Show of hands, how many of you return home from ‘vacation’ only to need a vacation from your vacation? Oh good, I’m not alone! Who can blame us? With so few days off in a given year, plus the planning, packing, and anticipation, we want to make the most of every minute we’re away, which consequently leaves little time for actual rest. As a self-proclaimed over-doer on vacation, I also readily admit I adore a good old-fashioned dose of pampering. Manicure, pedicure, massage, facial – count me in. And if you think about it, what better time to indulge in a little pampering than during your time off, right? So before you fill every minute of your stay in Savannah with places to go and food to eat (and you’ll love it all!), let’s explore a few of Savannah’s self-indulgence specialists to help you make pampering a top vacation priority.
Just off Broughton Street, downtown Savannah’s retail thoroughfare, in a chic location on Whitaker, you’ll happily submit to pampering at Polished. From the tips of your toes to the arches of your brows, the team at Polished goes out of their way to help you completely relax and leave feeling more beautiful than when you walked in. Polished offers manicures, pedicures, facials, brow, lash and threading services as well as face and body waxing treatments.
“We like to customize each customer’s visit as much as possible,” explained Kim Schenk, managing partner at Polished. “We worked with a local company, Salacia Salts, to develop our own custom fragrance line so customers can choose their scent as part of their pedicure.” Polished can even customize your facial – from acne to dry and everything in between – and their aesthetician, Catherine, will apply her expertise to restore skin balance. “We’re the only one in Savannah to offer microneedling facials,” stated Kim, “which helps with hyperpigmentation, fine lines, wrinkles, and builds collagen.” According to Kim, this particular facial technique has a regular following, with customers continuing to see results up to two weeks after treatment.
If you’re coming with a group, Polished will gladly work with you to make your appointments and even help order food delivery while you’re here so all of your needs are met. “It’s important to take care of yourself on vacation,” said Kim, “Savannah is a walking city, so you need time to recover to make the most of your visit.” As an added bonus, while you’re at Polished, you can even get advice on where to eat, shop, and drink thanks to their helpful list of recommendations they gladly hand out. Walk-ins are welcomed but appointments are recommended as Polished frequently books to capacity, especially Thursday through Saturday.
Since we’re already so close to Broughton, why don’t we make our next stop a place where you can take the pampering home with you? Walk past Nourish and the refreshingly delightful scents will lure you inside to find out what smells so good! Their unique selection of mother-nature inspired salt scrubs, soaps, bath fizzies, essential oil aromatherapy body patches and more will have you in scented heaven, but what’s really special about Nourish is that everything you see, touch and smell is handmade right here in Savannah. “For pampering this time of year, I think about our salt scrubs for the body,” stated Shoshanna Walker, owner. “With just a few extra minutes in the shower once a week, you can exfoliate your entire body. It reveals fresh, new skin and provides amazing moisture from the coconut and shea butter!”
Recently, Nourish introduced a few new products including lip tints as well as shampoo and conditioner bars. I was fascinated with the idea of shampoo in a bar form so I had to find out more! “Most people will massage the shampoo bar in their hands, work up a lather, then wash their hair but others apply the bar directly to the scalp and then rinse,” explained Shoshanna. “For the conditioner bar, I like to section hair into three sections, then rub the bar in a downward motion directly on the hair – it’s amazing!” There’s no doubt, when you smell fresh and clean, you feel phenomenal and thanks to Nourish, whether you’re in Savannah or back at home, you can pamper yourself to your heart’s content!
If your idea of pampering means feeling like a queen for the day then Milan Day Spa on Broughton has the treatments for you. Aptly named the “Queen for the Day” package, your five hours of total indulgence will include a variety of massage techniques, exfoliating sugar scrub, French Red Clay therapeutic mud masque, signature facial, and ultimate manicure and pedicure. Of course every queen has to eat, so lunch and champagne are provided as well. “Being in Savannah, there’s a lot of walking and a lot of stairs,” said Erica Barnhart of Milan Spa. “So many people are shocked by the stairs so they come in and pamper themselves because they’ve been enjoying the scenery, but they can take care of their bodies, too.” In addition to its royal services, Milan also offers individual services including manicures, pedicures, massage, facials, waxing, spray tanning, and a full-service hair salon.
Lest you forget you’re in historic downtown Savannah, the building where Milan Spa is located is also frequented by Martha – the resident ghost. “We’ve had clients say she’s tapped them on the shoulder and even opened doors,” Erica told us. It’s not every spa that offers supernatural pampering, but at Milan Day Spa, whether by appointment or caught by a whim to walk in, you’re certain to leave with an elevated sense of relaxation.
Now on to Savannah’s oldest and largest day spa (yet still as charming as ever), Savannah Day Spa. Nestled among the history and beauty of downtown on Oglethorpe Street, Savannah Day Spa is truly an oasis of bliss for mind, body, toes, skin, and fingertips. “People love our packages,” proclaimed owner of Savannah Day Spa, Celeste Hobson. “We offer a variety of services within each package to give clients a flavor of all we do.” In total, Savannah Day Spa offers six unique packages including the Special Occasions Package, Southern Belle’s Delight, Downtown Oasis, Savannah Day Dream, Couple’s Blooming Romance and Gentleman’s Retreat. From aromatherapy massages to facials, manicures to pedicures and more, ranging from three to five and a half hours each, if you’re in need of the ultimate in pampering indulgence, their packages will not disappoint.
Want to treat yourself but have a certain service in mind? Savannah Day Spa does that, too. “Our nail services are extremely luxurious,” stated Celeste, “we use a higher end product, exfoliate in three different ways, massage your leg up to the knee and also apply a warm mask.” Savannah Day Spa also offers a new vegan line of polish — LBK out of Los Angeles — that provides deep pigmented color clients love. In fact, if you check the Spa’s Instagram or Facebook pages, you may time it right to mark your calendar for one of their ‘try it free’ events held one to two times each month. “We hosted a two-hour drop-by event just this past Saturday for people to stop by and get their nails painted for free and the response was so big we couldn’t fit them all in,” exclaimed Celeste. If you’re visiting Savannah in the warmer months, you’ll definitely want to inquire about Savanah Day Spa’s Cucumber facial — a treatment that takes the phrase ‘cool as a cucumber’ to an entirely different level.
Celeste makes every effort to pair clients with the person who will be doing the treatments to ensure a comfortable, relaxing experience. You’d never guess this savvy business owner is not only a very gifted aesthetician but also a veteran. “My mother was the first to start a skincare program in the state of Georgia so I grew up in this industry,” Celeste told us, “but at 18, I wanted to go out on my own and I joined the Coast Guard.” Talk about a change! After several years, she went back to her roots, learning techniques at one of the most prestigious schools in California (which she credits with her west-coast approach to this day). “I once had a celebrity tell me during a facial that my fingers felt like ballerinas on her face and I thought that was a great way to describe it,” Celeste said with a smile. She opened Savannah Day Spa in 1999 and today she and her team have the ability to take 14 different services at once – but appointments are recommended. “We do take walk-ins but we often book up Thursday through Sunday,” she explained, “and if you have a group, it’s definitely best to call ahead for your appointment.”
Whether traveling as a couple or with your friends, Celeste agrees a little pampering is less of a ‘maybe’ and more of a necessity. “None of us takes the time to take care of ourselves but it’s a must,” she said passionately. “Especially if you’re visiting, you could try something you’ve never tried before and you’ll always leave feeling better for it.”
What if you could feel so much better, you actually feel like you’re glowing? That’s exactly what clients of Glow Medical Spa feel like. With its flagship location in Savannah’s midtown on Eisenhower Drive and a new downtown location slated to open in September of this year, Glow has been voted best medical spa for the past 10 years by the readers of Savannah Magazine. “We offer cutting-edge treatments including injectables, oxygen facial treatments, facials, waxing, leg-vein treatments, and massage therapy among our many services,” owner Courtney Victor told us, “but our most unique service is the Platelet Rich Plasma Vampire Facial.” Intrigued? I was! But for the squeamish among us, I’ll leave the details out and encourage those of you who want to know more to visit their website for more information!
Back to the glowing services…”We carry top-of-the-line skin care products from SkinMedica and Revision as well as a full Beauty Boutique and professional makeup artists on hand and ready to perform makeovers,” explained Courtney. In fact, everything about Glow has an illuminating air about it, from the soft lighting to the ethereal aesthetic, the spa-like atmosphere of Glow exudes luxury from the moment you step in to the lobby. Because many of the services offered by Glow are medically based, the spa is almost exclusively appointment only and according to Courtney, Wednesdays tend to have the most availability. “You always deserve a spa day,” proclaimed Courtney, and we wholeheartedly agree!
So if your toes need a little pick-me-up or your face needs a little love from a professional aesthetician, vacation time is the best time to take care of you – especially when you’re in Savannah. Just think, when you return home from your Savannah visit and friends ask, “so how was your trip?” Instead of the usual “Great… but exhausting,” you’ll happily respond, “Amazing… and so relaxing!” And there’s no better souvenir than that! See you at the spa!
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