Review of Spa 88 aka Wall Street Bath and Spa - A Russian Bath House

Spa 88 Has Those Who Can't Get Enough and Those Who Can't Kvetch Enough

                                               Eucalyptus Steam Room

According to the website for Spa 88:  The steamroom combines the therapeutic effects of moist heat with inhalation therapy. Inside our therapists can perform several body treatments such as full body wash, scrub or Platza. 

 I've never been to a Russian bath house, but apparently you don't want to compare this to the luxury spas we've been reviewing elsewhere in this blog.  Also, this is NY, not Maui or Orange County.  Some of the reviewers kindly note that Spa 88 is a "little rough around the edges."  There is talk of "hairy old Russian Men."  Then an old Russian man reviews the place and says "What do you expect?"

Though there are detractors, there appears to be a very large crowd of those who love the place and come regularly.  So much so that Saturdays are described as "crowded."

One thing comes through all of the talk.  It would appear that hairy old Russian men and young girls can agree on this:  Eucalyptus Oil is important in the steam room.  As Joana K says, "my sinuses never felt so clear..."

Joanna K.

2/14/2010

4 hours passed before I knew it, and we ended up closing the place down. The wet steam room had eucalyptus in the air so my sinuses never felt so clear as they did after several minutes there.

 

Joann L.

12/27/2011

This was my first banya experience. 

I'm glad we did because I loved it there.  The steam room was so refreshing and in one of the rooms, there were regulars there who go every saturday.  One man, who I'm assuming is a masseur, was giving massages to people who had some injuries.  He also brought his own body scrub, oils, etc and taught people how to use them to exfoliate and improve their banya experience.  It was fun meeting all these different people and relaxing at the same time.

Shannon Z.

10/13/2012 

WOW. This place is suberb.

My sister and I went into the locker rooms, changed into our bathing suits and put our robes on. We first went into the dry sauna. This was freaking HOT. I sat on the first ledge and it was already hot after 7 minutes of lying down. I decided to go outside to cool myself down. After cooling down for a good 10 minutes, I went into the eucalyptus steam room and chilled there for 10 minutes, alternating 10 minutes in the steam room with 5 minutes cooling off near the benches.

I did this 3 times. The eucalyptus steam room has to be my favorite room since it's not too hot nor too weak. They steam the room real good cause when I walked in there I could barely see anything that was 2 feet away from me. I love the minty smell you get from the room. A bonus is you can bring your own products and apply them to your body (as long as you don't make a mess of the whole area).

Review of Kelly's Spa, Mission Inn, Riverside California - Everyone Loves the Eucalyptus Steam Room

Riverside, CA?  Really?  The Mission Inn

Prepare to Move into a Different Era!  Kelly's Spa Is an Elegant Edition to the Remodeled Mission Inn

Kelly's Spa is in located in one of the most charming and romantic locations in Southern California, the Mission Inn in Riverside.  If you live in or near Riverside, or have plans to travel in that section of the Southland, treat yourself to a night or at least a lunch in this amazing living museum.  

Kelly's Spa gets very high marks from the reviewers.  Overall, the spa was getting a minimum average of 4 stars out of 5, and commonly 4.5 stars.  Some of the negatives seemed to be related to Hotel staff issues, rather than to the Spa itself.  

The most notable part of my review of the reviews was how often the eucalyptus steam room was mentioned.  There is no doubt that the combination of steam and eucalyptus is amazing for relaxation, muscle relief, and wellness, so it continues to surprise me that some gyms, hotels, and spas who have steam rooms fail to go to the tiny extra expense of including an automatic injection system for eucalyptus oil into the steam room.

Here are a few of the reviews that we picked up from various review sites. 

Vanessa M.

Ah Kelly's... Where the eucalyptuses steam soothes the soul as well as the skin, the champagne is always bubbling , and the staff treats you like royalty. Not to mention pool access, decent lockers, calming lounges, and proper waxes.

Yes, I am most definitely a fan.

  

Herlinda A.

4/28/2013

while on a weekend getaway with my husband at the beautiful and historic mission inn hotel, my husband and i decided to wake up in time to be the first guests at kelly's spa and have it all to ourselves:) we both loved the eucalyptus steam room and found the entire experience to be soothing, relaxing, and rejuvenating. the atmosphere is very peaceful and service is friendly.

 

 

Maribeth H.

3/8/2012 

why does this place have to be so far away from beverly hills??

I have been to at least 15 spas out west here and this place still gets my vote for most loved spa (ok, spa at the four seasons on doheny is amazing and does a great pedicure).  I love that they could care less if you're being healthy or are LA skinny and will stuff you full of champagne and chocolates and don't care if you have some margaritas by the pool before or after your treatments.  LOVE the eucalyptus steam room. 

erin b.

3/9/2009

Quiet and Relaxing environment secluded away from the hustle and bustle of the busy hotel! Love the eucalyptus steam room and locker area. The relaxation room is very peaceful with fresh fruits and Fiji water.

sasham648

Riverside, California, United States

Senior Contributor

12 helpful votes

“5 stars”

Reviewed March 27, 2012 

 

eucalyptus steam room is awesome prices are a bit much but this place is a one of a kind its not some where you go everyday

 

This is the best kept secret in Riverside....

By AngelaB | January 4, 2011

 

Kelly's spa @ The Mission Inn is the best spa ever. The staff is welcoming and always on point. The service is excellent. The Eucalyptus steam room is wonderful. I would and have recommended Kelly's to many

Amazing Complexion, Steam Facial Sauna, Eucalyptus, and Kate Moss

Test Question:  What Is Luxurious, Feels Fantastic, Helps Your Complexion, Calms Your Emotions, and Provides Health Benefits for Olfactory and Respiratory Systems?

English: British supermodel Kate Moss Português: Supermodel inglesa Kate Moss (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Humans are funny creatures.  We are always in a mad search for the new method, the new cure, the new and better approach.  Many of us spend thousands of dollars on products that promise us relief from the things that annoy us, and more thousands on methods to improve the things we find less than perfect about ourselves.

Sometimes the best products and approaches are inexpensive and obvious.  Sometimes they are centuries old.  Ask yourself, would people keep doing something for centuries if it didn't work?

Steam is pretty cheap.  It has been used for centuries to open pores, reduce stress, moisten the nose and throat, and just plain feel good.  Steam baths were used in Russia, Turkey, Mexico, and Northern Europe hundreds of years ago through today.  The most luxurious spas in the world offer steam baths as the ultimate in pampered living.  Your neighbors up on the hill have a steam bath in their master suite.  Inexpensive steam is irnonically evidence of wealth and health.

You can give yourself a facial steam bath with a sink and a towel covering your head to keep the steam enclosed.  You can get a bit fancier and spend anywhere from $20 to $200 on a home facial sauna depending on the features.  Or you can spend $700 to $1500 to outfit your current shower or bathtub with a steam unit.  For as little as $1500, you can install a complete, enclosed steam unit in your home.

Now, if you are Kate Moss, you are going to add another ancient product to the steam.  Eucalyptus Oil will multiply the results of your steam facial many times over.  According to http://thehappyskindiary.com, Kate Moss uses a eucalyptus laced steam bath the next morning after any occasion where she was unable to get a proper cleansing the night before, or when she need a deep cleansing.

Kate would be tapping into ancient wisdom regarding the use of eucalyptus oil as a cleansing agent.  But Eucalyptus Oil also provides additional health benefits to the respiratory and olfactory systems.  And, of course, eucalyptus has been used for centuries in steam rooms and saunas.  Today, the most luxurious spas in the world use this essential oil to improve the experience and wellness of their guests. 

Now you can live large like Kate Moss or other jet setters.  100% Pure Eucalyptus Oil, then kind that is used in the very best steam rooms, is now available for home use.  You can now enjoy to luxury of eucalyptus oil in a regular shower.  Buy our 8 ounce spray bottle of 100% pure pharmaceutical grade eucalyptus oil  at Amazon.com for you home shower or steam room.

50 Most Amazing Eco Spas in the World - Prevention Mag

The Spa at Mohonk Mountain House - Provided by www.prevention.com

How About a Little Spa Hopping Vacation - Here's A Year's Worth

Prevention Magazine's online effort http://www.prevention.com is best known for giving you the latest bits of information on wellness and health.  But they are also expert at putting together slide shows of the best of .. fill in the blank.  In this case they have provided 50 mouth-watering photos of spas from around the globe whose claim to fame is an eco awareness.

While it seems hard to imagine that most of their guests who might be arriving by private jet or yacht spend much time worrying about their carbon footprint, at least these spas are paying attention.  However, as you flip from slide to slide, one thing for certain, essential oils are part of the health benefits of all of these healthy spas.

Spray bottle of eucalyptus oil for your home shower

Check out the Healthiest Eco Spas in the World, and then you might want to check out the potential for you and your family to enjoy the health benefits of the leading essential oil right in your own home.  Eucalyptus has been known for centuries to be healing, especially when in combination with steam.

We are now providing an 8 ounce spray bottle of 100% pure, pharmaceutical grade, eucalyptus oil that will give you all the benefits that the jet set flies half way around the world to enjoy.  You can spray the oil directly into your shower and immediately smell the healing aroma saturate the air.  Perfect Gift.

BUY NOW on Amazon

Steam Room Benefits to Your Health and Well Being

Sauna benches (Photo credit: Matti Mattila)

Steam Rooms Promote Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Wellness...Even Before You Add Eucalyptus

There may be some who will argue whether or not there are therapeutic benefits to steam rooms.  There are even a few who might try to prove that there may be some dangers with steam rooms.  After exhausting just about every well written (if not necessarily research based) article about steam baths available, and throwing in humidifiers to boot, here is the conclusion:

Steam Rooms May Provide benefits to circulation, detoxification, muscle relaxation, and respiration, or, maybe not.  Here's the dope.

Humans have believed for at least hundreds if not thousands of years that steam is good for the respiratory system, skin, and muscles.  We lay people have observed that dry whether causes chapping of lips, skin, the inside of our noses and even our throats.  We use steam baths, hot showers, facial saunas, and humidifiers (both room and whole-house) in our attempt to balance out nature's dry climates or seasons. 

While science seems to be having difficulty proving one way or the other whether steam might help with chapping, including the chapping of our throats that leads to sore throats and colds, lay observation seems to confirm for us enough relief or benefit to continue to use these methods. 

Open those pores - When we sweat, and sweating is the main activity in a steam room, our pores open wide and we sweat out water.  This process is widely touted as a way to sweat out unwanted toxins and just plain dirt that we don't want clogging up our pores.  Science is mixed on this.  But one might conclude that we would all stop doing it if there was no evidence of effectiveness.

Soothe Aching Muscles - Heating our skin, increases blood circulation.  The body's response is to direct more blood to the skin's surface and the muscles.  With more blood flow, the build up of lactic acid from a muscle that has been worked will be expelled more quickly.  The blood also bring oxygen and nutrients needed to help the muscle heal. 

Clean Out Your Nasal Passages - If you need scientific proof of this effect, you've never been in a steam room.  Your nose will run, and your nasal passages will be clean afterwords.  Does this help prevent colds, reduce cold symptoms, or speed recovery.  Many websites point to a study at the University of Munich that makes multiple claims as to possible benefits related to respiratory issues.  If you can find that original study, please send me an email or give me a link in the comments.  I can find no evidence that the study exists.

One study that is showing up online is here:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15106160 - General conclusion that steam helps common cold.  "MAIN RESULTS:  The results of a systematic review of six trials with 319 participants, support the use of warm vapour inhalations in the common cold in terms of relief of symptoms"

What do you think?  I personally think that Steam Rooms are great.  And if you want to be sure you are getting some of those therapeutic benefits, make sure your steam room has 100% pure, pharmaceutical grade eucalyptus oil in the steam.  There are plenty of studies to show the benefit of the eucalyptus oil, and what a great way to administer this aromatic essential oil, than while relaxing in a steam room.

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Pump Aromatic Eucalyptus Oil Directly into Your Steam Room for Healing & Disinfecting

EuroSpa offers a unique system that pumps soothing, healing and disinfecting eucalyptus oil directly into the steam line of your spa drop by luxurious drop. Used by major hotels and spas, this system not only provides the health and relaxation benefits to the patrons of these establishments, but makes cleaning the steam room areas a breeze with the disinfecting, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties of eucalyptus. Call today to see how your spa business could benefit from the miracle of eucalyptus oil and the ease of the EuroSpa Aromatics' pumping system.

Eucalyptus Oil Foot Care! See All the Benefits Eurospa Products Have to Offer

One of nature’s most powerful ingredients for moisturizing, soothing, and detoxifying hard-working feet is eucalyptus oil. Its ability to modulate ceramides (lipid component of skin structure) helps the skin’s outer layer to retain moisture. This is extremely important for the feet, which can excrete as much as one pint of moisture every day.

A compound called 1,8-cineole in eucalyptus facilitates the production of hydrating ceramides in the epidermal cells,2 increasing the skin’s softness and suppleness.

Carefully extracted by steam distillation from the leaves and stems of the tallest and fastest growing tree in the world, eucalyptus essential oil contains about 80% 1,8-cineole (its main active ingredient) and other healthy plant essences such as pinene and limonene.3

Not only does eucalyptus oil enhance the water-binding ability of ceramides, it has long been used in therapeutic programs to help cleanse and detoxify the skin.

Eucalyptus oil also has potent antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties4 against a wide range of microorganisms that prosper in moist, dark environments.

Aromatherapy experts have long believed that quality essential oils like eucalyptus oil can also penetrate deeply into the skin and enhance circulation, thus promoting the delivery of oxygen and essential nutrients to the skin’s deepest layers.

Tired feet therefore benefit from the natural soothing properties of eucalyptus, a proven analgesic5 that is one of the best oils known for lessening the discomfort associated with joint and muscle aches.
These numerous benefits of eucalyptus oil make it an essential ingredient in a program designed to hydrate, soothe, and protect the feet.