CLAY

		Social Diva (March 6, 2008) Shape Up Your Skin at CLAY So, you told your Springer-obsessed couch potato of a boyfriend to shape up or ship out. He chose the latter (good riddance), but sometimes you have to crack the whip. It's just too bad you can't threaten your skin with the same ultimatum. The good news is you don't have to, thanks to the new skin treatments available at CLAY. CLAY, the luxuriously high-end health club and spa located at 25 West 14th Street — and one of Social Diva's favorite spots to max and relax — announces the newest additions to their ever-growing list of uber fab services: the Fitness Facial & Green Tea Peel. Designed to get your skin in shape, the Fitness Facial works from inside out to repair and prevent the damaging effects of sun exposure and environmental factors. Couple up your Fitness Facial with CLAY's Green Tea Peel — which is customized through six different strengths of exfoliation — to purify, regenerate and brighten up your skin. Social Diva Special Offer:Just mention that you heard about CLAY from Social Diva and experience the Fitness Facial and Green Tea Peel combo, a $150 value, for just $120. Now that's an affordable way to shape up your skin. No ultimatum required. SELF (March 2008) No Wonder CLAY gym, on the edge of Greenwich Village, has been a longtime fave of stars… Besides amenities like on-site nutritionist and private yoga instructors, hip new classes keep the glamourati coming. The latest, Cardio Drums, combines aerobics and speed-drumming on a stability ball – a scorcher!" NY SUN (February 25, 2008) Small (Gym) Wonders Fitness New York is a big, powerful city, and lots of New Yorkers like going to big, powerful gyms. But over the last few years, many anti-big gyms have sprung up, often resulting from the personal vision of founders. In recent weeks, I tried three independent gyms with very different pitches — each one excellent in its own way and attentive to members. CLAY (25 W. 14th St., just off Fifth Avenue, 212-206-9200, insideclay.com) Walking into serene and gracious Clay from rough 14th Street is one of those only-in-New-York experiences. Where else would an entrepreneur decide that the best location for the city's swankiest gym (according to New York magazine) is a gritty, commercial street? Exactly that kind of self-confidence imbues Clay, which integrates physical training, mindful exercise, and nutritional guidance. The 20,000-square-foot space is full of natural light, from both the skylights cut into the roof and the windows fronting 14th Street, which has a charming Edward Hopper look from above. Working with instructor Leslie McNabb, I started with a pilates workout on the reformer. Ms. McNabb made the kinds of precise adjustments that remind you of just how helpful pilates supervision can be. By turning out my left foot a bit more to match the right, for example, she showed me that I'd been giving in to the weakness of the left leg. Next I met with nutritionist Christy Maskeroni, who says she helps give clients the tools to make the right decisions about lifestyle changes. She administered a basal metabolic rate test, which told me I can consume roughly 1,630 calories a day with no exercise — and a whole lot more with exercise if I want to maintain my current weight. She works closely with the chefs in Clay's organic café to ensure that nutritious, low-calorie meals are on offer. When I asked for any highly nutritious but low-fat smoothie, I was handed a vanilla-nut shake that was so delicious I started to worry about whether it was really as healthy as it was said to be. I was assured it was. Then came the pièce de résistance: a session with trainer Kenny Mahadeo, a wiry, cheerful man who believes in mixing up the exercises to keep clients engaged. We began with abdominal exercises, done as I was draped across an inflated balance ball, and then warmed up further on the treadmill, alternating easy jogging with sprints. Since I had mentioned I used to Rollerblade in Central Park, he had me work out on the "slide," a slick surface on which one pushes off from side to side like a speed skater. We alternated the slide with deep lunges and did push-ups hanging off the ball on which I'd started. He then tethered me to a rubber resistance pulley that he held like reins and had me run forward and backward. I suddenly knew how my childhood pony felt. Cost: Initiation is $525, which includes five customized sessions to be chosen from private training, pilates, and spa treatments. Annual membership is $1,950. Membership is capped at 2,000 people. Julie B (February 05, 2008) Lock and Clay forget the flowers. this february is all giving (and getting) the clay spa package. just think: a 90-minute renewal massage, clay's signature boot camp facial, tensor and collagen custom treatments. oh, and a comp 9-piece box of mariebelle chocolates with every gift card purchased. don't get stuck in the mud. get stuck at clay. 25 west 14th street. near 5th. 212.206.9200. www.insideclay.com THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE / Lives (January 21-28, 2008) FOR THE ALL-INCLUSIVE ADDICT Game Plan: a week’s worth of workshops, spa treatments, holistic healing, and massages crammed into one glorious (or exhausting, depending on your stamina) eight-hour day. In between sessions, guests can do their own thing – lounging in the sauna, napping on the deck, and flirting in the gym. The Catch: Unless you bring a friend, it’s a solo retreat. Next Up: the CLAY Retreat, a one-day intensive course of Pilates, yoga, lunch, facial, collagen treatment, massage, Reiki, and a smoothie. The Cost: $645 TIME OUT NEW YORK (January 10-16, 2008) CAN YOU GET FIT IN FIVE MINS? ABS I’m a women but I wanted those “rock-hard abs” advertised in all the men’s mags. I’m also too busy to work out. So I had a go at two weeks of five- minute abdominal exercises, devised for me be Melissa DeLancey, a trainer at CLAY (25 W 14th St between 5th and 6th avenues, 212.206.9200). these consisted of two sets of 15 reverse crunches (lie on your back, put your hands under your butt and lift your legs towards the sky); 20 bicycle crunches (on your back with both hands supporting your neck, alternating by bringing each elbow to the opposite knee while extending the other leg outward); the plank (in push-up position, draw one knee toward your chest while stabilizing the rest of your body the alternating legs for 20 reps): the Superman (lie on your stomach, lift your arms and legs straight as possible, arch your back, for 15 reps); and the scorpion plank (like a push up, except support your body weight on your forearm instead of your hands and hold for 30 to 60 seconds). To actually see the results, I’d have to do lots of fat-shrinking cardio-but punch my stomach. No, go ahead, do it. It’s tighter, right? The Cost: $645 STYLE AMMO (January 02, 2008) CLAY Now if you're looking for peace and serenity; check out CLAY: "CLAY is a boutique health club and spa with an integrated approach to fitness and wellness. The name CLAY is all about molding, shaping, and the potential for THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE / Lives (October 5, 2003) HOME AWAY FROM HOME - Zipped PDF (1MB) With cramped apartments and health clubs that offer luxury perks, some New Yorkers have practically moved in to their gyms. [At CLAY] Chen checks her e-mail and makes work calls in the back lounge (some members even conduct business meetings), eats at the organic cafe, lounges on the deck or works out. She rents a locker where she stores her exercise clothes, which are laundered by staff. "I feel like I live here," Chen says. AMERICAN SPA / CLAY (April 2003) Zipped PDF (6.1MB) Serving as an oasis in the midst of New York City, CLAY is the new hybrid of health club and spa that offers a comprehensive and holistic approach to health and wellness. The name CLAY is all about molding, shaping, and the potential for transformation. CITYSEARCH.COM / 2002 Audience Winner: Best Gym view link in new window "Whoever said gyms should be Spartan never experienced a chilled mint-and-eucalyptus- soaked towel." INTERIOR DESIGN / AN EXERCISE IN DESIGN (November 2002) Zipped PDF (6.7MB) Fitness and nutrition enthusiast Robin Brown set out to do with conventions and comparisons... Neither purely gym nor undiluted spa, CLAY displays elements of both: treadmills, recumbent bikes, free weights and facilities for Pilates and Spinning as well as yoga studios and massage rooms. The programming innovation comes in the form of nutritional seminars and the like. But what sets CLAY apart is the finesse of the interior. TRAVEL + LEISTURE / The World's Best Spas (October 2002) NO PAIN, NO GAIN - NO WAY - Zipped PDF (3.1MB) The eighties slogan has been replaced with "Worship your body, nourish your soul." To that end, temples of fitness are reinterpreting what it means to work out, focusing on healthy living rather than just feeling the burn. Along with treadmills, New York's Clay (25 W. 14th Str.; 212/206-9200; www.insideclay.com) has a spa, a concierge, and nutritionists. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (July 2, 2002) AT YOUR SERVICE (excerpt from "How to Get an Airline to Wait for Your Plumber") Everyone from airlines to gyms is trotting out concierge services. Here are three new ones, and how they stack up to a traditional concierge at a fancy hotel. Company: Clay, an upscale fitness club in New York City. What they offer: Members can ask a Clay staffer to send flowers, make restaurant reservations, book hair-salon appointments and track down tickets to a Broadway play. Who's Eligible: Anyone who can afford the $2,180 annual membership fee for joining. The center has limited its membership rolls to 2,000 people. -WSJ research ELLE / Fall Preview (July 2002) THE LIVING ROOM - Zipped PDF (3.5MB) When Robin Brown decided to open Clay, a new workout haven in New York City, her aim was to create a space that would emphasize far more than a firm derriere. "Clay is a place to make over your entire lifestyle," Brown says. The gym offers cooking seminars, nutritional counseling, and an organic café. Classes range from hard-core kickboxing and boot camp to yoga, swing dancing, Pilates and meditation. And then there are the post-workout perks: a fireside sitting area drenched in sunlight from the overhead skylight, a rooftop lounge, and plans to open a sports spa downstairs next spring. Race you to the locker room. 212-206-9200; www.insideclay.com. -Vanessa Penna CITY / In The Glow (May / June 2002) CLAY - Zipped PDF (3.5MB) Clay provides downtown fitness enthusiasts with the workout space of their dreams. The 16,000 square-foot gym, designed by Studios Architecture, offers everything from Pilates to 8-week mastery programs of an anger- or fat-management method of your choice, such as T’ai Chi or meditation, and members score amenities like a private roof deck and an overnight laundry service. After your circuit training, cool down in the sky lighted lounge or reward yourself with a healthy dish from the on-site café. Member fees from $140 a month. 25 West 14th Street, NYC, (212) 206-9200. Or go to www.insideclay.com -JM THE NEW YORK TIMES / Sunday Styles (April 28, 2002) Read more "Upping the ante, at CLAY in New York, where orchids are deployed as though it were a Calvin Klein flagship store, a nutritionist will go to your home and replenish your pantry with healthy food, and a private chef will instruct you in the art of cooking an organic vindaloo." NEW YORK / The Best of New York (March 25 - April 1, 2002) MOLDING BODIES - Zipped PDF (3.5MB) "We want it to be like a small Canyon Ranch," explains a rep for Clay, the new 20,000-square-foot fitness facility opening this week at 25 West 14th Street. Natural light filters in through huge windows in the workout rooms and fills the organic café (which also has outdoor rooftop seating) - even the locker room has skylights, so you feel a bit like you're taking an outdoor shower. Clay's holistic approach includes cooking classes, yoga, and six- to eight-week intensive programs in martial arts and meditation. A spa and product line are due later this spring. -Beth Landman Keil