Sundance Resort in Utah

A few weeks ago, I went to Utah for a friend’s wedding and spent time at the Sundance Resort, Robert Redford’s beautiful spread high in the mountains.

After a long day of skiing, my legs were jelly and so therefore a massage became not a luxury but an absolute necessity. Pre-massage, I looked this this:

My friend J. already had a reservation–thinking ahead, that one!–and luckily they were able to squeeze me in, too. Here we are post-massage, relaxed, showered, changed, and very happy:

I wrote about The Spa at Sundance on VanityFair.com, so if you want to read more, check out my piece here!

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Just received this great contest from Ole Henriksen–one of my favorite day spas in West Hollywood, as well as a truly lust-worthy line of skincare products–and thought it was too good not to pass along.

Ole Henriksen is dedicating an entire day on Monday, January 23rd to pamper 100 people who’ve lost their jobs. Winners will be randomly selected and can enter by sending your story in 500 words or fewer to OHSpaDay@OleHenriksen.com. Tell them how losing your unemployment affected your life, what changes you had to make, and how spa pampering could brighten your day. More info after the jump! (more…)

Two days, two VanityFair.com pieces! I’ll post a couple paragraphs below.

(PS, this was THE BEST FACIAL I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE.)

When the average person is a fan of a company, they might sign up for its newsletter, or “like” it on Facebook. But Paul Rogers and Tony Silla were such devoted clients of L.A.’s Face Place that, when the facial clinic went on the block, they bought it. “I always say, It felt like the Remington Man,” jokes Rogers, recalling the classic 80s ad. “I liked the products so much, I bought the company!”

With one L.A. location, on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, and a Meatpacking District outpost, above Sally Hershberger’s N.Y.C. salon, Face Place is the go-to spot for in-the-know beauty aficionadoes. It has a whispered “best-kept secret” quality about it, but the reality is that Face Place’s incredible results are well-known and fiercely popular.

Rogers and Silla began frequenting the clinic as clients, from their home in Toronto, in 1997, becoming close friends with the original owner. “When we came down to visit we’d stay with him, come in for our treatments, and stock up on product we needed. If we ran out between trips, we’d have product sent back to Canada,” says Rogers, explaining that when the owner decided to sell the salon he and Silla saw a golden opportunity. “I have a business background, and so I started looking at it as an investment from my standpoint. We thought, It’d be wonderful to move to California and out of the cold. We loved the treatment and loved the products, so it was something we had a passion for. He stayed on for two years after to make the transition really easy, and that’s how it started.”

Face Place skincare (been using it for a couple of months now and seriously love)

Unlike other day spas, which have chockablock menus, Face Place offers just one signature Facial Treatment, featuring deep-yet-gentle pore-cleansing, the oxygenation of tissues through increased circulation—taking place on a specially designed table which raises one’s legs above one’s head—and a tightening galvanic current. (We’ve had the treatment in both New York and L.A., and we aren’t exaggerating when we say that the facial features the most painless extractions we’ve ever experienced.)

(To read more, click here.)

Dinner our first night overlooking the Pacific. We may or may not have been losing our minds over the view.

Soooo, can I move into the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel? I could definitely get used to living that kind of life. After 4 days and nights of ridiculous pampering, I’m back in the real world and finding my own day-to-day existence a little lacking. Where is my waiter to serve me breakfast in bed? Why can I not have strawberry-banana margaritas on tap? Donde esta my ocean-view balcony?! Sigh.

Wine drinking (erm, I mean: tasting) at Eno

Twitter peeps will notice that I went radio silent after my first night’s feed of “OH MY GOD THE RITZ IS AMAZING I LOVE IT AHHH.” This is, obviously, because I went deep. No Blackberry. Minimal computer. Embarrassing quantities of aforementioned strawberry-banana margaritas. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it!

The cheese and charcuterie plates at Eno

The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel has several on-site restaurants, and I was determined to sample each of them. Our first night we ate at 180Blu, a restaurant on the terrace overlooking the ocean. Night two was at Eno, a wine, cheese and chocolate bar, where we gorged on charcuterie…and I actually tried all four of the cheeses on our cheese plate! (HUGE deal here. I loathe cheese with the fire of a thousand suns, and have since I was a toddler. However, I figured it was vacation and I should at least attempt to be adventurous…)

Three of our California wines - gotta support local!

The wine and bread I had on hand made the cheese go down easier, but there were one or two scary moments there. I still don’t know how anybody eats that stuff. (And yes, yes, yes, I know I’m practically the only person on the planet who feels this way!)

The RC Laguna Niguel pool

On our 3rd day, we went down to the beach, where I dove in the water even though it was freezing–and lost my sunglasses in the process. (Later, I watched a Shark Week documentary on attacks in 2008, and was VERY happy that I already had my potentially dangerous ocean frolicking behind me!) That evening, we went off property to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, then had dinner at a local restaurant. Big mistake! After eating at the Ritz, everything else kind of feels like Burger King.

Will 'n Kate + strawberry-banana margaritas + pool = happiness

But as a beauty gal, the last day of the trip was my favorite part: the spa!! The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel Spa is serrriously awesome. It features 12 of the most gorgeous treatment rooms I have ever seen, bar none. We’re talking chandeliers, soothing colors, gently babbling fountains, you get the point. More importantly, the table was heated, which is small factor that makes a big difference in a massage. (Your clients are up there, naked and freezing on the table? Heat the table, spa managers!)

Bloody Marys (and later Caesars!) at the Ritz Bar

Finally, the masseuse did something which I think should take place at every spa, and yet rarely does: she put aromatherapy oil on her hands–in my case, soothing lavender–rubbed them together to warm them, and then placed her hands under my nose as I was face-down on the table, instructing me to breathe in deeply. I’ve had massages at spas all over the world and an embarrassingly few number of them attend to this simple, pleasurable, tone-setting detail.

Oysters. Mmm...

And then that was it! Our last night, we ate at Raya, which bills itself as “Pan-Latin Coastal Cuisine.” It was actually my least favorite meal, but that’s not saying very much, since all the other food we had there was outstanding. I’d put 180Blu as tops, if only for the stunning view that you get as you’re eating outside.

This:

The sunset view from 180Blu

Thanks to D.R., B.R., and the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel for such a memorable long weekend! I will definitely be returning as soon as possible…

Take a closer look: some of the hotel bars are actually IN the chandeliers!

Have you seen those trippy Alice in Wonderland-goes-to-a-bondage-club commercials for Vegas’s newest hotel, The Cosmopolitan? (If you haven’t seen the commercials, check out the best one here.)

The Cosmopolitan finally opened this week after months of buzz, so even though I’m all Vegas’d out after three trips this year…judging by how awesome The Cosmopolitan looks, I think I must suck it up and return to the strip post-haste.

Obviously, Vegas is all about the party, and The Cosmopolitan’s nightclub promises to be the hot ticket: Marquee, a 62,000 square-foot space (with a Dayclub, cabanas and infinity pools) which is having a grand-opening party next week on New Year’s Eve.

The hotel bars include Bond, Queue Bar and Vespers–all very Sean Connery sounding, indeed.

Meanwhile, the restaurant list is a crowd-pleaser, including popular steakhouse STK, New York’s always-packed Blue Ribbon Sushi, LA favorite Comme Ca, culinary wizard Jose Andres’ Jaleo, mouthwatering Greek Estiatorio Milos, and D.O.G.C. wine bar.

Sahra Spa and Hammam

On the beauty front, the Sahra Spa and Hammam looks high-concept and amazing, including a Monsoon Cave and heated hammam with giant stone slab for treatments. I’m jonesing for the 150 minute Sahra Journey, which the website describes: “Select Moroccan Rose or Malaysian Silk products then alternate between steam and emanating heat of the motherstone before a rich mud and natural honey body mask to detoxify. Followed with a bath, fruit and tea before a full massage.” Yes, please.

Finally, the spa features an excellent range of products, including my beloved Cor Silver, which is featured in the 50 minute Cor Luminous Facial.

Cosmopolitan, take me away!