Parties, Favored

The Spa Day

The luxe hot tub and rain shower; Photograph courtesy of the spa at Mandarin Oriental.

The key to successful bridal pampering is lots of early planning (it’s hard to relax while double-checking pedicure time slots). Happy to pre-schedule—and armed with a team of detail-oriented spa coordinators—the sprawling Spa at Mandarin Oriental in Boston’s Back Bay is fit for full-out indulgence. Its locker room’s rain showers, hot tub, and curtain-cloaked relaxation room are just the frosting on a decadent menu of services. Lucky brides-to-be can get the stress-erasing, exfoliating Commonwealth Comforter treatment, while their partygoers partake of manicures, pedicures, and facials. A quiet morning of treatments is best followed by a group rendezvous in an upstairs hotel suite, where brides can open gifts, munch on spa cuisine, and (after proper rehydration) pop open the bubbly.

BUDGET OPTION

A group treatment room lets girlfriends enjoy side-by-side services; Photograph courtesy of the spa at Mandarin Oriental.

Less-flush hosts can stick with hand-and-foot makeovers. Upscale nail salon MiniLuxe accommodates parties of up to 20 in both of its locations. Take over the space for an afternoon and let the bride open gifts between polishes. The salon’s scented candles and pairs of flip-flops make lasting parting gifts.

Starting at $130 per person, Spa at Mandarin Oriental, 776 Boylston St., Boston, 617-535-8820, mandarinoriental.com; MiniLuxe, 296 Newbury St., Boston, 857-362-7444, and 792 Beacon St., Newton Centre, 617-332-9200, miniluxe.com.