Beyond Equinox Wall Street’s airy, converted bank interior lies a beautifully arranged array of cardio equipment, weights, studios, and a spa. Markets Media Life goes for a facial treatment that turns out to be a treat.

Just beyond the locker rooms, a door opens to a tiled, high-ceilinged alcove with a bubbling hot tub, sauna, and three treatment rooms otherwise known as The Spa. By the cozy waiting area, a cold pitcher of water with fresh cucumbers awaits, and a minute or two into our scheduled hour, Spa director Mimi Kopel breezes in — or rather floats over. Preternaturally calm, disarmingly maternal, and seemingly ageless (as a spa director should be), Kopel begins the appointment with a firm handshake and a swift pat of the hand on the treatment table: “I’ll give you a few minutes to relax under the sheets,” she begins.

“Go ahead and hang your robe behind the door. Is the room too warm?”
As relaxation mode begins to kick in — the room is softly quiet, with a hint of piped-in background music (ambient, we think?) — Kopel returns and, without further ado, begins our treatment. The scent of lavender wafts in as a calming introduction, followed by a hot towel and an orange-scented cleanser (plus an astoundingly good face massage). After an exfoliation, Kopel flicks on and swivels over the magnified, hot light of skincare shame: years of complacent neglect, it turns out, requires more than just the basics. We sign up for the conditioning facial and a glycolic peel to atone.

Expertly and nearly painlessly, our pores are purged with an extraction that felt more like a gentle prodding than a cold metal tool to delicate skin; after another (very welcome) hot towel round and a bit more steam, Kopel slathered on a thick, creamy hydration mask and — joy of joys — let us nap. Twenty minutes later, we were hot-toweled, moisturized, and sent on our merry, chilled-out, facially renewed way. “A little bit of self care, my dear,” Mimi says, mockingly scolding. “You’ll come back and see me?”

With this kind of treatment? Consider us a regular booking.
The Spa at Equinox Wall Street is at 14 Wall Street in NYC. To book an appointment, call 212.964.6688.