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The swankly modern, heavily beige style of the Four Seasons hotel brand extends to the in-house spa of its East 57th Street outpost. Set on a windowless floor beneath the soaring lobby, the spa is an inviting subterranean lair where underground New York’s subway rumblings are successfully silenced. A somewhat corporate, corridor-connected layout is softened with votive-lined hallways and a cozy lounge draped with plush lap robes. Treatment rooms are low-lit, and the spotless women’s dressing area boasts a eucalyptus steam room, a sauna, and a whirlpool quirkily festooned with black river stones. Extended to well-heeled guests and locals alike, the establishment’s “spa-ology” philosophy aims to blend technology with upscale hotel pampering. A wide range of mani-pedis and hand and foot “facials” are offered, including a Big Apple scrub, which involves brown sugar and apple pulp. Actual facials are targeted to specific skin conditions: Change of Life redresses hormonal imbalances, and Rosewater Radiance attacks jet lag. Body treatments spotlight massage. During the Thai Ceremony Massage, clients are pushed, pulled, kneaded, and de-knotted by an Asian-trousered masseur who crouches on your thighs and dangles from ceiling bars. It’s intensely personal, but the rose petal-strewn couples massage is even more so. For that, you’ll have to get a room. — Karen Tina Harrison

The venerable hotel’s small spa doesn’t skimp on amenities—there’s a sauna, steam room, and whirl- pool. The popular deep-tissue back-walking massage (from $230) is great for flushing out toxins.