When she was a child in Guyana, South America,
Rosa-Nicole Barclay’s grandmother told her she had magic hands.
"Of all of her grandchildren, she anointed me as the one
whose fingers could heal," Barclay said to me as she massaged
my lower back at the new Hibiscus Day Spa in Stuyvesant Heights.
"So I’ve been doing this ever since."
And I was luckier for it.
After spending nearly eight hours of the previous day driving
to-and-from Hershey, Pa. – with my boss – I was more than a little
tense. Follow that up with a lack of sleep and another long drive
down permanently gridlocked Atlantic Avenue, and I was as ready
for some healing as I’ve ever been.
Located inside a renovated brownstone at the corner of Halsey
Street and Stuyvesant Avenue, the spa fits nicely into what appears
to have been a three-bedroom apartment. Its two treatment rooms
– one strictly for massage and one for massage and facials –
are each big enough for a couple’s massage, according to manager
Anton Jones. A Vichy shower room, for treatments like the new
"lemon sugar body polish" will soon double as a sauna.
The spa also features a nail care suite with two pedicure stations
sitting like thrones atop the original hardwood floors.
According to Jones, owner Hollis Barclay – Rosa’s cousin – completely
overhauled the location before opening Stuyvesant Heights’s only
spa in February.
"The place was a shell," he said, pointing out that
walls had to be installed before they were painted a calming,
buttery yellow. "But now it’s beautiful."
The new walls are embellished with local artists’ work – which
are all for sale along with the many products on display, including
June Jacobs body care, Votivo sprays and candles and Bami soaps.
Customers are greeted with champagne, wine or tea and – if you’re
hungry – a fondue of the day.
"We have chocolate, caramel or cheese," Jones said.
"And anyone that visits us can enjoy it with fresh fruit."
But having spent the past 24-hours cramped in the confines of
1998 Ford Escort speeding through the Raritan Valley, I was more
interested in getting into the treatment room then chowing down.
Enter Rosa.
Exit consciousness.
My one-hour massage worked wonders, from my not-so-surprisingly
aching lower back to my ever-present right shoulder and neck
pain. Rosa said she would use Swedish techniques to melt away
my stress, and she delivered.
But the highlight for me was her work on my legs – which I would
consider the best rubdown I’ve ever had on the sticks that keep
me moving. Rosa pushed and pulled them into submission before
bending my knees and applying so much pressure, it seemed as
if my ankles had become attached to my butt. Butt, it felt great.
She had told me earlier of how she used to take care of her grandmother
back in Guyana, working specifically on her painful knees and
legs. Now, that practice was paying dividends.
The only complaint I had with the massage was the lack of a "donut
hole" to rest my face while Rosa worked her magic. While
an aromatic beanbag shaped like the donut was provided, it didn’t
do the same job, and kept me occasionally twisting my head so
I could take the deep breaths necessary to make the massage a
success.
Still, when Rosa was finished, I was a new man. My knees wobbly,
I got dressed, headed to the lobby, and enjoyed a cup of tea
– hibiscus, of course – while chatting up the friendly staff.
The name, I was told as I sipped my tea with honey, comes from
a flower that flourishes in the Caribbean.
"It’s in everyone’s backyard," Rosa told me.
And while I was sent there solo by my editor, both Rosa and Jones
pointed out that they had catered to many couples – around Valentine’s
Day – when they also received a proclamation from Borough President
Markowitz for bringing spa service to Stuyvesant Heights.
In fact, Jones said Marty promised to come back for a massage
and Vichy shower sometime soon – a photo opportunity in the making
if there ever was one.
When he does return, my advice to Mr. Brooklyn would be simple:
have Rosa work on your legs.
Her grandmother, I came to realize, was a wise woman.
See the Brooklyn
Spa Directory for more information.
