Spa week, Tut exhibit make Philadelphia irresistible

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By MONICA HAYNES
Tuesday, April 10, 2007

If you were thinking about taking a trek to Philadelphia for the King Tut exhibit, April 16-22 might be a great time to make the trip.

Why?

It's Spa Week in the City of Brotherly Love.

That means there are 15 day spas in the area ready to primp and pamper you for a mere $50 per treatment. That means you can get the facial and the body scrub for what it might normally cost to get just one of them.

This is the third year Philly spas have participated in the nationwide campaign to get America glowing. Among the other cities with spas waiting to buff and exfoliate you are: New York, Boston, Washington, Baltimore, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Seattle and Los Angeles. For a full list, visit www.spaweek.org.

"Our signature massage and signature facial are extremely popular," said Elizabeth Chuff, owner of Ananda, 400 Walnut St. in Philadelphia.

Ananda, which participated in Spa Week for the first time last October, is offering its signature facial, signature massage, balancing facial and Swedish massage for $50 each.

The signature facial, which includes Ayurvedic oil blends, comes with a foot treatment.

The balancing skin facial, which uses 100 percent organic ingredients, is also a favorite among her clients, Chuff said.

On the special $50 Spa Week menu at Adagio Day Spa and Tea Room are its signature white tea facial, an aromatherapy massage and aromatherapy hand and foot treatment.

Adagio, located at 931 Huntingdon Pike in Huntingdon Valley, is about 10 minutes north of Philadelphia.

"For the current clients it gives them a chance to try something they haven't tried before," said owner Susan Shaw. "For the new clients, it lets us introduce ourselves to them."

Pure Bliss Wellness Center and Spa, 1704 Walnut St. in Rittenhouse Square, is giving Spa Week visitors a chance to check out one of the latest things in spa technology _ the Alpha environmental capsule.

It resembles a tanning bed, except a client's head is not enclosed. The capsule is used for pain relief, detoxification, massages, skin care and stress reduction, said Pure Bliss co-owner Sandi Cohen.

For Spa Week, the Pure Bliss is offering an infused aromatherapy manicure and pedicure with an alpha capsule relaxation session, infused aromatherapy cleansing facial with alpha capsule detox session and an alpha stimulated aromatherapy infused massage with stress reduction session.

For $10 extra, clients can add a deep-tissue massage to the aromatherapy massage, and Pure Bliss is offering a 10 percent discount on its other services during that week.

"We're trying to build a business where people come back for health and beauty," Cohen said.

In addition to getting buffed and polished, Philly visitors can soak up a little culture, too, by taking in the King Tut and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit at the Franklin Institute Science Museum _ its last North American stop. (The exhibit runs through Sept. 30. The museum is at 222 N. 20th St.; 1-215-448-1200; www2.fi.edu.)

Fifteen Philadelphia hotels are offering King Tut packages that include two VIP untimed tickets to the exhibit, overnight accommodations and various amenities depending on the hotel.

For those for whom money is no object, the Ritz-Carlton is offering the ultimate King Tut experience, which includes, among other things:

_ Two nights in the hotel's 1,900-square-foot penthouse suite.

_ Treatments at the hotel spa.

_ A seven-course Egyptian dinner for two.

_ A tour of the exhibit with one of its curators.

_ Rolls-Royce transportation.

_ A private cooking lesson.

_ First-class flight to Egypt and a four-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton, Sharm El Sheikh, located on the southern tip of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

The price for this package is $100,000 based on double occupancy.

If you don't care about being a VIP, you can buy timed tickets in advance at www.kingtut.org/home. The Web site has a calendar for checking date and time availability. As with most events of this nature, weekdays are better than weekends.

Many of Philadelphia's other cultural attractions such as the Betsy Ross House and the National Constitution Center are offering discounted admission for those with a King Tut ticket stub. Restaurants, too, are offering discounts and/or special menus.

If you can't get enough of ancient Egypt, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has a marvelous exhibit, "Amarna: Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun." The museum is at 3260 South St. For more information: 1-215-898-4000; www.museum.upenn.edu.

For a full list of hotels with King Tut packages, other promotional hotel deals, Tut restaurant and cultural attraction specials and discounts, go to www.gophila.com.

(Monica Haynes can be reached at mhaynes@post-gazette.com.)