Spa-goers can slather on all the luxurious products they want at the DC Bliss Spa. Photograph courtesy of Bliss DC
Bliss DC
W Hotel, 515 15th St., NW; 202-661-2416
Bliss Spa is all chic sophistication: The decor is signature white and blue, low-key pop music plays throughout—no Enya here—and the spa lounge features its now-famous brownie tray (from Georgetown bakery Baked & Wired) as well as cheese and olives.
Located on a subterranean level of the W Hotel, the six-room spa offers a full menu of services. Relax in the small white lounge with tea or fruited water before indulging in such treatments as a Triple Oxygen Facial ($160), which left our skin dewy. We’re also fans of the Double Chocolate pedicure ($70), and the waxes ($70 for a full Brazilian) are among the least painful we’ve tried.
The changing room has only one toilet and a small shower that doubles as a steam chamber, but you’ll get to play with the Bliss toiletries to your heart’s content.
Bottom line: It isn’t for everyone—the vibe skews young. But the treatments are terrific and results-oriented.
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Nectar Skin Bar
1633 Wisconsin Ave., NW; 202-333-4332
A new sister “skin salon” to nearby Ipsa for Hair, this boutique spa and beauty store tends to face, nails, and body. The chandeliered, violet-accented rowhouse features a plush couch pedicure bar, a retail space filled with Paul & Joe makeup and Glamglow mud masks, and two cozy, well-lit treatment rooms upstairs for facials and waxing.
We tried one of the $150 skin-infusion treatments—facials with targeted blasts of cool oxygen that are said to send vitamins and nutrients deep into your pores—and found it a refreshing summer treat. During the facial, aesthetician Adrian Avila’s smooth, controlled movements were so relaxing that we fell asleep.
Spray-tanning, microdermabrasion, manicures, makeovers, and semi-permanent mascara treatments—the LashDip procedure is exclusive to Nectar—are also available.
Bottom line: An all-in-one beauty stop befitting the poshest of Georgetown socialites.
This article appears in the July 2011 issue of The Washingtonian.
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Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.
