Best of DC: Modern Luxury Magazine

Yes, diamonds and gold do more than glitter on a wintry night. At the Four Seasons spa, the Gold and Diamond Facial is an exercise in antiaging and extravagance. Ultrasonic exfoliation and microcurrent therapy are featured in the phase one of treatment, followed by LED therapy to stimulate collagen production. The kicker: Take-home products to continue the anti-aging treatment include the Diamont de Beaute ($600) and Trio of Gold cream ($493). Facials have never looked so decidedly bling. 90 minutes for $465, Fri.-Sun., 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202. 342.0444, fourseasons.com/washington

MOST EXTRAVAGANT WHISKY EXPERIENCES

All nine whisky sibling duos at The Watergate Hotel’s The Next Whisky Bar (2650 Virginia Ave. NW, 844.617,1972, thewatergatehotel.com) are stellar, but one is a standout. For $500, lead mixologist Rachel Sergi pours an ounce of the rich Macallan M. It’s blended from seven barrels individually selected out of 195,000 in the Scotch producer’s vast cellar that were matured in oloroso sherry casks dating back to 1940. On Jan. 28, Rebellion (1836 18th St. NW, 202.299.0399, rebelliondc.com) hosts a once-in-a-lifetime pairing dinner, where 20 lucky guests—who pony up $1,250 each—will experience the full lineup of uber-rare Pappy van Winkle 10-, 12-, 15-, 20-, 23- and 25-year, and 25-year-old Rip van Winkle (of which only 710 bottles were ever made).

BEST PRIVATE-JET CHARTER TO NYC

When JetSmarter launched last year in the region, many in the DC business and lobbying communities were ecstatic. After all, the company’s members can use an app to book a seat on private charters to New York in a click. “There’s a huge demand for private jets in DC, and there’s a huge demand for private and first class,” says JetSmarter founder and CEO Sergey Petrossov, who counts stars like Gerard Butler as clients. “DC to New York is actually the most traveled heavy-jet market in the world.” The company also offers whole-aircraft charters out of Dulles, where clients take advantage of a private lounge and concierge. Passengers may choose to skip the airport lines and go straight to the tarmac via town car. It’s another perk of the gilded skies. Membership from $15,000, jetsmarter.com

MOST NOTORIOUSLY LUXE HOTEL SUITE

Don’t look for G. Gordon Liddy to approve, but everyone else will love the new Watergate Scandal Room 214. Cocreated by Emmy-winning costume designer Lyn Paolo from Scandal, the room captures the infamy of the property’s 1972 break-in that led to Richard Nixon’s resignation two years later. Paolo and Rachel Cohen, Watergate’s senior vice president of the design and development, included historic touches in the luxe space, including 1970s furniture, walls of news clippings, a typewriter and binoculars. And the views of the Potomac are stunning. $800, 2650 Virginia Ave. NW, 202.827.1600, thewatergatehotel.com

MOST SWOONWORTHY AFTERNOON TEA

Inspired by acclaimed Danish chef Rene Redzepi of Copenhagen’s groundbreaking restaurant Noma, garde manger chef Kiril Stavrev will offer Nordic Tea Saturdays and Sundays in January and February at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner. For $68 per person, sample savory bites like bone- marrow fudge sandwiches, herb toast with turbot-roe emulsion and chicken-liver mousse with trumpet mushroom powder and a crispy potato nest, followed by sweets including apple goat- cheese galette and almond cake with kefir cream. The hotel’s curated selection of teas are used in cocktails like Hot Herbs, where mint tea is mixed with a shot of dill- and caraway-infused Absolut vodka; The Great White North, where anji white tea is served with a shot of Aquavit; and Garden, a chilled libation with blue garden tea and Finlandia vodka in a cocktail glass rimmed with lingonberry and bilberry powders. 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean, Va., 703.506.4300, ritzcarlton.com

BEST PRIVATE TRAVEL ADVENTURES

Oh, how we love Jessica Pociask, founder of DC-based WANT Expeditions—she has mastered the perfect trips that blend luxury and legit adventure. Both National Geographic and the Travel Channel have lauded her private tours, and for good reason: They include everything from luxury helicopter harp-seal-pup encounters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence; French Subantarctic Island journeys; and mountain gorilla treks in Africa’s oldest national park, Virunga. For each adventure, think private chef, exclusive accommodations, distinguished wildlife researchers and guides, and award-winning photographers hanging out to record every magical thing that happens. And if Pociask isn’t the most insightful, intrepid and happiest person you’ll meet this year, we want to meet your friends. “Every day, I never cease to be amazed by the fact that I’ve manifested my dreams in reality,” she says. $1,000-$5,000 per day, wantexpeditions.com

BEST MEMBERSONLY MEDISPA

When Dr. Arleen Lamba recently opened the third branch of her fabulous medispa Blush at The Wharf, Washingtonians sang to the heavens. Lamba has created a venue that features VIP face- and body-beautif ying treatments like facials, wrinklesmoothing laser sessions and stress-free chemical peels. The brilliant twist? Customers pay a monthly fee. “We’re trying to disrupt the industr y,” says Lamba. “So many of our customers don’t have a lot of time—or downtime —so coming in for tuneups is perfect for th em .” $70-$175 per month, 40 District Square SW, Ste. 215, 877. 632. 5874 , blushmed.com

BEST BESPOKE FRAGRANCES

Walk into Le Labo at The Shay and become entranced by the very idea of buying a scent that will feel at once custom and incredibly memorable. Tradition perfume’s blaring top notes take an olfactory backseat to middle notes—known as the heart of fragrances—like a rich lavender or cardamom. They’re long-lasting and memorable, and this is the anti-perfumery mindset behind a brand led by co-founder Fabrice Penot. The small bottles that line the shop’s shelves list all of the ingredients of the scent, and, to ensure freshness, each bottle is made to order in front of you. There’s a cost for such extravagances (bottles can fetch up to $600), but the result is a bouquet of scented soul that remains smart and true. 1924 Eighth St. NW, Ste. 120, lelabofragrances.com

MOST INDULGENT MEAL

It’s $595 just to sit down at one of the two tables in the kitchen at The Inn at Little Washington. Each grants up to six diners the ultimate up-closeand- personal experience. “Guests said it felt like dinner and a movie, so we thought we’d play on that,” says chef Patrick O’Connell. Accordingly, meals begin with red-and-white-striped carnival boxes brimming with popcorn, topped off with a snowfall of freshly grated truffles. It’s the first of a flurry of decadent amuse-bouches preceding the intensely indulgent tasting menu. Choose between an ever-changing array of classic dishes, contemporary innovations and vegetarian options. In the cold-weather months, the chef takes advantage of the fireplace, where he likes to roast whole truffles in the embers. Generous shavings are served over a salad of wintry greens, which accentuates their heady fragrance and earthy richness. It’s decadence incarnate, which is O’Connell’s specialty. 309 Middle St., Washington, Va., 540.675.3800, theinnatlittlewashington.com

BEST CUSTOM FURNITURE DESIGNER

For his new collection for Baker Furniture, the crown prince of elegant aesthetics, DC’s own Thomas Pheasant (thomaspheasant. Com) says he was inspired by artists like Richard Serra, Ellsworth Kelly and Tony Smith. Their “modern works speak to beauty through simplicity of form,” says Pheasant, who has now done five collections for Baker (3330 M St. NW, bakerfurniture. Com). “I worked with remarkable ateliers in Florence, Milan and here in the United States to oversee all aspects of the collection,” he says. “The result of attention to every detail, finish and the imaginative use of materials helped me bring a unique sense of luxury to each one of these sculptural forms.” Much of what Pheasant creates is custom, and he’s even launched STUDIO (thomaspheasantstudio. Com), which is his collection’s limited and custom furnishings.

HOTTEST WATERFRONT PROPERTY ON THE MARKET

With unmatched views of the South River—which feeds into the Chesapeake Bay—this impeccably renovated historic home in Edgewater, Md., is a perfect example of a getaway that could double as a permanent residence. After all, it’s a mere hour from downtown DC. The home boasts five bedrooms, 6 1⁄2 baths, a waterside pool and a guesthouse. It also features gorgeous gardens and a sloping lawn leading to 850 feet of private waterfront and a deepwater pier. $6,200,000, 36 Shadow Point Court; listing agent, Georgeann Berkinshaw, 443,994.4456, coldwellbankerluxury.Com/property/36-shadow-point-court

BIGGEST SOCIAL EVENT OF THE SEASON

During a gala season that boasts a bevy of crescendos, the Heart Ball is one that makes the philanthropic community’s collective chests flutter. Held at the Mandarin Oriental on the Southwest waterfront, this stunning affair brings together the region’s medical, corporate and community leaders to continue the fight against heart disease in our region and the United States —all through raising money for research and programs that lead to healthier lives. Bonus: The party is absolutely a roof-raiser, which is just what the doctor ordered in the middle of winter. Feb. 24, tickets $1,000, table for 10 $15,000, dcheartball.com

MOST EXCLUSIVE DESIGNER

There are many things we love about architect and designer Deborah Kalkstein—including her modern flair for impeccable lines in every space she creates—but perhaps our favorite is the ability to see her curatorial style every day in Georgetown. She’s the woman behind Contemporaria in Georgetown’s Cady’s Alley. Venture into her lush lair to see the latest in European designs (think Italian brands like Minotti and MDF Italia)—much of which will end up in the next exquisite spaces she designs for VIP clients. Kalkstein is making DC even prettier, one imaginative room design at a time. 3303 Cady’s Alley NW, contemporaria.com

BEST LUXE GARAGE FOR WEEKEND DRIVES

Washingtonians with too many toys and a yearning for weekend cruises in the country now have a place to store their extras at a high-end garage on Main Street in Marshall, Va. Owned by Fauquier County Supervisor Holder Trumbo Jr.—who also has a half-dozen racing Porsches to his name—H&H Auto Garage provides climate-controlled storage and a la carte services—including light maintenance of luxury, antique and Sunday-driving cars—for those who’d rather not take their Ferraris down dirt roads to Hunt Country homes. “The horse people keep their horses out here, even if they live in town, because of the beautiful ride out of town,” Trumbo says. “This is a gathering place for people who are just as enthusiastic about automobiles.” $200 per month, 8382 West Main St., handhautogarage.com

BEST PRIVATE GIFT-BUYERS

Ashley Bronczek and Candace Ourisman have figured out something extraordinary about their friends—and now high-end strangers in DC: They often don’t have time to buy the perfect gift. The duo launched Secretly Gifting (secretlygifting.com) last year, and the entrepreneurs have the perfect eyes for one-of-a-kind items that are often difficult to find. (Think antique jewelry, vintage clothing, custom art and more). “We both have a love of traveling and a love of adventure,” says Ourisman. “It’s that curiosity—plus travel and culture immersion—that’s already a part of our lives, and it exposes us to new designers, new concepts and new retails spots.”

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