Le Pli Day Spa, The Charles Hotel, and The Wellbridge Athletic Club Charles Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Julie Register, Your Guide to Spas, visited this day spa, hotel and fitness center in September 2002

Le Pli stands like a little glass jewel box next to the Wellbridge Health and Fitness Center in a building adjacent to The Charles Hotel - all close to Harvard University, JFK Memorial Park, and the Charles River. The buildings are connected inside.

Photo Index Click HERE for Photos of Le Pli Day Spa Click HERE for Photos of The Charles Hotel Click HERE for Photos of The Wellbridge Athletic Club Charles Square Contact Information Le Pli Spa • Address: 5 Bennett Street Cambridge, MA 02138 • Phone: 617-547-4081 • Fax: 617-547-2150 • Web site: http://www.leplispa.com The Charles Hotel • Address: Charles Square 5 Bennett Street Cambridge, MA 02138 • Phone: 617-547-4081 • Fax: 617-547-2150 • Web site: http://www.thecharleshotel.com Wellbridge Athletic Club Charles Square • Phone: 617-441-0800 URL: • Web site More Massachusetts Spas • Giuliano Day Spa • Boston Spas: Splash • Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston (Cambridge) • Day Spas in Massachusetts • Resort, Destination and Hotel Spas in Massachusetts Music in Le Pli Day Spa Reiki An Opera Martini Related Books In the Hands of a Chef: Cooking with Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant • All about Harvard Square - A Guide: Historic Walking Tours, Museums, Restaurants, Shopping & Entertainment • Around the Square : An Architectural Hunt in the Environs of Harvard Square Related Resources • About's Boston, Massachusetts Site • About's New England for Visitors Site

The third floor of The Charles Hotel is connected to the upper floor of the Wellbridge Athletic Club where the pool is located by way of a keyed access. However, what we did instead was exit the rear of The Charles Hotel on the second floor next to Henrietta's Table and walk across the attractive Charles Square complex courtyard to Le Pli and Wellbridge. The hotel, fitness center and spa are all separate businesses but greatly complement each other. Guests of The Charles Hotel have complementary access to the Wellbridge Athletic Club Charles Square. Le Pli clients having the Half Day of Beauty and Full Day at Le Pli packages have lunch at Henrietta's Table at The Charles Hotel.

Le Pli Day Spa

I started my Le Pli experience by checking in at the desk and was led through a glass door to the spa proper and the changing room. This room is used by both male and female clients, so a quick knock established no one was using it. I was given a locker that held a terry robe and pedicure sandals. There are no locks on the lockers, so I was told to keep my valuables with me. The room is bright and cheery due to a large glass skylight spanning the length of the room. After I changed, I sat in the adjacent waiting area where water and tea is available. Marlene promptly appeared to escort me to one of the facial treatment rooms. Relaxing music was playing. Each treatment room has its own CD player and Marlene had chosen Reiki. She invited me to disrobe and get on the treatment table while she stepped out of the room. When she returned, she explained that she would choose the products she would use on my skin that would best address its condition. They would not necessarily all be from the same line (product lines included Murad, Biosthetique, and Belavance among others). She told me to relax and fall asleep if I wanted to. Having been given permission, I put my face in Marlene's hands and faded in and out of "the zone." I remember surfacing to ask about a pleasantly-scented compress applied to my face. Marlene said it was the aroma of lavender oil, petitgrain oil and lichen moss extract. The compress would plump my skin and prepare it for extractions. I remember a lovely hand massage that ended with my hands in heated mitts. I "zoned" through the rest of the facial and, when Marlene was done, I had a face that was smooth, soft and moist.

Marlene escorted me back to the waiting area and suggested I drink water while I waited for my next treatment, a Hot Stone Massage. Heather came out of the treatment room with a canvas bag and proceeded to fill it with stones from the warmer in the waiting area. She returned to the room and, after a few minutes, invited me to come in. I disrobed and got on the treatment table while Heather waited outside. When she returned, she started on my front and worked from feet to head, had me turn over and continued from head to feet. She massaged oil in and then reinforced it with massage strokes using a warm stone. It was a nice combination. I was very relaxed and just let the massage carry me away. The 90 minutes passed very quickly. Heather ended the massage with an foot treatment using Repêchage Sea Spa Foot Cream massaged in with a warm stone.

When my Le Pli spa experience was over, it was heavenly to walk only a short distance to my hotel room at The Charles. I stretched out on the bed and "recovered" for about an hour. Perfect!

Le Pli has been in Charles Square since 1985 and became part of Stonewater Spas in December 2001. It is compact - only 2,534 square feet - but offers a full range of treatments. There are seven treatment rooms for massages, facials and body treatments in the spa proper. For wet treatments, showers are located in the changing room as well as next to the lavatory. Near the reception desk, there are three manicure stations, three pedicure stations, one makeup station and six hair stations. In addition to facials and massage (Swedish, aromatherapy, pregnancy, deep tissue), Le Pli offers hair services, makeup services, bridal services, manicures, pedicures, waxing (including Brazilian), seaweed wrap, salt scrub, body polish and peels. All services are available in multiples of six for a 10% reduction in price.

The spa does not have a thermal area, but that is where the Wellbridge Athletic Club comes in. The fitness center has a whirlpool on the third floor as well as steam rooms in both the men's and women's locker rooms on the first floor. It would be very easy (and beneficial for most) to have a soak and a steam in the fitness center before going to the spa for a massage. The spa and fitness center are located right next to each other.

The Charles Hotel

The Charles Hotel has 293 guest rooms and 44 suites in 10 stories. The decor is Shaker-inspired with modern touches and quilts decorate the walls throughout the public spaces. In-room services and amenities include T1-speed Internet access, three two-line phones (including one cordless) with voicemail capabilities, Bose Wave radio, two televisions (one in the bathroom), EO bath amenities (which I liked very much), robes, down quilts, safe (large enough for two briefcases), honor bar, iron and ironing board. Personal computer rental is available.

We ate most of our meals during our stay at the hotel's restaurants. Henrietta's Table is family-oriented and reasonably priced. I particularly enjoyed the Vegetable Napoleon. We treated ourselves to the Rialto on the second night. The Rialto has been awarded four stars by the Boston Globe since it opened in 1994. Chef Jody Adams was the winner of the 1997 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northeast and has recently written "In the Hands of a Chef: Cooking with Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant." Menu selections that can be found in the cookbook are noted on the restaurant's menu.

The REGATTABAR is well known for its live jazz. A Dixieland band was playing one of the evenings we were there. There was a $14 cover charge. Seating was at 9 p.m. for a 9:30 show.

Wellbridge Athletic Club Charles Square

Wellbridge Athletic Club Charles Square is one of about 45 Wellbridge fitness centers in 12 states. Wellbridge’s mission is "to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives through innovative mind, body and social experiences." Facilities at the Cambridge location include:
Main Floor: Cardiovascular Equipment (ellipticals, treadmills, steppers), Weight Training Equipment (circuit and free weights)
Lower Floor: Separate Men's and Women's Locker Rooms with Steam Rooms and Showers, more Circuit Weight Training Equipment, and a Group Exercise Studio
Upper Floor: Indoor Pool and Whirlpool
Services include personal training, classes in aerobics, water fitness, studio cycling, yoga, and pilates, and wellness programs.

We worked out at Wellbridge both mornings we stayed at The Charles. It was a great way to start the day. The club is well-equipped and, as hotel guests, all we had to do was sign in at the desk.

Note: While valet parking is available, self-parking is easy with the entrance to an underground 600-car garage next to the hotel entrance. It was one of the cleanest garages I've been in, but pricey. It cost $24/day at the time of our visit. Unfortunately, the hotel does not offer free or reduced-rate parking for their guests nor did there did appear to be less expensive alternatives close by.

Photos copyright 2002, Julie Register
Licensed to About.com

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