XpresSpa at Schilphol. Sue Frause photo.
XpresSpa recently opened two more airport spas: the first at New York LaGuardia International Airport, in the US Airways Shuttle Terminal and the second at JetBlue Airways Terminal 5 at JFK International Airport. The JFK spa is the eighth XpresSpa at that airport, making it the spa capital of airport spas -- no other airport has as many spas. ExpresSpa, headquartered in New York City, currently operates 25 full-service spas and wellness centers in airports in the US, Mexico and Europe. Eleven more are in the works.
I paid a visit to the XpresSpa at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol when I had a layover from Oslo to Seattle last winter. I was so looking forward to a relaxing massage before being crammed back into the airplane for another nine hours. I'm a frequent spa goer, so I know what I like, and this spa was lacking in some of the basics. First I was put into a room that obviously was not equipped with a massage table. I informed my therapist that I was having a massage, not a facial. So we marched off to another room. It was bright and noisy; I could hear all the announcements being made over the public address system. Prices are $65/$95/$120 for 30/60/90 minutes.
The massage was OK --nothing special. But I felt like at any moment somebody would come barging into the room, having taken a wrong turn and thinking they were boarding their plane. It was not relaxing or therapeutic whatsoever. Save your money and rent one of their signature loungers out in the main room. You can sign up for 10/15/20/30 minutes and customize your personal massage treatment to target individual areas of the body. Prices are $15/$20/$25/$35.
For more info: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is Europe's fourth largest airport, and one of my favorites. The See Buy Fly Shopping Centre is great for tax-free purchases and has a wide range of products. For dining, there are plenty of restos and bars. One of the fun spots is Bubbles,
a modern bar with a casino.It specializes in seafood dishes, and there's even a salt water aquarium. There's also an extensive wine and champagne selection by the glass or bottle.
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