Finding Time to Relax and Savor Life
March 9, 2007
Last Friday I had my first experience with a spa. While I do have my occasional metrosexual tendency—fashionable boots from Aldo being one—a visit to a spa still seemed over-the-top to me. Maybe I am old fashioned but spas have always, in my mind anyway, called up cultural images of gossipy women getting manicures, Queer Eye interventions, and the troubling sexual experience George Castanza had on Seinfeld when he went for a massage. The impetus to enter the foreign territory of the spa was a gift certificate to Le Pli Day Spa in Harvard Square.
From the moment I left the cold and rainy Boston streets and entered the inviting atmosphere of the spa my fears and preconceptions were assuaged by the soft hands of my masseur and the aromatics circulating through the air. A long day spent walking around Boston and Cambridge that included a morning trip to the RMV, that bastion of impatience and aggravation, left me in prime condition for a little bit of pampering.
Le Pli is located at 5 Bennett Street in the courtyard of the Charles Hotel. The spa opened at its current location in 1985 and for the past twenty years has provided high-end services including manicures, pedicures, massages, facials, detox treatments, and even special packages designed with men in mind. Le Pli is part of The Premier Collection, a national group of elite spas, and has been featured in the pages of Vogue, Newsweek, and Town & Country.
My own experience with Le Pli was somewhat less than cover-worthy but still enjoyable. It began when a cheerful receptionist welcomed me to Le Pli. She recognized my voice from when I called earlier to schedule an appointment and she quickly showed me around the small confines of the spa—the locker room, the hair salon, the private massage rooms etc. The entire place glowed with warmth and I immediately felt relaxed and comfortable in my new environment. After changing into a terrycloth robe and plush slippers and poking at the mostly feminine hair and makeup products in the unisex locker room, I went outside to wait for my massage appointment.
Five minutes later a masseur (was the Seinfeld vision coming true?), Matt, arrived and explained the basics of massage technique and the results I should expect from the thirty minute back-neck-shoulder massage. He seemed somewhat surprised that I had chosen the frugal half hour package and I sensed a hint of disdain when I explained I was paying with a gift certificate.
Either way I was soon lying on the massage table with my head buried in a towel and relaxing trance music began to play. I was excited, this being my first professional massage, and relaxed at the same time. Before I knew it hands were manipulating the tense muscles on my back and neck and the accumulated stress of the last few weeks melted away. While my muscles relaxed, however, my mind was still active. I imagined minutes and dollars ticking by far too quickly and wondered if the experience was worth the price—and at more than two dollars a minute, it better be worth it. Eventually my mind cleared and I gave into the pleasure of the situation. Then, in what seemed like a flash, it was all over. The masseur left the room and I got dressed again. When I walked out he handed me a glass of water and explained that if I should drink plenty to avoid getting a post-massage “hangover.”
I finished the water, thanked the masseur, and returned to the locker room to get dressed again. My back and neck were surprisingly relaxed for the first time in—well, maybe ever—and I was just in time to meet my friend at the front desk. She had opted for a cheaper service, a manicure, which she described above average and a bargain. My Le Pli experience, which was short and simple and in no way representative of the range of services offered, fell short of my hopes. While the staff was courteous and the spa clean and beautiful, there was nothing special that would entice me to return again soon. And on top of that, the prices—ranging anywhere from $20 for a manicure to packages costing upwards of $400—is a tough sell for the average budget-conscious college student. Still, it was a relaxing “vacation” from the usual routine at Tufts and provided an hour of what I would consider much needed pampering.
Following Le Pli, my friend and I were starved for a good meal. She recommended we try Shilla, a Korean-Japanese restaurant at 57 JFK Street, a few blocks from the spa. The restaurant was packed on a busy Friday night but we were seated immediately and that quick service continued throughout our meal. Low lighting and simple style characterized Shilla’s enjoyable ambience and our seat near the kitchen was a feast for the senses.
The lengthy menu with vague descriptions of the dishes requires some time to decipher, but the wait staff was patient and accommodated our request to switch some of the ingredients in our entrees. The impressive selection of traditional Korean and Japanese entrees and appetizers makes the restaurant a great place to try new delicacies, if nothing else. We ordered salmon and shrimp sashimi sushi as an appetizer, expensively priced at $5 for two pieces, and were only starting to enjoy the sushi when our piping-hot entrees arrived. So, we finished the sushi while the entrees cooled. We were both quite pleased with our dishes. The stir-fried rice noodles, chicken, and vegetables that I ordered was a filling if somewhat passionless example of Korean cooking, while my friend’s choice of a dumpling soup was somewhat more flavorful and spicy. Shilla is pricey, with entrees $14-30 and appetizers $4-10, but quality Asian food, a pleasant atmosphere, and a convenient location make it a worthwhile stop on a cold winter night and an excellent finish to the day.