What to Wear and Where Your Things Go

Wear whatever you would be comfortable arriving in and, more importantly, leaving in. That is the entire dress code. Nobody is assessing the outfit and there is no version of this where you are underdressed.

The one thing worth thinking about is the exit rather than the entrance. Whatever you arrive in is what you will pull back on afterward, over skin that has oil on it and in a body that has decided it is done being upright for the day. Soft, loose and forgiving beats structured and fitted. Jeans with a stiff waistband and anything with a lot of buttons are the two things people regret.

What you wear on the table is your own call. You undress in private, on your own, with the door closed and the therapists out of the room. Some people leave underwear on and some do not. Both are completely normal, neither raises an eyebrow, and you are covered by a sheet throughout regardless. Only the section being worked on is uncovered at any given moment, and it is covered again before your therapist moves on.

Jewelry is easier left at home than managed at the spa. Rings, bracelets, watches, necklaces and anything dangling from your ears will all be in the way. If you did wear something, take it off in the room and put it with your clothes rather than trying to keep track of it on the table.

Tie long hair back or bring something to tie it with. There is a good deal of neck and shoulder work in most sessions and loose hair ends up in the middle of it.

Glasses come off. Contact lenses can stay in for most people, though you will have your eyes closed for the better part of an hour and if yours dry out easily you may prefer the glasses and the case.

Makeup is a personal call. You will spend part of the session face-down in a cradle, which does what you would expect to anything on your face. If you are going somewhere afterward, plan for that rather than being surprised by it.

Your clothes and belongings stay with you in the suite. Phones, bags, keys and coats all come in with you and sit in the room while you are on the table, which is one of the quiet advantages of a private room over a curtained space. Turn the phones off rather than silencing them. A buzzing phone in a quiet room is worse than a ringing one.

In winter, a coat is one more thing you will be carrying, so leave it in the car if the walk from where you park is short. In summer, bring something with sleeves anyway. Rooms are kept cool and a sheet is not much insulation once you have been lying still for a while.