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This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home, this little piggy had roast beef and this little piggy said. "We, we, we want to get out of these Timberland boots!"

This month, I finally freed my little piggies from their seemingly endless winter hibernation in snow boots with a Nu Soles deluxe pedicure ($45) at the newly opened Nu Yu Day Spa in Clinton Hill.

But it wasn’t just my feet that were pampered at this petite spa. I had arrived on its pretty tree-lined block exhausted and out of breath. The Nu Yu staff warmly greeted me when I entered. There wasn’t a wait at check-in, my coat was whisked away, and I was offered a cup of tea and a seat. Nu Yu, filled with natural light, furniture in warm, dark woods and fresh flowers, has an upbeat, cheerful professionalism that’s irresistible.

I was soon led up to the comfortable pedicure station, a long tapestry-covered banquette that can accommodate three customers at a time. This high perch offered a bird’s-eye view of the spa, while allowing maximum privacy for my shy, mistreated feet.

Nu Soles is a one-hour treatment that includes exfoliation, massage and a mask as well as the usual grooming and polishing.

Nail technician Martha Sanchez began by bathing my feet in a tub full of bubbly, salted water.

Co-owner Felicia Fonrose asked me if I had been disappointed that the footbaths don’t have jets, but the truth is, I wasn’t. Fonrose has ensured that her services emphasize the human touch over the mechanical, and she made the right choice.

Throughout the pedicure, Sanchez had been expertly massaging - with a firm but gentle touch - my feet and calves while applying the creams, oils and peppermint-scented exfoliating scrub. The highlight was the marine mask full of hydrating sea extracts, conditioning mineral clays and soothing botanicals, which Sanchez slathered on my feet and calves, then wrapped in plastic and swathed in heated, moist towels. This was followed by a massage that erased any stubborn, lingering tension from every last toe, and finished with an application of polish.

"People come in here expecting the usual pedicure, and it’s not," said Fonrose. "They’re so relaxed, I come right over to help them step down." While my polish dried, Sanchez surprised me with a neck and shoulder massage that I didn’t even know I needed.

And this is just one Nu Yu option. Fonrose said she had a hit on her hands with the all-natural, homemade chocolate scrub her staff used for Valentine’s Day-themed treatments and she’ll likely bring that back for a permanent spot on her treatment menu.

Fonrose, 37, and her partner Jacqueline Peters, 34, became friends while toiling for seven years at Goldman Sachs, but Fonrose said that after Sept. 11, 2001, the women decided to leave the corporate arena and spend the rest of their careers following their passion - beautifying and pampering their neighbors.

Fonrose says she’s careful to stock quality products and eschews smelly, aerosol quick-dry sprays or acrylic nails in favor of natural products like almond oil or scent-less silk wraps.

The duo began by studying to be nail technicians, and then their dream quickly blossomed into a desire to offer an array of spa services from a long list of facials to massages, including those for mommies-to-be. (Body treatments, which don’t require a shower, will be added to the menu soon by aesthetician Soraia Barbosa.)

With the help of the Pratt Area Community Council, they secured this space with one airy, high-ceilinged room for massages and facials and another smaller room for waxing, and transformed it from bare bones into a spa.

On March 25, Nu Yu and the other new businesses on the block of Grand Avenue between Clifton Place and Lafayette Avenue will celebrate with a grand opening block party.

Because Nu Yu is like a family, and makes you feel so welcome, Fonrose will let you know that cell phones are not allowed. This is an oasis away from your hectic life, and if your phone rings, she’s been known to confiscate them, so, very sweetly of course, she’ll hold yours at the front desk until the end of your visit.

"When you do something you love, it shows," said Fonrose. "We want to make money, but we want people to feel good. It’s like family here. We joke, we laugh. And that was our goal: to make clients feel that way. They have a seat, and they want to stay a while.

"People aren’t used to just relaxing," said Fonrose, and now it looks like Clinton Hill, previously under-served by massage therapists and aestheticians, finally can put their feet up with help from Nu Yu.


See the Spa Directory for more information about Nu Yu Day Spa.

©2004 The Brooklyn Paper