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The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York offers you the best of East Asian spa therapy, along with all the modern-luxuries of a New York City locale. Perched on the 35th floor of the Time Warner Center in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, this luxe retreat is decked in rich gold and cream décor to set the calming mood for holistic Asian treatments. Whether you spend the day stretching your core with a Thai Yoga Massage or sweating out your stress in their aromatherapy steam room, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental offers more than plenty of amenities to fall in love with. It’s hard to pick favorites, but here are five we loved:

1) Make extra time in your day and head to this spa at least one hour before your appointment just to chill out in the Amethyst-Crystal Steam Room. Low-key color lighting and a variety of scents maximize the relaxation quotient in this warm (107 to 114 degrees) atmosphere.

2) Give your achy muscles a minute to breathe with a dip in the Mandarin’s Vitality Pools. The water is pumped full of 20 times more oxygen than typical H2O, creating a one-of-a-kind wellness experience that gives your skin a big gulp of air. A 10- to 15-minute soak promotes circulation and promises to increase the effectiveness of other treatments; the pools hydrotherapy jets, which massage your muscles as you wade, kick-start the process.

3) From the 72-foot lap pool to the Lobby Lounge, everywhere you turn in the Mandarin Oriental New York features floor-to-ceiling windows bound to give you city views like no other. Whether it’s from your massage table or with a glass of vino after your mani and pedi, enjoy the Central Park and Hudson River vistas from the Spa’s 35th-floor locale.

4) Each of the six treatment rooms is spacious, but The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York has two that shine in particular. The custom-built Thai yoga studio, filled with rich teak wood and gold leaf detailing, resembles a Buddhist temple. The treatment features a Japanese-scented bath, traditional Thai massage and stretching through assisted Western-style yoga movements. You won’t want to leave the VIP Spa Suite, which replicates an oriental home, with a fireplace, dual massage beds, kang (platform) bed and elevated bath.

5) Inspired by traditional culture, the Five-Star spa offers several journeys that combine a variety of treatments into a complex experience. More than just a massage or scrub, these Journeys — the Himalayan Salt, Sea and Chakra Therapy, the Clearing Factor, the Thai Yoga Experience and the Ayurvedic Ritual Experience — include several hours of Eastern-style therapies including traditional cupping, lymph draining, Thermalism, Chakra therapy and reflexology.

Four-plus hours at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York (including spending one hour in the aromatherapy steam room and Vitality Pools, which are packed full of muscle-loving oxygen, and then three hours in an intensive Journey Experience, such as chakra therapy, Reflexology and Crystal Massage) may just wipe you out. Retreat from all that activity to the relaxation room for a catnap. The sunlit room of this New York City spa offers comfy beds lined in soft blankets, floor-to-ceiling window views of the city skyline, a tranquil gold-and-cream décor and the soundtrack of a serene Asian-style waterfall pool to help bring your energy levels back up. It’s no exaggeration to say that you can spend an entire day at the Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York — and we wouldn’t fault you for doing it, either.

Unlike the gritty streets below it, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, set high up on the 35th floor of the Time Warner Center, offers the tranquil ambience of a relaxing getaway. When you enter this New York City locale, soothing natural golds, browns and white tones greet you in the tranquil lobby. A contemporary and organic mix of materials splash with Asian influences; the floor-to-ceiling windows offer views overlooking the Hudson River and Central Park, while teak-tree furniture and gold leaf detailing set the tone. The relaxation room in The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York features bamboo flooring, natural stone and Japanese rice paper window treatments, along with plush and comfortable lounge furniture. Peaceful sounds of water fountains fill the private lounge space in the relaxation room, and fresh orchids and calming colors create a Zen-like atmosphere, setting the perfect mood for total relaxation during your treatments at the Five-Star spa.

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York offers you the best of East Asian spa therapy, along with all the modern-luxuries of a New York City locale. Perched on the 35th floor of the Time Warner Center in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, this luxe retreat is decked in rich gold and cream décor to set the calming mood for holistic Asian treatments. Whether you spend the day stretching your core with a Thai Yoga Massage or sweating out your stress in their aromatherapy steam room, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental offers more than plenty of amenities to fall in love with. It’s hard to pick favorites, but here are five we loved:

1) Make extra time in your day and head to this spa at least one hour before your appointment just to chill out in the Amethyst-Crystal Steam Room. Low-key color lighting and a variety of scents maximize the relaxation quotient in this warm (107 to 114 degrees) atmosphere.

2) Give your achy muscles a minute to breathe with a dip in the Mandarin’s Vitality Pools. The water is pumped full of 20 times more oxygen than typical H2O, creating a one-of-a-kind wellness experience that gives your skin a big gulp of air. A 10- to 15-minute soak promotes circulation and promises to increase the effectiveness of other treatments; the pools hydrotherapy jets, which massage your muscles as you wade, kick-start the process.

3) From the 72-foot lap pool to the Lobby Lounge, everywhere you turn in the Mandarin Oriental New York features floor-to-ceiling windows bound to give you city views like no other. Whether it’s from your massage table or with a glass of vino after your mani and pedi, enjoy the Central Park and Hudson River vistas from the Spa’s 35th-floor locale.

4) Each of the six treatment rooms is spacious, but The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York has two that shine in particular. The custom-built Thai yoga studio, filled with rich teak wood and gold leaf detailing, resembles a Buddhist temple. The treatment features a Japanese-scented bath, traditional Thai massage and stretching through assisted Western-style yoga movements. You won’t want to leave the VIP Spa Suite, which replicates an oriental home, with a fireplace, dual massage beds, kang (platform) bed and elevated bath.

5) Inspired by traditional culture, the Five-Star spa offers several journeys that combine a variety of treatments into a complex experience. More than just a massage or scrub, these Journeys — the Himalayan Salt, Sea and Chakra Therapy, the Clearing Factor, the Thai Yoga Experience and the Ayurvedic Ritual Experience — include several hours of Eastern-style therapies including traditional cupping, lymph draining, Thermalism, Chakra therapy and reflexology.

Four-plus hours at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York (including spending one hour in the aromatherapy steam room and Vitality Pools, which are packed full of muscle-loving oxygen, and then three hours in an intensive Journey Experience, such as chakra therapy, Reflexology and Crystal Massage) may just wipe you out. Retreat from all that activity to the relaxation room for a catnap. The sunlit room of this New York City spa offers comfy beds lined in soft blankets, floor-to-ceiling window views of the city skyline, a tranquil gold-and-cream décor and the soundtrack of a serene Asian-style waterfall pool to help bring your energy levels back up. It’s no exaggeration to say that you can spend an entire day at the Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York — and we wouldn’t fault you for doing it, either.

Unlike the gritty streets below it, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, set high up on the 35th floor of the Time Warner Center, offers the tranquil ambience of a relaxing getaway. When you enter this New York City locale, soothing natural golds, browns and white tones greet you in the tranquil lobby. A contemporary and organic mix of materials splash with Asian influences; the floor-to-ceiling windows offer views overlooking the Hudson River and Central Park, while teak-tree furniture and gold leaf detailing set the tone. The relaxation room in The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York features bamboo flooring, natural stone and Japanese rice paper window treatments, along with plush and comfortable lounge furniture. Peaceful sounds of water fountains fill the private lounge space in the relaxation room, and fresh orchids and calming colors create a Zen-like atmosphere, setting the perfect mood for total relaxation during your treatments at the Five-Star spa.

If you’re looking for the total Far East experience, look no further than The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York. Our New York City go-to place for a getaway boasts a streamlined menu that gets straight to the point; the combination of traditional Chinese medicine, Oriental Meridian massage and master aromatherapy rituals are guaranteed to get your yin and yang aligned (i.e. that knot in your back will finally go away). When making an appointment, you can select a favorite treatment, or better yet, schedule by block of time and let your therapists customize the treatment based on your needs.

Basic massage choices include aromatherapy, hot stone, deep tissue, therapeutic or Swedish massages, but why go basic when you can go all out — especially when the specialty massages really emphasize this Hong Kong hotelier’s Eastern background.

Designed to relieve neck and shoulder tension, the Oriental Essence includes a signature oil made with ginger, mandarin and frankincense used to soothe the body and mind. For the yogi, the Thai Yoga Massage combines traditional massage techniques with yoga movements to relieve joint and muscle tension and increase flexibility.

The Lanna Massage gets its name from the golden triangle region where Northern Thailand, Myanmar and Laos are located. The massage includes “Tok Sen,” a traditional Thai technique using a mallet of Tamarind wood to release tightness. For mommies-to-be in their second or third trimesters, a special maternity massage helps ease lower-back and muscle pains. Focused on pressure points, the Shiatsu is a Japanese treatment designed to increase balance and wellness throughout the body, mind and spirit.

If you’re worried about your skin’s pH level, the Himalayan Salt, Sea and Chakra Therapy includes full-body massage using heated Himalayan salt crystals that re-mineralize your epidermis, as well as a facial massage to nail that just-came-from-the-spa look. And the Thai Foot Reflexology combines Chinese reflexology and traditional Thai massage to restore balance, starting with your lower digits.

It’s a lot of massages, but trust us: You’re in good hands — literally — with whichever treatment you choose at the Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York.

We hate the thought of you rushing through a day at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York — you probably do, too. Instead, slow down and break away from the crazed pace of New York City life and spend as much time as you can at this Five-Star urban retreat.

We suggest coming to The Mandarin Oriental New York hotel, tucked inside the Time Warner Center in the heart of the Upper West Side, at least one hour before your treatments to take full advantage of its stellar amenities. Then, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to swim in the 75-foot lap pool that's surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, chill out in the amethyst-crystal steam room, or take a plunge into the oxygenated vitality pool — perfect for pumping energy back into those achy muscles.

After you’ve had your fill of the steam and showers, you’ll head to the Oriental Tea Lounge, splashed with cream and gold accents to lighten your spirits. Wrapped in a comfy robe, you can wait here with a cup of organic tea before the real spa experience begins. All in all, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York has plenty of amenities to tide you over before your appointment — and the treatments are definitely worth waiting for.

If you’d like to bring your child along to The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York, you can do so if your child is over 18 years old. The hushed tones and adult atmosphere of this urban getaway aren’t meant for under-aged kids and the Asian-inspired therapies — including traditional cupping, lymph draining and Thai yoga massage — were developed with more mature bodies in mind. However, the Spa’s 72-foot lap pool is open to all ages, so pack the swimsuits — and floaties if need be — for a pool day with the little ones as long as you’re staying overnight because the pool is for hotel guests only. And if your junior edition is on her way to adulthood, book a mother-daughter day at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York to celebrate her 18th birthday.

If you don’t need to rush home after your Thai Yoga Massage at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York, the Five-Star retreat offers plenty to do nearby. Without leaving the building, you can enjoy shopping at high-end boutiques, dine at some of the Big Apple’s best restaurants or shop around for gourmet food items inside the Time Warner Center.

Central Park is just footsteps from the building, and a stroll through this spacious park is a great escape from the busy city streets. If the city’s rich theater history strikes your fancy, Broadway is home to 30-plus stages, Times Square offers a mélange of entertainment and the Lincoln Center — also inside the Time Warner Center — offers nightly jazz shows. New York City is home to a slew of not-to-be-missed museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art, all perfect for art lovers.

And for more scenic offerings, a chopper ride over the Statue of Liberty, Yankee Stadium or the George Washington Bridge combines luxe living with a little adventure — not that you’ll necessarily need it after a full day of relaxing at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York.

After your intensive Thai Yoga Massage at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York, you’re bound to have worked up an appetite. Luckily, this New York City spa is tucked inside the Time Warner Center, giving you more dining options than you could ever hope for. Without even leaving the hotel, you can fill your tummy at Asiate, a contemporary Asian-inspired restaurant complete with inspired views of Central Park and a glittering tree-branch sculpture. And one of the Big Apple’s most in-demand dinner spots, Thomas Keller’s famed per se, is just steps away from the Mandarin Oriental New York.

Outside on the city’s streets, you can find market-driven French cuisine at Eleven Madison Park, Italian coastal recipes at Chef Michael White’s Marea and contemporary American fare at Colicchio & Sons. For dinner and a show, the Lincoln Center offers spectacular jazz music and a restaurant that was given top marks by GQ magazine. If you’re overwhelmed by all of the options, don’t hesitate to ask the staff at the spa or inside The Mandarin Oriental New York.

If you’re looking for the total Far East experience, look no further than The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York. Our New York City go-to place for a getaway boasts a streamlined menu that gets straight to the point; the combination of traditional Chinese medicine, Oriental Meridian massage and master aromatherapy rituals are guaranteed to get your yin and yang aligned (i.e. that knot in your back will finally go away). When making an appointment, you can select a favorite treatment, or better yet, schedule by block of time and let your therapists customize the treatment based on your needs.

Basic massage choices include aromatherapy, hot stone, deep tissue, therapeutic or Swedish massages, but why go basic when you can go all out — especially when the specialty massages really emphasize this Hong Kong hotelier’s Eastern background.

Designed to relieve neck and shoulder tension, the Oriental Essence includes a signature oil made with ginger, mandarin and frankincense used to soothe the body and mind. For the yogi, the Thai Yoga Massage combines traditional massage techniques with yoga movements to relieve joint and muscle tension and increase flexibility.

The Lanna Massage gets its name from the golden triangle region where Northern Thailand, Myanmar and Laos are located. The massage includes “Tok Sen,” a traditional Thai technique using a mallet of Tamarind wood to release tightness. For mommies-to-be in their second or third trimesters, a special maternity massage helps ease lower-back and muscle pains. Focused on pressure points, the Shiatsu is a Japanese treatment designed to increase balance and wellness throughout the body, mind and spirit.

If you’re worried about your skin’s pH level, the Himalayan Salt, Sea and Chakra Therapy includes full-body massage using heated Himalayan salt crystals that re-mineralize your epidermis, as well as a facial massage to nail that just-came-from-the-spa look. And the Thai Foot Reflexology combines Chinese reflexology and traditional Thai massage to restore balance, starting with your lower digits.

It’s a lot of massages, but trust us: You’re in good hands — literally — with whichever treatment you choose at the Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York.

New York City boasts several spas, but The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York isn’t just another checkmark on your list of places to conquer in the Big Apple. This 14,500-square-foot luxury spa offers some of the best perks in town — its custom-built Thai Yoga Suite, VIP Spa Suite for two and floor-to-ceiling windows, complete with views of Central Park and the Hudson River, are just the icing on the Five-Star cake.

Before you even begin your treatments at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, you’ll head to the locker rooms, which make way to an amethyst-crystal aromatherapy steam room and the Spa’s Vitality Pools. The first property in the world to use oxygen-intensifying technology, the spa packs 20-times more oxygen than typical H2O in these soaking pools, letting your muscles relax and breathe, while hydrotherapy body jets gently massage you.

These treatments aren’t just your typical massage, body wraps or scrubs. Therapies such as the Himalayan Salt, Sea and Chakra Therapy combine a fusion of traditional Asian practices, including crystal therapy and Prana breathing, with modern day luxuries like an oxygen-intensive serum used to enhance body circulation. In the Oriental Essence Massage, an Oriental Meridian massage is focused with Mandarin’s signature “Quintessence” custom-blended oil of mandarin, frankincense and ginger. And if you want to focus on your face, the intensive anti-aging Opulent Rejuvenesence uses products by superstar cosmetic surgeon Ivo Pitanguy, along with a lymphatic drainage and facial massage to increase circulation. We could go on all day about the unique treatments at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York; but instead, we’ll just give you a smattering and say that you need to check them out for yourself.

Whether you spend a full day at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York lounging by the 75-foot lap pool, sweating in the aromatherapy amethyst crystal steam room, relaxing with a Thai yoga massage, or just stopping in for a quick mani and pedi — complete with a hot stone massage — one thing’s for sure: Your mind will be in a state of complete relaxation and in no mood for heavy thinking. Thankfully, this Five-Star getaway takes any superfluous thought processing out of the way by including a 20 percent service charge, along with the 4.5 percent tax, to your check. That way your mind can wander in the clouds of relaxation, while back on Earth, your thank-yous to the staff at The Spa at Mandarina Oriental New York are all taken care of.

If you’re interested in getting wrapped up at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York, the Five-Star getaway offers several options. The Clearing Factor is a whole-package spa experience: Your body goes through the works, including an exfoliating body scrub, Swedish massage, Lymph Drainage Therapy (which may sound gross, but it increases circulation) and an antioxidant-packed Neem Black Clay full body wrap.

But if you’re really just in it for the wrap, the Ocean and Earth Body Wraps offer a simpler solution. Starting with an exfoliation, your body is prepped for an enveloping body wrap of marine mud, algae or oshadi clay, all picked specifically to suit your needs by Mandarin’s super-trained therapists. An ultra-calming Oriental head massage tops of the treatment, bringing your mind in balance with your body. The wraps at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York will help peel away layers of stress and dull skin, getting you back to feeling fresh inside and out.

If your nose makes the decisions when it comes to massages, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York offers several aromatherapy options guaranteed to send your olfactory nerves into high gear. The streamlined menu was designed with ease in mind — forget complicated or ineffective treatments — and developed using traditional Chinese medicine techniques and master armotherapist recommendations.

The three-part holistic Warmth & Wellness treatment begins with a sea salt and olive exfoliation, detoxifies with a clay body mask, and soothes and nourishes with a fig and olive oil body butter. For a trip to the Far East, the Oriental Essence combines ginger, mandarin and frankincense in an oil massage that will boot out any neck and shoulder tension. Keeping with traditional Thai techniques, the Lanna Massage uses ginger and lemongrass, as well as a special tamarind wood mat to get you back in tip-top shape. Using these eco-sustainable products specially produced by Amala, and hard-core techniques, the aromatherapy treatments at the Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York will get your body and mind back to balance in no time.

Four-plus hours at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York (including spending one hour in the aromatherapy steam room and Vitality Pools, which are packed full of muscle-loving oxygen, and then three hours in an intensive Journey Experience, such as chakra therapy, Reflexology and Crystal Massage) may just wipe you out. Retreat from all that activity to the relaxation room for a catnap. The sunlit room of this New York City spa offers comfy beds lined in soft blankets, floor-to-ceiling window views of the city skyline, a tranquil gold-and-cream décor and the soundtrack of a serene Asian-style waterfall pool to help bring your energy levels back up. It’s no exaggeration to say that you can spend an entire day at the Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York — and we wouldn’t fault you for doing it, either.

Let The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York clue you in: Use specific energy points to weed out that tension and stress. Like a kung-fu master strikes a pressure point, the expert therapists at this Five-Star spa offer several Asian-inspired treatments featuring acupressure techniques, designed to get your body back to stress-free levels. A 90-minute Shiatsu massage makes use of ancient Japanese techniques to eliminate sleepiness and stress, while boosting your body’s overall good health. Starting from the bottom up, the Thai Foot Reflexology increases balance and relaxation using an authentic Thai teak-wood dowel to stimulate circulation and energy. And the traditional Indian Ayurvedic Experience includes a facial Marma point massage, stimulating and revitalizing your skin. So, the right type of pointing can help reduce stress, and if acupressure’s your thing, the Spa at Mandarina Oriental New York has plenty of options to hit those key points.

Don’t expect a plain old massage at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York — you won’t find anything conventional at this New York City getaway. Although it does offer the more traditional deep-tissue and Swedish massages, everything from the highly-trained therapists to the unique line of products at this modern, Asian-inspired spa is created to provide a completely tailored experience. Combing the techniques of traditional Chinese medicine with custom-blended essential oils and Oriental meridian massage, the signature menu of treatments and services at this Five-Star locale is just what you need to shake your mojo back into line. These are the five treatments we think are best at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York:

1) The Mandarin Oriental’s Signature Spa Therapies. They not only make you feel better on the massage table, but they also help keep your body and mind on the right track, once you’re back into the swing of the crazy world. After a private consultation, therapists will adjust treatments and oils to make sure your body is getting exactly what it needs onsite. And when you’re ready to head home after your spa day, they’ll send you off with a nutritional guide and exercise routine in tow, making your body re-balancing a complete overhaul.

2) Himalayan Salt, Sea and Chakra Therapy. If your chakras feel blocked and your life is full of chaos, then the Himalayan Salt, Sea and Chakra Therapy might be your saving grace. The exclusive three-hour treatment combines ancient bathing rituals of Thermalism, meaning your body is taken through a series of cool and warm baths, with a full-body massage using heated Himalayan salt crystals. The final facial massage and Chakra healing will leave your face looking as calm as your body will feel.

3) The Clearing Factor. In the need of a serious detox? The Clearing Factor combines intensive clearing and detoxifying therapies that will have you feeling ship-shape in no time. After a full body exfoliation, which uses Dead Sea salts and kama oils, a lymph drainage to encourage movement in your system, a traditional purifying cupping method and a black clay wrap, any pent up negative energy and stress will have nowhere to run.

4) Thai Yoga Experience. If yoga is your thing, you’ll love the Thai Yoga Experience, where therapists combine stretching and compression massage with a series of assisted yoga postures to get your body back in balance. Inside the custom-designed Thai Yoga Suite, you’ll enjoy a three-hour experience, including a 20-minute herbal bath, foot massage using Thai herbs and a refreshing Lemongrass Cooler.

5) Side-by-side Treatments. For the ultimate in private relaxation, the 650-square-foot VIP Spa Suite at the Mandarin Oriental New York transports you — and your lucky companion — to an Oriental-style home, complete with stunning views of Central Park and the Hudson River, a fireplace, elevated bath, steam shower, dual massage beds and elegant kang bed. You’ll enjoy side-by-side treatments, chill time in the steam room and herbal bath and a Spa lunch to top off your getaway day.

It should go without saying, but just to clarify, The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental New York is out to make you have the best experience possible. So whether you’d like to take a shower under rainforest mists in the experience shower or plunge into the oxygenated water of the vitality pools to let your muscles breathe, this Five-Star spa is set up to let you experience it all. And that means you can schedule your appointments however you’d like; just make sure to let the staff at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York know what services you’ll be having. They’ll arrange treatments in the most efficient order, unless you ask specifically to have one service before the other. In most cases, massages will come first at the Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York, followed by any salon appointments — and take it from us: a manicure is much nicer after your deep-tissue massage.

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, a super-swank Five-Star New York City locale, was last renovated in 2011, but don’t be surprised if you don’t notice the changes. Inside the 35th floor of the Time Warner Center, the spa’s décor sets a calming mood for the traditional Chinese medicine techniques and services. It is a combination of soothing creams and gold with a touch of modern Asian accents, such as dark teak-wood sculptures and gold-leaf detailing. However, the 2011 renovations, didn’t involve the spa’s design; instead, maintenance refurbishments included the installment of a new sound system, heat and ventilation system, and flooring and wall coverings. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York already earned a prestigious Five-Star rating, but the new upgrades helped push the property that much more over the top — and you get to reap the benefits.

Unlike the gritty streets below it, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, set high up on the 35th floor of the Time Warner Center, offers the tranquil ambience of a relaxing getaway. When you enter this New York City locale, soothing natural golds, browns and white tones greet you in the tranquil lobby. A contemporary and organic mix of materials splash with Asian influences; the floor-to-ceiling windows offer views overlooking the Hudson River and Central Park, while teak-tree furniture and gold leaf detailing set the tone. The relaxation room in The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York features bamboo flooring, natural stone and Japanese rice paper window treatments, along with plush and comfortable lounge furniture. Peaceful sounds of water fountains fill the private lounge space in the relaxation room, and fresh orchids and calming colors create a Zen-like atmosphere, setting the perfect mood for total relaxation during your treatments at the Five-Star spa.

You may have booked a visit to The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York for the Thai Yoga massage — we love the combo of stretching and yogi poses, too — but we suggest you arrive early to take total advantage of the locker room and heat areas. The oh-so-spacious locker rooms are prepared for whatever tags along on your visit, so don’t worry if you come after a long morning of power shopping.

After you drop the bags, head to the Amethyst-Crystal Steam Room for an aromatherapy session with soothing colored lights. Treat your muscles to some reverse relaxation with a cool plunge in the vitality pool, where oxygenated water relaxes aching muscles while hydrotherapy body jets gently massage your body. Mineral water and snacks are available in the locker room if you need a jolt of energy during your visit. And when you’re ready to head home, the locker rooms at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York are fully prepped with bath products, including shampoo, conditioner and lotions, and have grooming areas with hairdryers and hair products so you’ll be set to leave looking as fresh on the outside as your body feels on the inside.

East truly meets West at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York; this Five-Star urban retreat combines treatments and philosophies from all over the world in a unique menu of spa treatments and salon services, encompassing the rituals and traditions of China, India, Europe, Bali and the Orient.

Perched on the 35th and 36th floors of the Time Warner Center, this Hong Kong hotelier offers its Five-Star getaway as an escape from the busy city streets below. The floor-to-ceiling windows, amethyst-crystal steam room and oxygen-enhanced plunge pool, all decked in calming gold and modern-Asian accents, are hard to resist. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York aims to offer harmony away from the cacophony of the Big Apple. Therapists use a blending of these rituals and traditions to create a tailor-made experience specifically tuned for you, every time you visit.

If you happened to snag a last-minute vacay to New York City, the Spa at the Mandarin Oriental New York should be at the top of your to-do list. Set high above the craze of the city streets on the 35th and 36th floors of the Five-Star Mandarin Oriental New York hotel, this Five-Star urban retreat offers a total mind and body reboot, and with a little luck, the concierge can book you a last-minute treatment to go along with your spur-of-the-moment trip.

Of course, we suggest you make appointments as much in advance as possible. With a spa menu grounded in traditional Chinese medicine and the philosophies of the Far East, you can experience everything from an Ayurvedic hot oil head massage to Himalayan Salt and Chakra Therapy at the Spa at the Mandarin Oriental New York, making it one in-demand spot when your chi’s out of whack.

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York offers you the best of East Asian spa therapy, along with all the modern-luxuries of a New York City locale. Perched on the 35th floor of the Time Warner Center in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, this luxe retreat is decked in rich gold and cream décor to set the calming mood for holistic Asian treatments. Whether you spend the day stretching your core with a Thai Yoga Massage or sweating out your stress in their aromatherapy steam room, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental offers more than plenty of amenities to fall in love with. It’s hard to pick favorites, but here are five we loved:

1) Make extra time in your day and head to this spa at least one hour before your appointment just to chill out in the Amethyst-Crystal Steam Room. Low-key color lighting and a variety of scents maximize the relaxation quotient in this warm (107 to 114 degrees) atmosphere.

2) Give your achy muscles a minute to breathe with a dip in the Mandarin’s Vitality Pools. The water is pumped full of 20 times more oxygen than typical H2O, creating a one-of-a-kind wellness experience that gives your skin a big gulp of air. A 10- to 15-minute soak promotes circulation and promises to increase the effectiveness of other treatments; the pools hydrotherapy jets, which massage your muscles as you wade, kick-start the process.

3) From the 72-foot lap pool to the Lobby Lounge, everywhere you turn in the Mandarin Oriental New York features floor-to-ceiling windows bound to give you city views like no other. Whether it’s from your massage table or with a glass of vino after your mani and pedi, enjoy the Central Park and Hudson River vistas from the Spa’s 35th-floor locale.

4) Each of the six treatment rooms is spacious, but The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York has two that shine in particular. The custom-built Thai yoga studio, filled with rich teak wood and gold leaf detailing, resembles a Buddhist temple. The treatment features a Japanese-scented bath, traditional Thai massage and stretching through assisted Western-style yoga movements. You won’t want to leave the VIP Spa Suite, which replicates an oriental home, with a fireplace, dual massage beds, kang (platform) bed and elevated bath.

5) Inspired by traditional culture, the Five-Star spa offers several journeys that combine a variety of treatments into a complex experience. More than just a massage or scrub, these Journeys — the Himalayan Salt, Sea and Chakra Therapy, the Clearing Factor, the Thai Yoga Experience and the Ayurvedic Ritual Experience — include several hours of Eastern-style therapies including traditional cupping, lymph draining, Thermalism, Chakra therapy and reflexology.

We hate the thought of you rushing through a day at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York — you probably do, too. Instead, slow down and break away from the crazed pace of New York City life and spend as much time as you can at this Five-Star urban retreat.

We suggest coming to The Mandarin Oriental New York hotel, tucked inside the Time Warner Center in the heart of the Upper West Side, at least one hour before your treatments to take full advantage of its stellar amenities. Then, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to swim in the 75-foot lap pool that's surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, chill out in the amethyst-crystal steam room, or take a plunge into the oxygenated vitality pool — perfect for pumping energy back into those achy muscles.

After you’ve had your fill of the steam and showers, you’ll head to the Oriental Tea Lounge, splashed with cream and gold accents to lighten your spirits. Wrapped in a comfy robe, you can wait here with a cup of organic tea before the real spa experience begins. All in all, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York has plenty of amenities to tide you over before your appointment — and the treatments are definitely worth waiting for.

Whether you take a spa day once a week or once a year, the Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York doesn’t include any of the fussy difficulties normally associated with booking an appointment at an in-demand New York City locale. You won’t wait on hold for hours while listening to elevator music while booking an appointment at this urban retreat; instead just call or e-mail the spa to arrange a time that works best for you.

The floor-to-ceiling windows of this 35th—floor urban getaway offer city views you can’t resist, and the ultra-luxe heat experiences, such as the amethyst-crystal steam room, and the Asian-inspired décor, including rich, dark teak-wood and gold leaf filling the rooms, set the mood for total chi balancing.

Rather than booking a specific treatment from the menu of Asian-influenced exclusive therapies (chakra balancing, acupressure and traditional cupping all make the cut), we suggest booking a 90—minute session, then letting the meticulously-trained staff decide on your specifics during the initial consultation. And to add to the hype of your upcoming appointment, the Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York will e-mail or mail you a confirmation letter that includes a spa menu and brochure, so you can dream about which treatments you will receive before you go.

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York offers a slew of refreshments to enjoy throughout the spa. Large glass decanters filled with mineral water are available in the locker rooms, the Oriental Tea Lounge and the relaxation room. In the Oriental Tea Lounge you can snack on fresh fruits (apples, peaches) and an assortment of dried fruit and nuts. Beverages like fruit-infused mineral water and hot tea are offered as well, and the tea service is presented in elegant Japanese pottery (think small cups with bamboo handles). If you want lunch during your session at the Five-Star spa, speak to the concierge — he or she can arrange for a meal or light snack to be ready after you enjoy your treatment.