Starwood has announced the opening of Bliss49, the new Bliss Spa flagship and first Bliss Spa to open at a W Hotel. Starwood acquired cosmetic, spa and catalog company Bliss from luxury goods conglomerate Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton (LVMH) in January 2004. Bliss introduced an exclusive line of in-room bath, body and skincare amenities at W Hotels nationwide in October 2004. There are currently four Bliss Spas worldwide: BlissSoho, Bliss57 and the new Bliss49 in New York City and BlissLondon in the United Kingdom. Additional Bliss Spas are scheduled to launch at W Hotels in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago in the spring of 2005.

Located at the W New York on Lexington Avenue and 49th Street in Manhattan, the new 23,000 square foot Bliss Spa is the company’s biggest outpost. Bliss’ ground-level space features a retail beauty boutique and high tech manicure pedicure lounge. Each nail station is equipped with its own flat screen TV, DVD player and earphones and a conveyor belt transports sterilized nail tools. On the fourth floor, the main spa facilities house seventeen treatment rooms, four manicure pedicure stations, a women’s locker room and lounge, a men’s locker room and lounge, a grooming studio, a retail store, a gym and a full menu of facial, massage, body treatment, waxing and nail services. New offerings include a hammam, digital lockers and grass-tiled steam showers, as well as W-operated overnight Spa Lofts.

“With the opening of our new Bliss flagship, we hope to provide an urban oasis to an even greater number of New Yorkers and travelers, enhance the W Hotel guest experience and put an end to our notorious three month wait list,” stated Tyler Morse - President, Bliss. “This spa sets the footprint for our rapid expansion plans. Expect the same signature Bliss quality, integrity and originality at the core of every blueprint as we begin building on the West Coast, in Chicago and beyond.”

Founded by skincare expert Marcia Kilgore in 1996 and often credited with kick-starting the urban day spa boom in the late1990’s, Bliss provides exceptional spa services in an uncontrived, “no-attitude” atmosphere. The Triple Oxygen Treatment facial, upbeat music, wine and brownie buffet, witty treatment names and an A-list celebrity clientele, are just a few of the signature elements Bliss is famous for. The company retails its Bliss line of bath, body and skincare products through its Bliss beauty by mail Catalog, Blissworld.com web site and at international retailers such as Bloomingdale’s, Sephora, Saks, Harrod’s, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. For more information, please visit www.blissworld.com.
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