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Bare and Bronzed

Get ready for summer, in the best spas from SoHo to San Francisco.

followed, capped off by a "hot stone teaser," designed to melt away tension along our spine. Our therapist slipped a plush robe over us and teased us some more with cookies. We declined through gritted teeth, opting instead for a peppermint- oil foot soak laced with rose petals along with an aromatherapy neck wrap. Feeling satisfied, we left with silky skin (and steady insulin levels). Peppermint Patty Rub, $55; massage, $45.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Soul Day Spa and Salon 25 Florida Ave., N.W. 202-986-7685 Gridlock made us late for our body polish appointment, and just as grouchy. We dispatched terse instructions to Rosalina, our therapist: "Dry-as-desert skin. Go heavy on the elbows. And do something for our feet before they turn into hooves." The disarmingly angelic Rosalina smiled knowingly and ushered us into the Vichy-shower room. She kick-started our sluggish circulation with a scrub-and-mitt rubdown followed by a lush mandarin-oil application. After we rinsed off in the waterfall shower, Rosalina slathered us in a shea body butter that left us gleaming. We emerged with skin as soft as a baby's bottom and a disposition as carefree as a child's. Tahitian Body Polish, $90.

PALM BEACH, FL The Spa at the Four Seasons 2800 S. Ocean Blvd. 561-582-2800 "Austrian mud relaxes the muscles and nourishes the skin," our handsome therapist explained, as we sidled up to the table for a Moor Mud Wrap. Yeah, yeah, get to rubbing, we thought, sizing up his sturdy hands. Our body immediately eased as he smoothed the earthy blend over our skin. And though we initially balked at the Mylar blanket wrap (think space-age aluminum foil capable of transmitting messages to Mars), it helped loosen ...