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A red and black wood-accented façade helps Spa Já stand out amid a sea of nondescript corporate Midtown buildings. The modern design pays homage to São Paulo’s barrios, where the spa’s artistic director Giovanna Kupfer was raised. After battles with South American business bureaucrats and breast cancer, the survivor came to New York touting the powers of natural healing, to which she attributes her remission. At Já, clients are encouraged to detoxify in the two-floor center by partaking in lymphatic drainage treatments and water weight-shedding body wraps inside a hydrotherapy chamber. Interesting concepts, to be sure, but plenty of clients come in requesting the beauty treatment Kupfer’s culture is known for: hair removal. Even though waxing is nothing new, a session without tearshed is still an elusive goal at most spas; not so here, where an adoring fan club giggles for the almost painless bikini waxes. Aggressive estheticians doggedly attack blemishes during the thorough facials but all services are in keeping with the unrushed Latin way of life, and usually include time for fruit-infused tea and mini scones—something to keep in mind when considering a quick, lunch-hour glamour fix. — Chanize Thorpe

Discounts on tanning, lymphatic drainage, and other series treatments packages available.