I spent last June in France, including a week in the Basque Country. I’d wanted to visit Biarritz for ages and it absolutely lived up to my expectations. The quaint fishing village transformed into a lavish seaside resort thanks to Napoleon’s wife, Empress Eugenie, who vacationed there as a child. Napoleon built her a villa in 1855 that, today, is the HĂ´tel du Palais overlooking the Grand Plage. A favored retreat of Coco Chanel, she opened her third boutique in Biarritz in […]
Posts categorized: Spa
One of the first travel stories to captivate me and make me think, “I want to do that” was by New York Times op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd. In January 2009, in place of her typical political and social commentary, which, at the time, I devoured every week, she was moonlighting for the Travel section with a story about her visit to the newly opened Canyon Ranch Miami Beach. At the time, President Obama had just taken office and the nation’s economy was in a free fall. In […]
Core Fusion Extreme launched at Exhale Spa at the EPIC Hotel on March 12 and you can enjoy free classes through March 18. Sign up here. To learn more about this incredible bootcamp-inspired class, which includes five heart-pumping circuits including plyobox, core balls, gliders, TRX suspension training, and heavy hand weights, check out my preview of the class at New York’s Flatiron. So how can you win a 10-pack of classes to Exhale Miami and get into the shape of […]
Jan 30
2015
2015
Preview: Core Fusion Extreme at Exhale Spa
As if Core Fusion and its various iterations aren’t “extreme” enough (Core Fusion Boot Camp, Core Fusion Cardio, anyone?), the good folks at Exhale Spa have created an even more challenging class with Core Fusion Extreme (CFX). It’s more bootcamp than the traditional “mind body” core and yoga experience you’ve grown accustomed to at Exhale, and it’s the only class where sneakers are required. But the emphasis is still on form, results and keeping your muscles guessing. I had a chance […]
This week, I had the privilege of hosting some of my favorite media pals at Exhale Spa at the EPIC Hotel in downtown Miami for a super-charged Core Fusion Bootcamp class followed by a nutrition session, both led by Alexandra Shepherd. It’s an intense class combining cardio intervals, sport strength training, flowing yoga stretches, heat-building plyometrics, hardcore ab work and more plank runs than you ever thought were humanly possible in one 60-minute session. It was a super fun night […]
As Exhale Miami’s Brand Ambassador, I’m psyched to share this amazing offer on Power Facials throughout the month of October. I’ve said it here before and I’ll say it again, the Power Facial has absolutely saved my skin on more than one occasion. From unbalanced, oily, acne-prone skin to fine lines and discoloration, this customizable facial is a worthy investment to clean up your skin as the season’s are changing. At $75 off this month, the Power Facial will cost […]
Jul 24
2014
2014
Top Miami Spa Picks For Spa Month & Beyond
Spa treatments are kind of like designer jeans. There was a time when spending $100 seemed like an obscene amount of money, but today we’ve somehow been conditioned to think it’s acceptable to drop $180, $220, dare we say $260 and up for either of these luxuries. Of course, that’s where a good sale comes in handy, and for Miami spa-goers the biggest sale of the year is happening right now through the end of August. The Greater Miami Convention […]
Jul 14
2014
2014
Proud to be Exhale Spas Miami Ambassador
I first stumbled upon Exhale Spas ten years ago in New York City. It was summer break after my first year teaching middle school in the Bronx and the city was mine to explore. I was on my way to an art gallery on 57th Street when I came across the “exhale mind body spa” marquee on Central Park South. Something about it was so inviting that I had to go inside. They were offering a Summer of Zen promotion […]
Apr 21
2014
2014
Private Yoga & A 5-Star Spa
A private yoga class has always sounded like something reserved for the stars. (Maybe I’ve watched a few too many episodes of E! News over the years with reports of Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna’s private yoga instructors whipping them into immaculate shape.) It’s not that it sounded unattainable, but perhaps unnecessary. I’ve enjoyed a solid group class practice for over a decade now and I’ve always managed to find studios and teachers just right for me in every city I’ve […]
There’s a little something I love to do, and that is luxuriate. It’s a way to approach life. It’s a state of mind. It’s lounging in comfortable environs, savoring every morsel of a gourmet meal, reveling in a beautifully written sentence, relishing the touch of a fine silk or cashmere (even George Costanza said he’d drape himself in velvet if it was socially acceptable). It’s akin to the art of doing nothing. I’ve always said that I’m not much of […]
