24 August 2008

Best Spas in New Jersey

New Jersey has a lot of great day spas , but is still short on overnight spas. In part that's because so many people from New Jersey find it easy to travel to the best spas in New York.

This list represents my top picks for the best overnight spas in New Jersey. It includes hotel and resort spas, where you can sample as little or as much of the spa experience as you want.

Spa Toccare at the Borgata Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. This ultra-glitzy pleasure palace of a spa lets you indulge your fantasies. The spa suite has a private whirlpool and a plasma TV for those who can't turn off.

New Jersey has lots of up-to-date, luxurious day spas. Here's a selection of some of the best day spas in New Jersey.

If you're interested in buying a spa gift certificate at a day spa in New Jersey, here's what you need to know and look out for.

The Fountain European Spa, Hackensack, NJ

This 12,500 square-foot spa is located in Bergen County's most lavish, upscale mall, The Shops at Riverside. Fountain Spa has 20 treatment rooms, including two marble couple suites with a whirlpool bath for two and room for side-by-side massage. 201-327-5155

DePasquale, The Spa , Morris Plains, NJ

DePasquale, the Spa is a beautiful complex -- spa, salon, separate children's salon and retail area – complete with fireplace and waterfall. The "DePasquale Experience" combines a dip in a Japanese steeping tub with a massage and an Italian rainwater shower. Located in Powder Mill Plaza, on Route 10 East in Morris Plains, NJ. 973-538-3811.

The Elements Spa , Vernon, NJ

The Elements Spa is part of the Crystal Spring Golf and Spa Resort, and offers special golfer-friendly massages and pedicures. The signature treatment is the "Elemental Journey," a salt scrub followed by a lounge in a soaking tub with its own little waterfall -- and it's big enough for two. The spa has all the amnenties of a large resort, including a nearby fitness center and seven heated indoor and outdoor regular pools. The spa also offers consultations with plastic surgeons on request. 100G Port Royal Drive, Vernon, NJ. 973-827-5996. [/link]

The Spa at Short Hills, Short Hills, NJ

The Spa at Short Hills is centered on a Romanesque indoor pool which looks out through glass walls onto trees. The Spa is located in the Hilton Short Hills so if you go in for a spa treatment you get free use of the pool and Jacuzzi that day. For an extra $20 you get access to the extensive fitness center. Only hotel guests can book treatments on weekends. Located at 41 JFK Parkway, Short Hills, NJ. 973-912-7956.

The Beyond Day Spa Hackensack, NJ

Located inside a hospital, this Asian-themed spa has a tea garden where you can meditate to the sound of an indoor waterfall. The treatments are also Asian-inspired, with a green tea salt rub and a lemongrass toning body wrap. Located within the Hackensack Medical Center, 20 Prospect Ave., Hackensack, NJ. 201-996-4500

On the Side Spa , Westfield, NJ

On the Side Spa is a combination of a spa, yoga and Pilates studio and health food restaurant. Treatments include the "Aromatic Hot Towel Infusion" massage, where you’re wrapped steaming hot towels. It’s a great place to spend the day. 740 South Ave. West, Westfield, NJ. 908-232-6595

Avanti Salon and Spa , Manalapan, NJ

Avanti Salon and Spa offers all kinds of unusual treatments, including photo-rejuvenation facials. In the "Razul Room” you cover yourself with therapuetic mud and are are spritzed off by a misty rainfall fragrant with aromatherapy oils. The experience is topped off by a massage on a bed of natural hay. 345 Route 9 South, Manalapan, NJ. 732-780-0222

The Dieci Lifestyle Spa, Livingston, NJ

It may look like an office building, but The Dieci Lifestyle Spa is an Italianate retreat with valet parking. A specialty is maternity massages, offered on specially designed tables. Facials are built around alpha-hydroxy acids, vitamin C and other high-performance ingredients. familiar from a dermatologist's office. A full-service salon is attached to the spa. 90 W. Mount Pleasant Ave., Livingston, NJ. 973-716-0101