The night before our planned spa adventure at Bella Sante, Cynthia Packard and I were strolling down Newbury Street after a bar-side dinner at Biba's when I noticed the spa's stenciled light sign projected on the pavement before us. "God is in the details!" I thought. The cool sign and the upper Newbury Street location served to heighten the spa's mystique. The next day, Bella Sante did not disappoint us.

Bella Sante means "beautiful health" in Italian and this feeling is pervasive at the spa. The waiting area is warm, soft and beckoning, featuring herbal and green teas, spring water and fruit. New age music soothes the robed and slippered clients reclining in overstuffed chairs and sofas. All the five senses are engaged and comforted. The staff members are gracious, welcoming, fit, simply dressed and made-up. This all adds up to anticipation of a luxurious spa experience!

While Cynthia Packard was enjoying her pedicure and manicure (see companion article: Interview with Cynthia Packard), I had the opportunity to meet Paul Mazur and take a tour of the compact, but somehow spacious nine-treatment room spa.

After the tour, I spoke with Paul from the vantage point of the waiting room sofa and knew at once that I was going to have to come back for a self-treatment!

Paul, trained as a remedial massage therapist, started as such at Bella Sante, soon after becoming the director about a year ago. Impeccably groomed, the director sets the tone for the place, embodying both "beautiful health," and the spa's mission to enable clients to leave their harried lives behind. He is gracious, kind, and makes one feel special and welcome. "Bella Sante is a safe place where clients come to be nurtured," he said. They are not on guard here. "We want them to walk out of here looking beautiful and feeling beautiful."

With weekends booked 8-10 weeks in advance and evenings 4-6 weeks out, Bella Sante's strategy is working! They nurture about 70 clients a day with 32 staff members, up from 16 a year ago. They now have two full shifts to accommodate demand and may consider expanding in the future.

Bella Sante features all the beloved standard spa procedures such as manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing, and massage; as well as pregnancy and post-partum massage (therapists even go to the hospital before and after the birthing!), algae, green tea, and moor mud wraps, hot rock massage, aromatherapy (special oils custom-mixed for each client) and collagen eye treatments. Bella Sante is not a hair salon, deciding to dedicate the limited space to quieter pursuits.

As for demographics, 30% of their clients are men. Paul points out, " the grooming of men is now expected. No one wants to see a businessman with rough hands and chewed nails" Until recently, Bella Sante offered Macho Mondays -- one Monday a month for men only. This was widely covered by local TV as quite the phenomenon. But most of the male clients have now been initiated into "spadom" and have integrated themselves into the mainstream, so Bella Sante just discontinued Macho Mondays. The "shavel" (a shave and facial) continues to be very popular with men, along with massage of course.

Paul spends his time on customer service, staff training & development and corporate business development. "We don't have to worry about individual clients -- they come from word-of- mouth." Bella Sante features exclusive corporate events with groups of 6-20 people. Paul has also started going to corporations and setting up chair massages on site. Once people get a taste of spa bliss, many will make the trip to the spa itself for more.

Management is planning to redesign its space. One of the changes will be to move and expand the pedicure area to provide a view of Newbury Street. I seconded this plan as I could not get a pedicure appointment!

I "settled" for a facial later that afternoon. First I took a steam bath and shower and donned the spa uniform: comfy robe and slippers. Then I waited, sipping tea, for my facial. It was fabulous and so relaxing I hung out in the waiting room afterwards long enough to make myself half an hour late to visit my foot-tapping friend in the South End!

When you are next in Boston, consider finding your way to 38 Newbury Street -- you will be transported into spa bliss and wellness! Tiffany Amorosino is the co-owner of this spa, as well as another Bella Sante located in Lexington, MA. For more information, look up Bella Sante on Heavenspa.com’s Find a Spa, or visit their web site at Bellasante.com.