WITH swimsuit season just around the corner, New Yorkers are scrambling for the latest ways to lose weight. Fast.
“During the early spring months, current members and non-members looking for a gym to call their own begin to flock to us in droves,” says Crunch spokeswoman Renae Bluitt.
“It’s a known fact – summer weather encourages more revealing clothing and people definitely want to be prepared.”
While exercise and dieting may provide long-term results, those who want immediate results are turning to spas and athome beauty treatments for instant gratification.
Women spent almost $9 billion on spa treatments in 2002 alone (the most recent figures available). Global skin-care market revenues top $31 billion each year.
Slimming and weight loss constitute one of the fastest-growing segments of the beauty industry, analysts say. Scientists are aggressively developing new techniques and ingredients for both professional and at-home
use.
“We are seeing a strong increase in the number of consumers who are seeking spa treatments to slenderize, tone and address cellulite issues,” says Susie Ellis, president of Spa Finder Inc.
“In fact, cellulite is the second most frequently searched area in Spafinder.com’s new medical spa area.
More and more people are discovering the benefits of these treatments as Ionithermie and Endermologie
become more accessible.”
Intent on slimming down without setting foot in a gym, The Post set off to five of the city’s top pampering destinations to test their newest, most in-demand treatments.
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1. Muscle-building without the sweat
Cost: $160
Where: SkinScience Medical Spa, 12A E. 72nd St., (212) 517-6600
Rating: [****] (four stars)
“The scientific principle of this treatment is to induce muscle stimulation similar to exercise,” explained Dr. Adrienne Denese, as she wired my stomach and thighs to a high-tech machine. “This 45-minute treatment is the equivalent of simultaneously doing 450 crunches and 450 leg and butt lifts.”
The sensation of having my abs, butt, thighs and hip muscles simultaneously contracted wasn’t as unpleasant as I expected – it felt as if I were having a vibrating deep-tissue massage.
The results were remarkable. After one 45-minute session, I lost 2 inches from my waist and lower
abdomen – a loss Denese said was permanent, thanks to a gain in muscle.
Four days later, my muscles are still tight.
It isn’t cheap, but it’s like having two personal training sessions minus the trainer, the sweat and the pain.
*
2. Brazil Bronze high-volume sculpted tan
Cost: $80
Where: Brazil Bronze, 580 Broadway, Suite 203, (212) 431-0077
Rating: [***] (three stars)
“Airbrush is so last year,” says tanner to-the-stars Sally Blenkey-Tchasova, the owner of Brazil Bronze.
Her new spray-tan technique is turbinepowered, which means the pigment particles come out ultra-small and the application is ultra-smooth.
The high-volume tan took just three minutes to apply – and there were no bad-smelling fumes.
After giving me a base tan, Blenkey-Tchasova contoured me head to toe.
Instantly, I had a defined tummy, high cheekbones and a lifted tush. My double chin disappeared and my hips looked (almost) “Baywatch”-worthy.
The tan lasts up to a week, so it’s a perfect, cost-effective treatment to get right before a special event.
*
3. Techno face-lift
Cost: $150
Where: Completely Bare, 103 Fifth Ave., (212) 366-6060
Rating: [** 1/2] (two and one-half stars)
Want to get rid of that pesky gobble-gobble under your chin?
At Completely Bare, specially trained spa technicians applied “techno wands” to the muscles in my face. An electrical current passed between the wands, causing my facial muscles to contract and
tighten.
It felt as if someone were pricking me over and over again with a tiny needle for an hour.
My jaw line was subtly but visibly tightened, and my cheekbones were more sharply defined.
While the difference wasn’t dramatic, friends told me my skin seemed to glow.
“The results last between 48 and 72 hours,” says Cindy Barshop, the owner of Completely Bare. “It’s particularly effective on people with wrinkles or sagging skin, especially in the eye area.”
*
4. Dimple destroyer
The cost: $125
Where: Anushka Day Spa & Cellulite Clinic, 241 E. 60th St., (212) 355-6404
Rating: [** 1/2] (two and one-half stars)
As I lay on my stomach, anti-cellulite aesthetician Natasha vacuum-massaged my back, butt and thighs with a roller similar to the one used in Endermologie.
“The difference is that we incorporate ultrasound, which helps to stimulate circulation and melt the fat that causes cellulite,” Natasha explained.
After the massage, she zipped me into the Presso Jet, a large, blue, plastic body sleeve that inflated and deflated, massaging me from waist to ankle. This was supposed to stimulate lymphatic
drainage of toxins and water weight.
The firm, pulsating massage action felt wonderful. And while I didn’t have to visit the bathroom constantly, as I’d been warned, I did feel much thirstier than usual.
For the next two days, the cellulite on my butt and thighs was less visible and my skin was firm and toned.
*
5. Shrink wrap
Cost: $100
Where: Bliss Spa, 568 Broadway, 2nd floor, (212) 219-8970
Rating: zero stars
Bliss Spa has built a reputation on developing no-nonsense, effective body treatments, so I
was looking forward to its new shrink wrap, which promises “a smaller self in 60 minutes.”
I drank the prerequisite “detoxifying” grapefruit juice, then stripped and climbed onto the heated treatment table. A technician brushed me down with a dry brush (to stimulate circulation) and
slathered me in something called South African grapefruit essential oil.
Then she wrapped me in Mylar and blankets, put slices of cucumber over my eyes and left me
to sweat it out.
Easier said than done.
The room was hot, the table was hot and I was tightly wrapped in what felt like tin foil. The cucumbers blinded me, and there was no one to help: My technician had been brusque, at best, before going AWOL.
When I was finally unwrapped, I felt exhausted, dehydrated – and relieved to be free. I ran out
of there as fast as I could – no thinner or firmer than when I walked in.
