Review-Preview: Yelo Spa in New York, coming soon to Hong Kong!

Please Note: Fans of this blog, please see our new site at www.therubdown.hk. Here you can see our reviews, and you'll be able to search for spas and massage parlors too! We welcome collaborators, suggestions, questions and comments. Email us at therubdownhk@gmail.com!  Now on with the show...

O.K. gang, now for something a little different. We here at the Rubdown are an international bunch, and we know you like to travel too. So when our friend Kelly C. in New York City offered to write us a review of the hot Yelo Spa in Manhattan, we were more than happy to accept. And, Kelly came back with a scoop: Yelo is planning to open a Hong Kong outpost later this year, in cahoots with Sense of Touch. How's that for breaking news? You heard it here first, folks!

We'll bring you updates as we get them. But now, we offer you a video on Yelo and Kelly's thoughts on the joint. Thanks, Kelly!

I walked into the door of Yelo Spa for my first visit thinking that they had some ground to make up with me.

I walked out an hour and a half later blissful and relaxed, an enthusiastic convert to the ways of this East-Meets-West oasis. The New Yorker in me, fixated on fighting my way through injustice, both perceived and real, was tamed by the yogi sage in me, who remembered what was important.

The experience started a few weeks ago when, looking for a new spa experience that I might offer to my sister and her friends who were visiting for the weekend, I stumbled on the Yelo Web site, www.yelospa.com, and was immediately captivated. Images of an inviting space, illuminated by glowing lights in shades of saffron and fuchsia, beckoned.  On offer were sessions of soothing reflexology-based treatments, and the spa’s signature Yelonaps, experienced in chambers known as Yelocabs — rooms that combine, aromatherapy, purified air, and the customized YeloChair, which elevates the legs over the heart to encourage relaxation.

The Web site spoke of bringing the ways of Eastern aesthetics and traditions to busy Western urbanites, ideas that intrigued this busy journalist/yoga teacher.

My sister and her friends ultimately decided against a spa weekend, but I was hooked on the idea of a Yelospa visit. And so, full of expectations that what I was headed for was nothing short of enlightened-thus-nothing-can-go-wrong spa treatments, I booked online for two treatments, a reflexology “Wake Up Call” session for USD $115, designed for those feeling tired and/or depressed, and an AlphaLounger session, USD $28 for 23 minutes, a multi-sensory adventure in a state-of-the-art lounger.

My debit card was debited immediately for both treatments. When I called to check that my appointments were confirmed, I was told that the session in the “AlphaLounger” chair, was not available.  Grrr. Being pre-charged for a spa treatment is already annoying in my book. Being pre-charged for a treatment that is not available is doubly annoying. The representative I spoke with on the phone apologized and assured me I would be refunded for the Alpha Lounger Session.

And so I arrived for my remaining scheduled treatment. The receptionist, who was unaware of the payment mixup and whether my card had been refunded, (annoying), did offer me some soothing herbal tea, then sat me down in the glowing saffron reception area and called Michael Hazel, the director of operations, to meet with me in person. Mr. Hazel apologized for the charging mixup and explained that they had expected the AlphaLounger to be fixed by the time of my scheduled appointment.  But, he explained, gesturing to the wavy lounge chair sitting unplugged and unceremoniously in the reception area, the AlphaLounger was still out of commission. He assured me that all reparations would be made.

My eye lingered wistfully on the AlphaLounger, which was one of the reasons I wanted to visit Yelo Spa in the first place. Unplugged and unattended to, it looked decidedly less exotic and enticing than it did on the Web site, which portrays a glowing deep-blue C-shaped lounger that promises to engulf the body in “uniquely created sound compositions” combined with soft warmth and a light rocking motion. 

I thought about taking my refund for the AlphaLounger session and just going with the “Wake Up Call” reflexology.  But the tea and Michael’s sincere and down-to-earth apology had mellowed me and I decided to add another treatment, one of the spa’s signature YeloNaps. At USD$18, the nap was inexpensive and paired well with the reflexology.

The receptionist gave me a questionnaire regarding my general state of health and my preferences for sounds and fragrances during my treatment. I put down that I was stressed and tired. (Didn’t have to tell them that!) I requested sounds of falling rain and aromas of lavender and Indian spices.

The warm color scheme, inspired by the colors favored by Tibetan monks, began to seep in and I started to tune into the décor.

The Eastern vibe is intentional, according to Yelo’s founder and chief executive Nicolas Ronco.   A French entrepreneur and a frequent business traveler to Asia, Mr. Ronco found himself drawn to Eastern wellness traditions. In particular, he began noticing the positive effect of  taking a short break during the day to recharge and renew.    

Yelo opened its doors in midtown Manhattan in 2007, billing itself as a wellness center rather than a spa and heavily promoting the YeloNaps. Yelo was not the first, commercial nap space in the city. Among others, MetroNaps had opened in the Empire State Building. 

The downturn has affected the power nap business, and Mr. Ronco has added a menu of conventional spa services to Yelo’s offerings, but he remains convinced that his formula of offering the busy urbanite an easy, quick way to recharge and renew is a winning one.

After I finished my tea, Micah, my physical therapist, led me down the glowing saffron hallway to my Yelocab. He instructed me to remove my boots and tights, but leave everything else on. (“You don’t get naked here,” Mr. Ronco explained, a policy keeping in line with his philosophy of keeping sessions quick and easy.)  I sat down in the YeloChair, which looked like a glorified leather recliner, and waited for Micah.

He came into the room, reclined my chair to a prone position, my legs slightly raised in a comfortable position. Micah covered me with a light, buttery blanket and began the session by giving my feet a warm towel bath. The simple joy of having your feet covered and gently cleaned in a warm, fragrant towel cannot be underestimated.

Micah then massaged my feet and head, using a gentle reflexology style developed by an American physiotherapist, Eunice Ingham. He devoted extra attention to my ears, which took a few moments to get used to, but ultimately left me drifting toward sleep.

At the end of the 40-minute massage,  he wrapped my feet in what seemed to be soft cotton booties, and left the room, a fact I registered only vaguely. With my feet swaddled, my muscles relaxed, and the sound of falling rain all around me, I fell into my 20-minute Yelonap.

A gentle brightening of the room and vibrating of my chair brought me awake. Micah returned with some cool water and told me to take my time as I returned to the world of New York.

I drank the water, put on my boots and floated out of the YeloCab, deciding that, whatever the imperfections, this place was on to something. Mr. Ronco is convinced of that as well, and said he has plans to open a Yelo spa in Hong Kong, through a licensing agreement with the creators of Sense of Touch spas, later this year.

Yelo Spa, 315 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, United States. +1-212-245-8235. map.