• Metamorphosis Day Spa

  127 E. 56th St., fifth fl., 212-751-6051

  Lots of spas claim to service the lunchtime crowd, but Metamorphosis specializes in it—smart, considering its location in the heart of corporate New York. There’s an à la carte menu that lets you combine treatments, depending on how much time you have—a Lunchtime Face Lift ($450), plus Swedish massage ($55), lasts about 90 minutes. (The foot reflexology is particularly good.) There are packages like the Chill Out, which includes an eye-mask treatment and a foot-and-scalp massage ($105). It also feels like a real spa, with lots of plants and the scent of lavender in the air, so no matter how stressed you are, you get that serotonin surge only a scented candle at midday can produce.

From the 2006 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine