Spa Week runs through October 18, and there are lots of venues and treatments to choose from, so newbie and regular spagoers are probably wondering where they’ll get the best bang for their buck. So we developed a handy guide for the novice (Spa Week 101), a refresher for the occasional spagoer (Spa Week 201), and a suggestions list (Spa Week 301) for the regular. Any way you look at it, you’re sure to find some much-needed relaxation.

SPA WEEK 101

What’s Spa Week?
Twice a year, Spa Week hits cities across the country. For one week—and sometimes longer—spas discount three treatments to $50 each.

How do I participate?
It’s free—you just have to register on SpaWeek.com. You’ll get some e-mail reminders, and it’s fairly simple to opt out at any time.

What spas participate?
The list changes every year, but more than 50 spas in DC, Maryland, and Virginia join each season.

Your tan lines are fading, work is piling up like the bags under your eyes, and the looming holiday season is sure to knock your bikini-ready body back to square one.

No need to fret—Spa Week is coming. Get plucked, peeled, and pampered at more than 60 local spas starting October 12 for just $50. Full-service treatments at the businesses included on Spa Week’s DC database usually cost $100 to $200 or more, but the week’s discounts make much-deserved indulgence even sweeter.

The cult-favorite spa Bliss brings its brand of irreverent fun to Washington with the opening of the W Washington D.C. hotel, located in the former Hotel Washington in DC’s downtown.

Located just below ground level, the 3,000-square-foot haven is the 16th Bliss spa and its 14th property in a W-branded hotel.

We were the first to get a behind-the-scenes peek at the space, including information on the spa’s trademark brownie bar—catered by the local chain Bread & Chocolate, winner of the “You Be the Fudge” taste test that took place on the streets of DC over the past few weeks.

Bliss is a modern oasis, decorated in the brand’s signature white and blue. To add a Washington touch, the wall separating the treatment areas from the retail space was designed with tones of cream, blue, and pink to represent cherry blossoms and a blue sky.

The spa features four treatment rooms, two manicure and pedicure stations, and men’s and women’s changing rooms plus a small retail shop stocking Bliss products and other selected lines.

If you haven’t felt at least a little stressed over the past few months, you’re one of the lucky ones. And what could be better than a relaxing facial or massage when you need a time out? Fortunately, Spa Week 2009 begins today. It’s the one week of the year when salons and spas in multiple cities offer select treatments for just $50.

The promotion runs from Monday, April 13, to Sunday, April 19, and the treatments (some of which regularly cost as much as $300) range from Swedish massages and signature facials to microdermabrasion and laser hair removal. Register for free at spaweek.com to see a list of participating businesses in Washington.

What’s the catch? There isn’t one—but schedule an appointment quickly. You can also check the Spa Week blog (spaweekblog.com) to see which salons and spas have recently signed up and may have more openings.

Check out our spa database and our Great Day Spas package for more details, ratings, and location information for local spas as well as our list of great spas in the Washington area.

More>> Shop Around Blog | Style | Find a Spa 

Think the downward-spiraling economy means that you need to put your pampering on pause? Think again, because in February and March, we here at Washingtonian.com have rounded up more than 20 deals at the area’s top spas and cosmetics spots. Check out the Deals section here, plus enjoy the exclusive online outlets featured below to tide you over until the March ones come out!

Related Links:

• More Exclusive Reader Deals
• Spa Reviews Database
• Best Bargains
• Best Places to Buy Jeans

Top hairstylists started somewhere, right?

If you aren’t risk-averse, you can save a lot of money by getting your hair cut or colored by a stylist in training: Beauty-school cuts cost as little as $10.

The tradeoff: Because trainees are methodical and supervisors check the work, appointments take time.

If a student armed with dye makes you nervous, consider that beauty schools also offer cheap massages and facials.

What follows are beauty schools and salons that offer inexpensive student services or training nights. Many other salons, including the PR at Partners chain and Ronnie Elias Salon in Oakton have junior stylists or apprentices who charge less. Places like Hair Cuttery can be a deal, too.

In nearly ten years with Washington-based beauty outpost bluemercury, spa director Lance Etchison has achieved a cult following for both his facial techniques and his eyebrow-shaping skills. Over the years, he’s unclogged the pores and streamlined the brows of everyone from Harrison Ford to Lauryn Hill to Monica Lewinsky (back in her carefully groomed deposition days, of course).

Etchison works out of the store’s Georgetown branch but oversees the spa menu and aesthetician training for bluemercury’s growing national reach—now nearly 30 stores and counting. We sat down with Washington’s best-known extraction expert to get his take on everything from do-it-yourself skincare secrets to who’s got the best brows for the White House. It was all so good, we came up with ten foolproof quotes that make up Lance’s Guide to Great Grooming.