knots I didn’t even know existed out of my shoulders, and while the pain was a little intense for a bit, the release was incredible. My body is so relaxed. I wanted to lie in a hammock and breathe it in–luckily for me, I could, as there are lakeside hammock havens. And then I sat in the steam room, sweating every last drop of tension out.

Can every day be a Daycation?!

From the Four Seasons Austin website:

Daycation:

Whether you’re a local looking for a close-to-home getaway or a vacationer staying with friends or family, enjoy the amenities and pampering of Four Seasons Hotel Austin’s Daycation package, offered Monday through Friday.

This package includes:

• A 50-minute spa treatment of your choice
• Lunch in TRIO
• Use of the Spa’s eucalyptus steam rooms, locker room and fitness facilities
• A day pass for the pool

USD 160.00 per person

Whole Foods “Check Out”  Singles TONIGHT, Wednesday, 6-8pm, free!

If you want a “healthy relationship,” where better to look than Whole Foods Market?  Stroll the aisles and taste decadent chocolates and champagne, flirt over fondue, sample perfect recipes for romantic dinners for two, and mingle on the patio with your new friends.  You might just find a date for Valentine’s Day!

Daily Juice Cafe Chocolate Party, 9pm-1am, $13 advance/$16 door

There’ll be a DJ, chocolate, durian (“Durian, the highly esteemed, edible fruit of Durio zibethinus … tastes like a combination of banana, caramel, and vanilla, with a slight onion tang.” encyclopedia defn), and dancing, so scratch my idea to come here for dinner and make this party the main event!

And a few more random ideas:

Single or attached, treat yourself to milk + honey:

Primpin’ special at SALON by milk + honey
Blowout + make-up + manicure $110. February 7th-15th

Show your lover the love: BackRub 101
Bring your partner and you’ll both learn how to give a back and neck massage. Both receive a 30 minute massage lesson followed by a one-hour aromatherapy massage in the couple’s room. 120 minutes for $265.

One last restaurant special suggestion: Asti or Fino

Both Asti and Fino are offering 3-course menus for $45 a person in addition to their full menus. These specials run Thursday, February 12 through Saturday, February 14th. Reserve without lifting a finger by clicking on http://www.finoaustin.com/fino/event

In honor of the UT Performing Arts Center’s presentation of Legally Blonde starting tonight and running through Sunday (Feb 3-8), The Spa at Four Seasons is offering a Legally Blonde and Beautiful package.  The package includes an essential manicure or pedicure, a glass of pink champagne, and a bottle of Creative Nail Designs nail polish to take home. The Legally Blonde spa package will be available the entire month of February, with manicures at $45 and pedicures $55–also a nice idea for Valentine’s pampering.

Reservations at 478-4500.

Make a Four Seasons evening of it and snag a drink in the Four Seasons Lobby Bar after your mani/pedi. Recently voted one of the top places to go celeb-spotting, you never know who you might see while sipping on some of the most creative cocktails in the city.  Then, head on downstrairs to enjoy their fabulous restaurant TRIO’s pre-theatre dining special. A three-course menu (app, entree, dessert + valet parking) at TRIO for $49 is a great deal any time, but is a perfect complement to the spa visit and the play. The popovers are pretty much worth $49 alone. Plus, they have Niman Ranch free-range steaks! And the beautiful patio overlooking Town Lake is divine.

To make a reservation, call TRIO at (512) 685-8300. Yum!