Spa and Beauty Today

View Original

New York Spa Guide: The Best Spas in Brooklyn

[Photo by Miltiadis Fragkidis]

With diversity and culture to spare, a spa day in Brooklyn is like nowhere else. From an out-of-this-world bathhouse and a 50,000-square-foot sanctuary that serves up the best in beauty (and food) from across the globe to an all-outdoor backyard oasis—luxury in Brooklyn just feels different.

New York Spa Guide: The Best Spas in Long Island

Even the most jaded spa-goers will find the pared down vibes in (arguably) the coolest borough refreshing. With an emphasis on the holistic and organic, you might just discover an alternative to Botox while taking in Brooklyn’s most iconic site: the skyline.

New York Spa Guide: The Best Spas in New York City

So go ahead and cross the bridge, but leave Brooklyn? Fogetabout it! Read on to discover the best spas in Brooklyn in our New York spa guide.

If you’re looking for the best deals on flights to Brooklyn, click here.

Bamford Wellness Spa

60 Furman Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201; (833) 625-6111

Located at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, it doesn't get more luxurious or iconic than Bamford Wellness Spa. Originally created by Carole Bamford in the English countryside, the same emphasis on natural beauty, quality ingredients, and high standards translates across the pond. The spa prides itself on individually crafted treatments, with all products exclusive to the Bamford body and skincare lines—all of which are made from certified natural and organic ingredients.

There’s no better way to unwind after pounding the Brooklyn pavement, whether on vacay or as part of your daily grind, than with the spa’s signature Hammam floatation therapy. Truly escape and drift into serenity through this weightless flotation-based therapy—but without ruining your blow-out. That’s right, you stay completely dry as you are cocooned in warmth for a true recharge.

Other treatments at this one-of-a-kind spa range from an awakening face and scalp massage to a rejuvenating gold facial, a hot and cold stone massage to a B Silent Treatment that preps the body for sleep. With a focus on ritual, cleansing, and healing from within, guests walk away from the Bamford spa with a renewed sense of self that lasts long after check out.

Bathhouse

103 N 10th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249; (929) 489-2284

It doesn’t get any more Brooklyn than Bathhouse. Located in a converted factory in the heart of hipster Williamsburg, the spa celebrates its roots via exposed brick featured everywhere—even the sauna. Taking hints from bath culture across the globe, including Turkey and Morocco, patrons can submerge and sweat in a range of settings. From three thermal pools to a star light steam room and a tropical or dry sauna, the amenities at Bathhouse are well worth a day pass. 

For those looking for something more hands-on, try the full-body massage focused on deep recovery and pain relief, or get buffed and moisturized while enjoying the hammam scrub. And good news for pregnant ladies: both signature treatments are available as a prenatal service.

After all that pampering, head to the adjacent restaurant and indulge. With a full breakfast and lunch/dinner menu featuring health-conscious items like coconut chia pudding, a wagyu skewer, salmon and trout dip or a roasted sweet potato with tahini and zhug, you can’t go wrong.

Body By Brooklyn

275 Park Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205; (718) 923-9400

Inspired by European spas, Body By Brooklyn features an impressive 10,000-square-foot space tucked away inside a Navy Yard. This hidden gem has something for everyone, including a wet and dry lounge as well as the option to turn up the romance in the VIP suite. As could be expected from such a spacious center, Body by Brooklyn’s service options do not disappoint.  

Guests can enjoy custom massages, treatments, and facials aplenty. Stand-outs include a calming vajacial (to relax your lady parts), a self-heating Sedona mud wrap, a signature chocolate and exfoliating hydration wrap, a body stretch massage, a gentleman’s facial and CBD massage, as well as a bamboo fusion massage. The space is also available for parties and offers memberships to satiate your inner spa-junkie.

Brooklyn Herborium

1301 Prospect Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218; (917) 909-0569

275 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231; (347) 689-4102

A holistic sanctuary with all products handmade with love in Brooklyn (where else?), Brooklyn Herborium’s shop and spa offer a unique wellness retreat. Founded in 2011 in Red Hook/Carroll Gardens Brooklyn by two friends, the women have expanded their business and their families since first opening.

With five children between them, the team provides the highest-quality, hand-made products that are suitable for spa-goers and babies. The ladies are proud herbalists and healers, with founder Emma the self-proclaimed “Pimple Whisperer.”

Facials at the spa are totally custom, with a consultation helping you reach peak skin vitality. For those seeking lasting inner-work, the pair offers mind-boy alignment, which takes the form of a gentle facial point stimulation massage that activates the body’s parasympathetic nervous system transitioning you to a subconscious state of healing.

There’s also a special “eye lift” menu (all natural, of course) as well as holistic body massage, deep skincare consultations, and integrated therapy for everything from damaged skin to congestion and redness.

cityWell Brooklyn

496 President Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215; (347) 294-0100

Unlike most metropolitan spas, cityWell Brooklyn offers an outdoor escape. For this boutique bathhouse and oasis located in the Gowanus neighborhood, accessibility is key. Owner Liz Tortolani’s mission is to provide treatments affordably, with self-care integrated into the every day instead of being a limited luxury.

The spa features rain showers, an aromatherapy steam room, a heated soaking tub, an outdoor dry cedar sauna, an indoor relaxation area with refreshments as well as an outdoor lounge space with hammock, fire pit, yoga platform, and sun benches. Guests can also enjoy a massage, accupunture or body treatment al fresco, under the spa’s pergola. The quaint space is also available to rent privately, if you want the whole backyard to yourself.

Cynergy Spa

1014 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11238; (718) 403.9242

See this content in the original post

Cynergy Spa first opened its doors on Feb. 14, 2003—though the decades-old spa has switched owners and moved locations since its founding, that Valentine’s kiss of self-love prevails. Spa goers head to this Clinton Hill retreat to escape it all, whether through specialized facials, holistic massages or rejuvenating body treatments focused on the mind-body connection.

Cynergy offers LED phototherapy facials, penetrating the dermal layer to enhance collagen—the treatment is a must for mature skin in need of a pick-me-up. For those with micropigmentation, the Rhonda Allison (Ra) facial method is practiced to on all skin types, especially ethnic skin tones, reducing inflammation and delivering increased hydrated.

If you’re looking to for a quick, relaxing fix without undressing, try the hand and feet treatments, which are under 30 minutes and include a sea salt scrub and massage for instant zen. 

Lanshin

129 Roebling St, Brooklyn, NY 11211; (718) 388-4788

See this content in the original post

With a near-perfect Google review, treatment by Lanshin helps its devotees achieve flawless, youthful skin without the filler. Relying on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, the spa offers services that provide tangible results in lieu of Botox or surgery. Not afraid of the needle? Try facial acupuncture, which visibly improves your complexion, skin quality, and skin’s firmness while adding a lifted appearance.

There’s also gua-sha rejuvenation to restore luster to skin while draining and sculpting; a custom dermatology package to clear, monitor, and track common skin conditions; full-body massage, body acupuncture, and a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) head and scalp massage that does everything from restore hair loss to improve tech neck. After leaving Lanshin refreshed, you can purchase on-the-go tools and elixirs to keep your all-natural, anti-aging practice up from home.

Red Moon Wellness

405 5th Ave (between 7th and 8th St), Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY 11215; (347) 699-8751

Founded by a clinical herbalist, licensed massage therapist, certified birth doula, certified lactation counselor, and certified childbirth educator, Red Moon Wellness preaches a “whole person approach to wellness.” The spa first opened 15 years ago with a focus on guiding others on herbal therapeutics for female reproductive health as well as the musculoskeletal system.

Each practitioner at Red Moon Wellness is uniquely skilled in bodywork, whether your focus is on chronic pain, tension, injuries, stress relief, or simply relaxation. Special services geared toward women include prenatal or postpartum massage, birth prep massage, menstrual relief massage, as well as a breast/chest health massage.

The center also offers infant massage instruction for parents to help bond with baby, as well as classes on child birth. Acupuncture is also available at the quaint Park Slope getaway, including for prenatal and postpartum women. And with a package offering that encourages guests to incorporate wellness into their health journey—there’s no excuse not to bundle, save, and relax more often.

World Spa

1571 McDonald Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230; (718) 500-3772

The newly-opened World Spa is a portal to a self-care paradise. The spa takes inspiration from across the globe and serves up the best of the whole world in this three-story, 50,000-square-foot oasis in the heart of Brooklyn. No expenses were spared to create authentic banyas, Finnish saunas, Turkish and Moroccan hammams, cleansing Himalayan salt rooms, Japanese onsens, an infrared room, and more.

Spa Profile: World Spa NYC

The beauty is in the details: handmade Moroccan and Turkish tiles decorate the hammams; Kelo pine was shipped from Northern Europe for the saunas and banyas. The urban bathhouse was originally a disused parking lot and took nearly a decade to bring to fruition.

Regulars and first-time guests alike can choose from a range of experiences to enhance their trip, whether a Polynesian journey scrub, Turkish bath ceremony, Taiga candle massage or a cabana glow facial—the spa brings the world to Brooklyn. In between treatments enjoy dining, World Spa-style. The eclectic menu consists of treats such as caviar, truffle arancini, lobster bisque, potato vareniki, and chicken lo mein.

[Photos courtesy of spas and resorts]

Some of the links on our site may contain affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we may receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain our own.

Emilie Branch has more than a decade of experience writing for beauty and lifestyle publications including Allure, Beauty Launchpad, Beauty Store Business, and NailPRO. She was most recently a contributing editor to Mane Addicts. Emilie is based in New York, where she lives by the beach with her young family.