work has pretty much consumed my life since october maybe november with the launch of two new centers and there is not much sign of things slowing down. but i lucked out with a pretty awesome boss who walked into the office during a meltdown i was having and instructed me to book a spa day for me and colleague (on his dime). since it wasn't our money and we were highly stressed we did major research to find the perfect spa day to splurge on…our research paid off because we found heaven on earth aka aire ancient baths. from the second i stepped foot into the building i knew i was in for some serious relaxation. the lobby is rustic yet rich; with leather sofas, wood tables, giant pillars, and brick walls…oh and it smells heavenly. after checking in i was directed to the women's changing area where i was treated like royalty and handed a robe to change into…then it was off to heaven! side note: no cell phones or pictures are allowed which is what i thinks makes it peaceful and not commercial…your only focus for the 2 hour session is on yourself and your thoughts! another selling point for me is no more than 20 people are allowed in any of the 2 hour sessions so it is very quiet and never crowded, so again it's just you time! the spa area is underground and is lit only by candle light making for an incredibly relaxing ambience pair that with the tranquil music and you just have to understand why i am obsessed. aire is composed of 6 different baths (salt, power jet, hot, warm, and 2 ice baths) and my favorite the aromatherapy sauna which is a dream come true for an eucalyptus lover like myself…i wanted to stay in there forever. all the baths were absolutely amazing so i can't pick a favorite there; however, in the moment the ice bath was torture…but paired with the hot tub it really did feel great after! you have a 2 hour session at aire and within that 2 hour session your massage takes place (30mins, 45mins, or 60mins) so when you are not getting massaged you're enjoying the baths. when the time is up you head back to the changing room where they have the best products for bathing, beauty, and grooming…they even had flat irons! as far as pricing it was comparable to many of the spas in nyc but the experience was on another level so it was worth every penny! i loved it so much that i went back with the boyfriend and this time they had live flamenco music! so if you are looking for some serious "you time" or a romantic "reconnection" or just need to feel like a baller…go to aire!
date your (wo)man.
who doesn't love a good date night? hell! who doesn't need a good date night? a chance to get dolled up and spend some qt with the beau; sign me up! it's really important to never get too comfortable in your relationship. it's very easy to lose sight of what's really important; between long days at work, constant weekend plans, and a million things "to do" and people "to see" we cannot forget what is right in front of us. so take a day to turn off your phone or at least put it on silent (it's okay the world will not stop turning, twitter won't stop tweeting, and honestly nobody will even notice you're gone for a few hours) and focus solely on your relationship. catch up with your partner...what's going on in their life? how are they feeling? some of us are more in tuned and caught up with the kim kardashian's of the world rather than the person by your side. get in tune with each other and appreciate the love you share...fall in love again. i'm a firm believer that a great date isn't an expensive date, but i will never turn down a fancy night out either (it's nice to throw that in every once in a while too!). during the time i stepped away from social media i was trying to follow my own advice and decided to start posting date ideas! "babe we have to go on a date, it's for a post (hehe!)" oh and date night doesn't have to be at night make a day out of that shit!
date day: what do you get when you combine wine, lawn games, fire pit, picnic tables, no cell phone service and live music? if you said heaven you were right and heaven has a name robibero family winery. from the first phone call i fell in love; the gentleman i spoke with was warm, friendly, and said we could bring our pup! we packed a bag of goodies for the pup and for us, stopped by a deli for some sandwiches, picked up a zipcar and went on our merry way. robibero is about 90 minutes outside of the city which was the perfect amount of time to feel like we were away from everyone and everything. once we got there we were greeted by the families little pup "snickers" (an 8 year old 2 pound yorkie) and our own pup showered with hugs and kisses from everyone there. charlie was so loved that we were able to enjoy our $8 wine tasting (5 wines each) without having to worry about her. after our tasting we bought a bottle of wine and parked ourselves in the adirondack chairs with cheese and crackers and just took it all in. later on we relocated to the grass and laid out on our blanket to nap off the buzz...heaven. after a few hours we packed our bags, purchased a few bottles of wine for our own collection, and headed into town for some dinner. honestly, this was one of the best days we've had...we were able to "escape" and just be us and enjoy each other with no interruptions and lots of wine!
date night: now let's change gears (slightly), this time think: dolled up, candlelit space, live jazz, whiskey for days and a table for 2. this is not a scene i created in my mind this is real life, this is the flatiron room. again, there was great customer service which makes all the difference and really gets things started on a good foot. i surprised my whiskey loving lover with a fancy little date night behind these library doors, once you enter times stops in this old school whiskey library...it looks like a scene out of beauty and the beast (probably not what my guy wants to hear but oh well!). we were seated at a round table for two right by the stage where a cuban jazz band was jamming, and the volume was loud enough to hear it crystal clear but low enough that we could hear each other speak using indoor voices. a very knowledge server greeted us with a million page whiskey menu which was beyond overwhelming for me but made the boy the all giddy. we decided on a flight of whiskey with 8 or 10 whiskeys from around the world, it's safe to say i grew hair on my chest that night (not sexy, i know) but again the boy was in his glory! once we finished the flight i pried to find out his favorite of the flight and secretly purchased him his own bottle of it, it gets better...they brought the bottle to the table with a tag that read his name and a black card with his name. see the thing is it really is a library, a whiskey library and now he has his own bottle of whiskey just for him and his guest(s) to drink from every single time he visits! such a great night, we were drunk and in love with the sounds of the bass all around us!
welcome home!
finally we moved! i'm so excited to have a place to call home. as most of you know i had an intense surgery done so there are still some finishing touches that need to be done but i had to share the early stages. what i love most is that each room has it's own mood and theme but one thing each room does have in common is love. every piece in our house was hand picked by the 2 of us so it's very personal and warm. when it came picking out pieces it was love or hate...i loved it and he hated it or vice versa so when we finally agreed on pieces we had to get it!
a look into our living room. a double sided chaise sofa makes for extra cozy nights in. and jack made the coffee table.
the art above the sofa holds a special place in my heart. it's a picture of me that my dad painted when i was a child. and two very welcoming throw blankets.
"girl talk" corner! filled with prints, color, and a vintage phone (that works!).
an extended shelf that doubles as a desk and television console, please excuse the wires.
my work area. a fun retro place where i can get my writing done. fully loaded with colorful sharpies, lollipops, and personalized stationary. we also have our wifi password on a dry erase sticker so all our guests have access.
outlets complete with usb thingies so our phones and the phones of our guests can easily be charged. aren't we the most thoughtful hosts?
j & j key holder at our entryway...cheesy and i love it!
two of my favorite pictures in one place. me and my late grandma kay when i was a baby and me and my boy in one of my favorite childhood places, maine.
brick walls were a must have and we made it happen. shhh it's wallpaper and don't judge i didn't unpack the pillows when this picture was taken.
a fireplace was another must have and guess what, we made it happen.
the lyrics to our song sitting on top of our fireplace with our date <3 it's john legend of course
i'm obsessed with candles so it seemed only right to create a taux fireplace in the bedroom with candles. a little romance. <3
touch of love in the bedroom. just two fools hanging on bridge.
the only part of the kitchen that belongs to me, the coffee corner. a french press, a keurig, personalized mug, cafe bustelo, simple syrup, and all the coffee essentials.
we keep it gangster with knives on the wall! and a "j" brander that i bought for jack since he loves to cook, let everyone know where those burgers came from!
the grill on the balcony, so cool!
hope you enjoyed! more to come when i can actually get out of bed and finish up <3