TRAVEL TALES | May in New York Part II

We left you at The Summit Bar last night, did we? Well... RISE AND SHINE, beautiful! Day 2 of your 48 hours in New York and it's time for a session of energizing yoga at The Standard (a snip at $20). The hotel's just introduced their popular Miami yoga program to the Big Apple so you can practice with expert instructors overlooking the Hudson River. All comers welcome! And you'll need to limber up before the scrum that is the notorious, gilded beauty halls of New York.

The Bs (Henri Bendel, Barney's, Bergdorf Goodman) are like music to beauty-binging ears... Subterranean warrens are packed with the skincare secrets of the ladies who lunch. No beauty pilgrimage to New York would be complete with out wander and a gander at (and maybe take away) Ellis Faas, Tammy Fender, Trish McEvoy, Tracie Martyn, Edward Bess and the limited edition Narciso Rodriguez palette.

And what would a trip to the

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TRAVEL TALES | May in New York Part I

AH... THERE are few things as lovely as Central Park on a sun-dappled spring morning. Joggers prancing by, coffee in hand (mine, not theirs)... It's on days like this that I yearn to live in New York. You too? Yeah, we all do, don't we?

Although, I'm quickly grounded by reality when I see the size of my mates' flats (tinier than London). But, every visit there is brilliant not least of all because of the beauty bounty to be had. Thus, we're giving you our quick and dirty guide to 48 hours of beauty in the Big Apple so that you too, should you be touching down in JFK soon, can experience some of the most amazing treatments and products in the world. Print this little black book of beauty and let the journey begin!

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SPA WATCH | Manhattan's Spa Merge

NEW YORK CITY is home to so many spas your head'll spin just trying to make a decision on the fly on which one to visit. They run from high end to low brow, medical, pleasure (no, we don't mean happy ending...), detoxifying, indulgent... all of them exist within the space of one little island. Recently we visited a newish hybrid green-medical Spa Merge on 57th. It's attached to hotel West 57 in an unassuming store front sandwiched between a Duane Reade and the lobby. The spa manager and most of her staff are from a well-known local spa on the Upper East Side and thus the spa has garnered a slew of loyals who have followed them to this corner just a block south of Central Park and we can see why.

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