The chills

Hydra paraffin body wrap at the Tiffani Kim Institute
The toned-and-taut set seeks out Tiffani Kim for Botox injections, but I went to get slathered with paraffin and rolled up like a burrito. This treatment seemed tailor-made for winter, but it would be a nightmare for anyone claustrophobic or not so into being wrapped in goo. I loved it. After lightly dry-brushing my skin to slough off dead cells, the therapist massaged a mango-scented blend of vitamin E and grape-seed oils into my skin before using a brush to baste me in hot paraffin wax. She rolled plastic sheeting around me mummy-style, then layered warm blankets on top. While I cooked, or “let the oils sink in,” she gave me such an awesome forehead and temple massage that I was tempted to propose. After 20 minutes in the wax cocoon, she gently slid the stuff off my skin before sending me off to decide whether I wanted to relax in the “Place of Peace” room with a Luna tea cake and cucumber water or hang out in the sauna. I did both, then headed back into the cold with silky-smooth skin, trying to figure out if I could re-create the experience at home budget-style with melted candles and trash bags. We’ll see. 45 minutes for $130.
—Heather Shouse

Heated mud wrap at Continuum Studio
After a long wait for the bus on an icy night, I was ready for a warm-up of the hot mud variety at this small Andersonville spa. After I settled in on the heated massage table, my aesthetician donned rough gloves to give me a cursory exfoliation and then smoothed the black mud all over my body. At this point I noticed a draft, which was seriously interfering with my goal of getting toasty, but soon enough she trapped my body heat in a plastic wrap and left me in this restrictive pod for about 20 minutes (good time as any to work on meditative breathing, I guessed). Once she removed the wrap, she wiped off the mud with hot towels, which helped fight off the chills I was still getting from that pesky draft. A lotion application and a bit of a neck and shoulder massage later, my skin felt like satin, despite the goose bumps. 60 minutes for $90.
—Laura Baginski

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