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.
