Montauk Pioneer - May 29, 2009 - Spa Day At Gurney's

Like a beacon that stands out on a hill, Gurney's Inn and Spa sets the standard high for Montauk accommodations and luxury. Perched against the most magnificent pitch, the complex hugs the Atlantic Ocean with a beach of the finest sand. At the invitation of Ingrid Lemme, Gurney's Inn Director of Marketing and Public Relations, I went to experience some of the luxuries of visiting or staying at the world famous salt water spa that was the brainchild of Gurney's legend, the deceased but never forgotten Nick Monte. Now under the direction of Paul Monte, the inn is poised for perhaps its finest season ever.

So on Saturday afternoon along with my very good friend Cindi, I popped into the spa to get my first manicure and pedicure ever. What surprised me was that Luz, the attendant who treated me like royalty, said that almost half of the customers for these great services are men. After being greeted by Sofi at the desk I was told to pick a color for my toenails and fingernails. At first I thought of a nice, shocking, electric metallic purple but then I thought about the time as a youngster in High School I got a Mohawk haircut which was cool for about a day.

So I picked a clear color, Cindi picked a lilac color. Climbing into these big leather chairs that had arms that opened to step into them, it had the feel of entering a Rolls Royce sponsored ride at Disney World. Where my feet rested, was very warm water where my feet were soaked and scrubbed. Luz's expert hands worked over my feet as if they were a clay sculpture in the making. Then she clipped, filed, cleaned, buffed, and polished my toenails. While all this pampering was going on I was playing with the multiple dials and controls my leather chair offered. After a while I had it finely tuned, sort of like the Star Wars space craft, and was beginning to wonder out loud if I should be putting one of these special instruments in front of my big screen TV to watch my favorite shows.

My toes smiled at me and I was very proud of how they looked. In paper slippers I walked over to have my nails manicured. Next to me a young girl all of about 6 was having her nails done, which Gurney's calls "the special princess manicure."

I only wish I had brought my daughters in for this service when they were young. Again I was pampered, and at the end of the session I looked at my hands as if I was about to be handed a few billion dollar's worth of documents from a court officer. As for Cindi, she was all smiles throughout the procedure. Her smiles reflected the pleasures that all patrons feel when they sample Gurney's many luxuries. It does not only make you feel better, it makes you look better, and that's a great thing. Speaking of great things, the Gurney's Spa is a jewel that is opened to the general public and its many services make wonderful gifts to those special someones in your life on their birthdays, mother's days, and father's days, or other special occasions. The expert staff is well trained, and experienced. Spa director Candace Monte, whose grace and style set a perfect tone for the whole Spa, is always on site to help make your spa experience top shelf. In the salon, Sofi behind the counter proudly mentioned how the staff, consisting of Luz, Isabel, Maria, Christina, Mercedes, Nancy, Oriana, Alba, and Melissa enjoyed the craft of luxuriating the patrons as if it was a fine art. Afterwards, as I was leaving to attend a cocktail party I felt like a million bucks, and Cindi who always looks like a billion dollars felt great too.