Crystal Clear

Have you walked away from a spa experience and thought, “Darn, I way overpaid for that treatment”?

Well, I have, and the thought of missed opportunities to buy extra shoes sent me into a depressive tailspin. My shrink, of course, had a glorious week following my lost $ and kept encouraging me to come back for more sessions, thereby fuelling more tailspin.

I exaggerate, of course, but you can see what a poor treatment or purchase can do to your fragile state of mind. Unless you experience a spa treatment that is as exceptional as an Armani Privé gown or vintage champagne, chances are you’ll wish you spent your money elsewhere.

Well, Sphatika may be one of your best karmic bets. It is a day spa nestled in a buzzing block near Columbus Circle in New York, and the treatments use only pristine, chemical-free natural products and oils.

Now they’ve launched an exceptional skincare line that is made with natural quartz crystals. The line includes:

A Gold Finishing Serum ($185)
Daily Moisturizer ($85)
Vitamin A Night Crème* ($125)
Treatment Serum ($65)
Moisture Mask ($65)
Gommage/ Exfoliating Crème ($65)
Eye Treatment Crème ($80)
Rose Foam Facial Cleanser* ($55)
Citrus Facial Cleansing Foam* ($45)
Facial Cleansing Crème ($58)
Facial Toner ($58)
Citrus Toner* ($45)
Body Cleansing Foam ($65)
Milk Bath Oil ($65)
Body Lotion ($55)
Hemp Oil ($55)

* These are products I love

Founder Janet-League Katzin, has held herself to the highest product quality standards and is insistent about chemical-free ingredients. “It’s hard but perfectly possible to have a product with synthetic-free preservative,” she says.

Products contain antioxidants and uplifting essential oils (which to me is the best part because of the soothing aromatherapy effect). You may want to go to the spa to try out a signature treatment and then decide if you want to purchase the goods. A treatment like the “Royal Sphatika Signature Experience” costs a pricey $375, but makes a great and lavish gift for your psyche.

The spa also has a Healing Music CD Series that is designed to soothe those nerves that are typically worked up by yelling at Manhattan cabbies and ex-boyfriends. Played by bass flutist Chaitanya Sheerin, the music is as sonorous as a languid morning in the rural countryside, and peaceful as a dove.

www.sphatika.com (Note: “Sphatika” is the Sanskrit word for “crystal”)