- PROFILE
- READER REVIEWS
Sava Spa
|
|
Critics' Pick
Official Website
Hours
Tue-Wed, 11am-8pm; Mon and Thu, 10am-10pm; Fri, 10am-7pm; Sat, 9am-5pm; Sun, 11am-6pm
Nearby Subway Stops
A at 181st St.
Payment Methods
American Express, MasterCard, Visa
Special Features
- Late-Night
Profile
Located steps from Manhattan's highest point (265 feet above sea level), Joanna Czech's cozy Washington Heights spa is tucked away on quiet Pinehurst Avenue. The Polish-born owner—whose following includes Sting and Uma—moved to the neighborhood when she came to New York in 1989, and still lives nearby. Though Sava has only been open since 2003, Czech's roster of clients dates back decades, mostly due to her eleven-year stint as an esthetician at Paul Labrecque. Best known for her deep pore-cleansing facials, Brazilian bikini waxing, and expert brow shaping (her intricate process is largely done with tweezers), Czech's diverse client base travels here from Larchmont and the Lower East Side for the comfort and attention delivered by her easygoing staff. In the dimly lit downstairs, those getting hour-long pedicures sit on chocolate brown couches, wrapped in cashmere blankets and sipping immaculately-foamed cappuccino. Upstairs, the 60- to 90-minute skin and body services are heavy on blood flow-stimulating bodywork and massage techniques like invigorating Japanese ko bi do. Biomak ultrasound body-smoothing treatments are also offered. A great wintertime facial is the Pumpkin Enzyme Treatment, which gently exfoliates and tightens using products by Protective Nourishment, a preservative-free herb-and-fresh-fruit-based line. In the spa's store, Czech stocks other select, targeted skincare lines like London's petrochemical-free REN.