Aura Wellness Spa

Photo: Chrissy Lush

Aura Wellness Spa

Though it’s only a few feet from Herald Square, this upscale, sparkling clean, Koreatown spa—open for less than a year—feels like Mars. After I slipped into a robe, a technician led me into the pitch-black depths of the space, where four freestanding, crystal-studded, igloolike grottoes (traditional Korean saunas and steam and ice rooms) glowed from its depths. The process starts with a thorough steeping (to soften the skin), so I was sweating when my tech Susie, who was half my size, shepherded me to a treatment room. After stripping off my robe, I clambered onto a shimmering silver bed. Did I mention that the walls literally glowed? Susie reentered—in a bathing suit—and doused me with buckets of warm water, before scrubbing every inch of me, several times, with a mitt and a bar of soap. It was eerily ritualistic: She never made my skin red or raw, though there were balls of dead dermis all over my body (goodbye, fall tan), which she swept away with more buckets of water. She then washed my hair and lathered me up with essential oils. I was freakishly soft—even normally rougher parts like the back of my arms were silky. Bonus: They’re open until 2am. Oriental Body Scrub, $140 for 75 minutes, 49 W 33rd St between Broadway and Fifth Ave (212-695-9559)—Elise Loehnen

Juvenex

An unassuming Koreatown building—from which loud ’80s karaoke music blares—is home to this huge, soundproof, 24-hour, seven-day-a-week oasis. It’s women-only until 7pm, which I didn’t realize when I booked a slot for 7:30pm: Intimidating, considering that nudity is encouraged—and sometimes insisted upon—in all communal areas of the spa. After I changed into a robe, an attendant led me to an igloo made from 20 tons of semiprecious jade stones—infused with Chinese herbs. Time spent inside these saunas is thought to increase metabolism, improve circulation, detox the body and even aid liver function. I could take the intense heat for only a few minutes, before I headed to the Rain Forest Plunge Shower, located in an open, public area. Feeling a little chilly and exposed, I made my way toward the Japanese-style soaking ponds filled with sake, kombu algae, ginseng and a variety of essential oils until Nana, my aesthetician, led me to a small area in the corner of the room, sectioned off by a barely there floor screen. Within, there were two pairs of plastic-covered beds, all communal—I had to walk past a fully naked woman undergoing treatment, though luckily, nobody occupied the bed adjacent to mine. Nana instructed me to drop my towel before she splashed warm water all over me. She scrubbed extensively—for about 40 minutes—before massaging oil into my skin, applying a gentle facial cleanser and washing my hair. Considering the results—super-soft, smooth skin—a little public nudity was totally worth it. Basic Purification Program, $115, 25 W 32nd St between Fifth Ave and Broadway (646-733-1330)—Rachel LeWinter

Perfect Spa

In this one-stop salon (open until 9pm, they offer everything from pedicures to waxing), you move past the manicure stations into equally frill-free treatment rooms. After donning a towel and paper undies, I lay down on a bed over which a Vichy shower (a ceiling device with eight faucet heads) loomed. As the water started to cascade down, I felt pretty odd being on my back, wrapped in a towel, but it soon became a warm, soaking wet blanket. Adding to the spray from the overhead hoses, Donna, my technician, poured large bowls of warm water over me. It was calming, even though I couldn’t help but feel like Nefertiti being cleaned and embalmed before burial (this feeling, not altogether bad, endured throughout the treatment). She then rigorously scrubbed me in a fast, circular motion—starting from the feet—with a rough mitt and special Korean soap. It was abrasive, and it kind of hurt, but I think it was supposed to, since it was so damn thorough. I asked that the lights be turned on so I could see the skin balls, which Elise reported. After she doused me with more buckets of water, I felt very, very clean. Part two of the treatment is optional (the scrub alone is $80 for 40 minutes, or $145 for 70 minutes), and consists of a full-body hot apricot oil massage. Let’s leave it at that because it sounds as good as it was. Full-body hot apricot oil massage: Nefertiti would’ve loved that. Korean Body Scrub and Apricot Sesame Body Buff, $145 for 70 minutes, 1100 Second Ave between 57th and 58th Sts (212-752-8880)—Kristina Dechter