Labor Of Love
Those who say money can’t buy love fall curiously silent on Valentine’s Day, when the balloon payment comes due. A recent ACNielsen survey for the Diamond Trading Company said most men strive to make Valentine’s Day a romantic one, but most women surveyed said they received nothing special last year. While the average suitor in 2006 spent just under $200, and ladies shelled out just under $40, marketing trends forecast that most will spend more this year, and wait a bit longer to secure a day of romance. In response, local businesses are plotting sweet rewards for those who plan ahead.

For those ready to get serious, flowers and chocolates are still a great way to start, but Valentine’s Day is a second Christmas for jewelers. "Over the last ten years," says Frank Bosnich of Finell’s Jewelers, located in Escondido, "it’s become a much bigger jewelry holiday, even bigger than Mother’s Day." Love-struck shoppers typically spend about $300 to $400 each on heart pendants and diamond stud earrings, but for serious cases, the only cure is an engagement ring. The most popular day to pop the question brooks no excuses, but high demand and the weak dollar means that prices continue to rise, with diamonds up 30 percent since 2004 and gold topping $600 per ounce. (760/747-1463)

Not ready to get that serious? Flowers, while not a girl’s best friend, are at least a warmly welcomed fling. Golden Iris, located in Del Mar, offers discounts for pre-orders and hires extra staff for Valentine’s Day’s hundreds of extra orders, but still has to turn away customers who bluster in at the last minute. "It’s been crazy," notes owner Scott Legier. "A lot of guys forget to order roses for their loved ones, and come scurrying in that afternoon."

Some 65 percent of Valentine’s Day flowers bought were long-stemmed red roses last year, but inspired florists are brainstorming some ingenious alternatives. Golden Iris does use premium Ecuadorian long-stemmed roses and premium greens in their arrangements — and no baby’s breath, which Legier derides as having "a pungent odor" as it decays. A dozen of these delivered comes to about $100. But they also offer "high style" arrangements, which blend roses with ginger, birds of paradise, and other tropical flora, "if they want to make a statement."

Legier also has a scheme for Valentine’s magic that promises to break big when he gets it together. Also a trained massage therapist, he describes his Romantic Ritual package as a novel way of making the intimacy of the holiday memorable long after the flowers have wilted. "A masseuse will come to your house with a dozen roses, and then give a couple’s massage. And if the client wants, teach you how to massage each other." (800/752-8441, www.goldenirisflorist.com)

Until that day, the gift of relaxation can still be had in your local spa, another increasingly popular romantic gift option. La Jolla Spa MD has a new way to celebrate the sweetness of the season with Sweet Treats chocolate facials and body treatments. It "smells good and feels good, and has antioxidant properties," but marketing director Jason Sigala doesn’t recommend you lick it off. Spa decadence requires a bit more planning than other gifts, but Sigala says they still don’t see much action before the week of V-Day, with gift cards the most popular items. Especially on midweek V-Days such as this year’s, "there’s not really a big push for couple’s treatments on the day." The spa’s boutique also stocks up on gift bags of skin care products and rejuvenating lip glosses and makeup. (858/459-6868, www.spa-md.com)

For those seeking the ideal setting for a romantic encounter, Hornblower Cruises pulls out the stops and trebles its flotilla of dinner cruises. If sharing a 1,000-passenger cruise with jazz crooner Dave Patrone, truffles, and Champagne is too routine, Hornblower can ship just the two of you out on the Renown, a 72-foot yacht with crew, cooks, servers, and whatever else you care to spring for, for about $3,000. Public relations manager Tegan Firth explains that Hornblower prides itself on letting the client plot the steamy details and making them reality. "If you have something really cool that you imagined, we can do it for you." (888/467-6256, www.hornblower.com)

Money may be able to buy a little love after all, but you can’t put a price on the words that give wings to the heart’s desire — at least not yet. Online searches for love poetry exploded last year, up 83 percent for the week of Valentine’s Day, 2006. If your sonnet-composing skills are rusty, you can still sample the timeless, corset-bursting verse of Shakespeare, Rumi, or Pablo Neruda, and capture one’s heart. At least until next year, when the immortal poets get with the program, and start charging by the word. — Cody Goodfellow