PAMPER YOUR SWEETHEART FOR VALENTINE'S DAY, TRY BASKING TOGETHER IN DAY SPA'S GLOW.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Fashion Editor

Flickering candles, soft music, soothing aromas.

Talk about a romantic setting for a massage-a-deux.

Instead of a night on the town, couples are rekindling romance at day spas - otherwise known as pamper parlors. Here, among the ferns, fine furnishings, waterfalls and tubs filled with rose petals are treatments for the heart and soul.

Swedish massages are the traditional choice, say spa owners, but the latest trends include novelty massages such as the La Stone massage using stones on the body, or the Hawaiian-style Lomi Lomi. Other popular pampering treats include salt scrubs to give the body a glow, yummy pineapple facials and pedicures given in plush vibrating chairs equipped with tiny trays to hold tea and sandwiches.

Togetherness is the specialty at some spas such as the Encino-based Skin Spa, where couples can bathe in tubs built for two, or the Aroma-Listic Day Spa in Agoura Hills, which has a private room with two pedicure chairs. While hotel spas, such as the Peninsula in Beverly Hills, offer weekend retreats, many full-service salons offer special day-oeauty packages that begin with a limo picking you up and end with a new 'do.

Since there's so little time left before Valentine's Day, we played Cupid and scouted the Southland for some of the most romantic spa services - and checked the prices, too.

Skin Spa - At this European-style day spa, owner Jonathan Baker offers several packages for lovers. The Spa for Two, which is a 1 1/2-hour treatment, begins with a long soak in a soothing tub with fleurs d'amour and romantic chi oil, followed by dual massages. It's priced at $250 per couple. But the ultimate is the Endless Courtship package, which Baker describes as a blissful five-stage bonding experience of body exfoliation, a cornmeal and pineapple facial, a radiance mask, a private soak for two in a rose petal-filled tub and an energizing massage that has couples leaving on an endorphin high. All that for $400 per couple plus $90 if you want limo service. For romance on a budget, there's the Euphoria Facial for $140 per person. It includes a facial and foot massage given at the same time. Skin Spa is at 17401 Ventura Blvd., Encino; [phone].

The Peninsula Spa - For Valentine's Day, this swanky hotel's spa offers a Weekend Getaway for Two for $1,000. It's an overnight stay in a private villa complete with fireplace and private Jacuzzi, with personally monogrammed bathrobes, champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries. There's poolside lounging in a private cabana, a chauffeured Rolls-Royce for a shopping jaunt on Rodeo Drive, an elegant Sunday brunch and an extensive menu of spa treatments that include a choice of massages (Swedish, reflexology and aromatherapy), hydrotherapy, herbal body wraps, sea salt scrubs and a grape-seed body polish.

Cupids on a budget can go for an afternoon of pampering for $220 that includes an aromatherapy bath, massage, pedicure and a personally monogrammed spa wrap as a memento. The Peninsula Spa is in the Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel, 9882 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; [phone].

Aroma-Listic Day Spa - New Age philosophies and lots of aromatherapy in an elegant Italian setting are what owners Monette and Monique Moore offer their clientele. But the house specialties are zodiac facials (different herbs for each sun sign) and heavenly pedicures with state-of- the-art vibrating chairs in private rooms. For Valentine's Day, they offer dual facials, massages and pedicures for $238. Aroma-Listic Day Spa is at 29020 W. Agoura Road, Agoura Hills; [phone].

Dean Rhoades Salon - Antique mirrors, marble floors and an intimate ambience with massages in small candlelit rooms are what you'll find at this Beverly Hills salon and spa. There are numerous pampering packages, including the Morning Makeover, the Afternoon Indulgence and the Evening Escape, which are four hours long. But the hot ticket is an Ultimate Spa Day. It begins with a limousine ride (round-trip) and includes a total body polish, massage, aromatherapy facial, herbal foot bath, manicure, pedicure, brow arch treatment, haircut and makeup application, plus lunch, priced at $550 per person. Dean Rhoades Salon is at 9461 Little Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; [phone].

Blessings Way Spa - If you can't book an ocean voyage, the Paradise Spa package aboard the Queen Mary is the next best thing. The overnight affair begins with champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries served in the couple's first-class stateroom, followed by a massage (Swedish, La Stone, Lomi Lomi, Thai or Eastern Integration), a stroll on the deck and dancing in the Art Deco Observation Lounge. Then breakfast in bed. The bottom line is $365, says spa owner John Meffert. The Queen Mary and Blessings Way Spa are at 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach; [phone].

--Allen Edwards Serenity Spa - For Valentine's Day, spa owner Lisa Edwards has a Day of Serenity for men to give their sweethearts that includes an aromatherapy salt body rub to make you glow, followed by a full-body seaweed mud mask, then a massage and an enzyme facial treatment, priced at $250.

Villa Portofino Hotel - A romantic weekend and a Swedish massage for two is offered at this famous Catalina Island resort. For $549, you get round-trip boat transportation from Long Beach or San Pedro, room accommodations for two nights with champagne, plus a lengthy massage and a continental breakfast. Villa Portofino Hotel: [phone].

The Paint Shop - For love on a shoestring, go to the Love Altar at this hipster nail spa. Owner Julie Serquinia heats up a spicy cinnamon pedicure she calls Red Hot Mama's Extremities that includes cinnamon-leaf aromatherapy, foot massage, paraffin treatment and choice of red lacquer for $40. For him, the Manly Man Manicure for $15. The Paint Shop is at 319 1/2 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills; [phone].

Spa-speak

Ready to spa-bond, but don't talk the talk? Want a gentle massage instead of a beating? Can't decide between a seaweed wrap or a pineapple facial?

Check our clip-and-save glossary of pamper parlor terms for all the latest spa services.

Accupressure: Pressure-point therapy for specific problems such as a migraine headache or lower-back pain.

Aromatherapy: The use of fragrant plant extract oils to soothe the mind as well as the body. If you've got any allergies, be sure to tell the spa in advance.

Body polish: This is an exfoliation treatment that involves your entire body being rubbed or buffed with a grainy substance. Grape seed mixed with essential oils is popular, while Dead Sea salt is the current rage, especially when mixed with fruit such as papaya and avocado. All body polishes end with an invigorating shower.

Facial:This is cleansing treatment that also involves massaging oils, honey or creams into the skin to give your complexion a rosy glow. Some spas include a scalp and neck massage.

Hydrotherapy bath: Special tubs with as many 150 air jets and 60 water jets to relax the body, improve circulation and relieve stiffness and pain.

Mask: This treatment involves the application of mud, honey, avocado or the currently popular blend of pineapple and cornmeal onto the face and neck (or the entire body), where it remains for about 30 minutes to cleanse the pores and tighten the skin. It's not as high on the pamper scale as a facial, but some spas do end the service with a gentle massage.

Pedicure: Like a manicure, except it's the toes that get the attention. It begins with a soak in a warm tub, then the feet are scrubbed and buffed and massaged all the way up to the knee. You can request a paraffin wax treatment to make them feel ultra-soft, then nails are polished. Before you book a pedicure, inquire about private rooms, aromatherapy and vibrating chairs that add to the pampering experience. And bring along a pair of thongs so your nail polish won't smudge.

Seaweed wrap: Actually you don't get wrapped in slimy seaweed, just covered in a clay-based mud made with powdered seaweed plus rose or lavender. The overall goal of the treatment is to detoxify and remineralize the body. Afterward, you shower off the mud.

Reflexology: This is a therapeutic (non-relaxing) foot massage based on the ancient Eastern art of foot manipulation to balance your central nervous system. The theory is that specific trigger points on the foot correspond to various organs and muscles throughout the body and by manipulating them, you release poisons that cause inflammation.

Total body massage: Yes, this means you get naked and recline with a towel over you. The masseuse will usually use warm oil or lotion to massage your neck, back, arms and legs for a half or full hour.

Swedish massage: The traditional muscle-relaxing massage given at most spas.

La Stone: This is an edgy new American massage technique that involves 52 smooth stones (some heated, some cool) placed on the body (down the spine, between the toes) to relieve aches and pains. But you also get a traditional massage.

Lomi Lomi: A trendy new massage technique from Hawaii that involves a gentle, rocking motion.

Thai: A massage that releases muscle tension through stretches and accupressure.

Eastern Integration: This is a personalized blend of Eastern massage techniques.

Deep tissue: An aggressivesive massage to release muscle pain and tension.

Sports massage: Similar to a deep tissue massage but more vigorous and designed to break up lactic acid in the body.

Vichy shower: A patented type of shower head with five rotating shower heads that hit you at once, without leaving the massage table.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box

Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Valentine for the Soul

Enjoy a little r&r - romance and relaxation - at a day spa

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) A relaxing soak in a rose petal bath is a specialty of the Peninsula Spa in Beverly Hills.

(3 -- color) Feet get kissing soft with a Red Hot Mama's Extremities pedicure at the Paint Shop in Beverly Hills.

(4 -- color) At the Skin Spa in Encino, couples get side-by-side massages.

(5 -- color) Irina Sladkova gets a new `do, manicure and glass of wine at the Dean Rhoades Salon in Beverly Hills.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

(6 -- color) Instead of flowers and candy, give the gift of pampering.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

(7) Spas that cater to pampering the whole body include pedicures to rejuvenate the feet.

Box: Spa-speak (see text)