SKANEATELES - As if Finger Lakes residents needed them, Spa Mirbeau is now offering several more reasons to become an oenophile.
Glenn Gaston / Special to The Citizen
Christina Milton, right, of d'vine vinotherapy, applies skin cream to Kelly Russell's hand during a wine and pajama party at Spa Mirbeau earlier this month.
Christina Milton, right, of d'vine vinotherapy, applies skin cream to Kelly Russell's hand during a wine and pajama party at Spa Mirbeau earlier this month.
Those reasons are, in no particular order: pinot noir body cream, merlot exfoliating puree, petite sirah cleanser, Shiraz firming body lotion, and zinfandel and Bordeaux masks.
The above products all contain varying amounts of wine extracts, and some also include grape seeds. All are part of the spa's new line of vinotherapy treatments - that is, massages, facials and even body wraps that involve ingredients related to your favorite red or white.
“I just knew that it was a home run - vinotherapy in the Finger Lakes region,” said spa director Christopher Pulito, who joined Skaneateles#' Mirbeau five months ago with this idea on his mind and did the research to select the d'vine vinotherapy line of all-natural products.
Vinotherapy is beneficial because wine extracts and grape seeds contain lots of antioxidants, the substances that fight against aging and that help to hydrate skin. This approach has become popular in wine regions in California, as well as those in Italy and France, Pulito said, with some high-end establishments referring to themselves as wine spas.
“The idea is wine from the inside out and from the outside in,” Pulito said, citing that in recent years, U.S. doctors have touted the healthy heart benefits of enjoying red wine in moderation.
Mirbeau launched its vinotherapy treatments on Oct. 6 during an exclusive party for Finger Lakes winery owners and tasting room managers. Pulito believes that vinotherapy offers a number of possibilities for cross-promotion with these selected wineries, including the up-and-coming Anyela's Vineyards in Skaneateles and Sheldrake Point in Ovid.
“We really felt as though it's a natural partnership that's a win-win,” Pulito added.
Before launching the treatments, however, Pulito ensured that everyone on staff was onboard. He made it mandatory for the spa's 40-plus massage therapists, aestheticians and nail technicians to be trained in their respective treatments. They all participated in a 50-hour, five-day training and underwent two weeks of practice.
Other employees - from the waiters to the cooks in the inn's Giverny restaurant, which offers a Wine Spectator magazine Award of Excellence selection itself - also had to sign up to receive a treatment, giving the therapists practice and the other staff a chance to learn about the spa's new services.
“It really got the hotel excited about it,” Pulito said.
Lead therapist Michael Serrano, who has worked at Mirbeau for three years, is enthusiastic about the introduction of vinotherapy into the spa's already extensive offering of more than 50 treatments.
“They love it, they love it. I recommend it to everyone. Ideally, I would love that to consume our treatments,” Serrano said, adding that he could see a day when the number of vinotherapy treatments eclipses the number of regular spa treatments.
He added that vinotherapy gives Mirbeau a good way to stand out, as he's not aware of other spas in the area that are offering comparable services.
Vinotherapy treatments tend to be about $5 to $10 more expensive than your regular offerings, Pulito said. For example, a d'vine vinotherapy massage starts at $125 for 50 minutes, while Mirbeau's traditional Swedish 50-minute massage starts at $115.
But Pulito thinks the few extra dollars - and Mirbeau's investment in training its staff - will be well worth it in the long run.
“The smell of their oils is unbelievable,” Pulito said, calling the Mourvedre oil, which is not for retail sale and is used in every vinotherapy facial, pedicure, wrap and massage offered by Mirbeau, “a bottle of liquid gold.”
Many of the products have hues reminiscent of their wine-bearing names, and you can even see the grape seeds (a good exfoliant) in the blackberry-colored zinfandel scrub. And in addition to their antioxidant, hydration and toxin-cleansing effects, all of the d'vine products have aromatherapy benefits, Pulito said.
A day after Mirbeau held its first Wine and Pajama Party, spotlighting the d'vine products (as well as Scanty Wear pajamas), Christina Milton, d'vine's director of education, was on hand to continue training the spa's therapists in the new techniques.
Milton, who traveled to Russia last week to help with training there, supervised a session for the wine salt glow, a combination of pure wine extracts and Dead Sea salts that is gently spread over one's body with a paintbrush.
“It just feels like a whole new skin,” she said.
If you go
What: Spa Mirbeau Spa Nights
featuring vinotherapy treatments
When: Every night between 6 and 9 p.m. except Saturday
Where: Mirbeau Inn & Spa, 851 W. Genesee St., Skaneateles
To learn more: Call 685-5006 or visit www.mirbeau.com
Special note: Finger Lakes residents receive 20 percent off vinotherapy treatments on the above evenings
The above products all contain varying amounts of wine extracts, and some also include grape seeds. All are part of the spa's new line of vinotherapy treatments - that is, massages, facials and even body wraps that involve ingredients related to your favorite red or white.
“I just knew that it was a home run - vinotherapy in the Finger Lakes region,” said spa director Christopher Pulito, who joined Skaneateles#' Mirbeau five months ago with this idea on his mind and did the research to select the d'vine vinotherapy line of all-natural products.
Vinotherapy is beneficial because wine extracts and grape seeds contain lots of antioxidants, the substances that fight against aging and that help to hydrate skin. This approach has become popular in wine regions in California, as well as those in Italy and France, Pulito said, with some high-end establishments referring to themselves as wine spas.
“The idea is wine from the inside out and from the outside in,” Pulito said, citing that in recent years, U.S. doctors have touted the healthy heart benefits of enjoying red wine in moderation.
Mirbeau launched its vinotherapy treatments on Oct. 6 during an exclusive party for Finger Lakes winery owners and tasting room managers. Pulito believes that vinotherapy offers a number of possibilities for cross-promotion with these selected wineries, including the up-and-coming Anyela's Vineyards in Skaneateles and Sheldrake Point in Ovid.
“We really felt as though it's a natural partnership that's a win-win,” Pulito added.
Before launching the treatments, however, Pulito ensured that everyone on staff was onboard. He made it mandatory for the spa's 40-plus massage therapists, aestheticians and nail technicians to be trained in their respective treatments. They all participated in a 50-hour, five-day training and underwent two weeks of practice.
Other employees - from the waiters to the cooks in the inn's Giverny restaurant, which offers a Wine Spectator magazine Award of Excellence selection itself - also had to sign up to receive a treatment, giving the therapists practice and the other staff a chance to learn about the spa's new services.
“It really got the hotel excited about it,” Pulito said.
Lead therapist Michael Serrano, who has worked at Mirbeau for three years, is enthusiastic about the introduction of vinotherapy into the spa's already extensive offering of more than 50 treatments.
“They love it, they love it. I recommend it to everyone. Ideally, I would love that to consume our treatments,” Serrano said, adding that he could see a day when the number of vinotherapy treatments eclipses the number of regular spa treatments.
He added that vinotherapy gives Mirbeau a good way to stand out, as he's not aware of other spas in the area that are offering comparable services.
Vinotherapy treatments tend to be about $5 to $10 more expensive than your regular offerings, Pulito said. For example, a d'vine vinotherapy massage starts at $125 for 50 minutes, while Mirbeau's traditional Swedish 50-minute massage starts at $115.
But Pulito thinks the few extra dollars - and Mirbeau's investment in training its staff - will be well worth it in the long run.
“The smell of their oils is unbelievable,” Pulito said, calling the Mourvedre oil, which is not for retail sale and is used in every vinotherapy facial, pedicure, wrap and massage offered by Mirbeau, “a bottle of liquid gold.”
Many of the products have hues reminiscent of their wine-bearing names, and you can even see the grape seeds (a good exfoliant) in the blackberry-colored zinfandel scrub. And in addition to their antioxidant, hydration and toxin-cleansing effects, all of the d'vine products have aromatherapy benefits, Pulito said.
A day after Mirbeau held its first Wine and Pajama Party, spotlighting the d'vine products (as well as Scanty Wear pajamas), Christina Milton, d'vine's director of education, was on hand to continue training the spa's therapists in the new techniques.
Milton, who traveled to Russia last week to help with training there, supervised a session for the wine salt glow, a combination of pure wine extracts and Dead Sea salts that is gently spread over one's body with a paintbrush.
“It just feels like a whole new skin,” she said.
If you go
What: Spa Mirbeau Spa Nights
featuring vinotherapy treatments
When: Every night between 6 and 9 p.m. except Saturday
Where: Mirbeau Inn & Spa, 851 W. Genesee St., Skaneateles
To learn more: Call 685-5006 or visit www.mirbeau.com
Special note: Finger Lakes residents receive 20 percent off vinotherapy treatments on the above evenings
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