Brownstone Spa

Rebecca! You have a fan, walked in without an appointment — were able to take me right then. 60 min back massage, worked out all of my stress and tension and really put a smile on my face. Thank you Rebecca, I will be back! :)

A good place for a no-​frills massage in the neighborhood.
Definitely worth checking out.

So Venita is a goddess. Compassionate, sensitive to your needs and intuitive, she’s just really talented. The space is, like everyone said, bare bones and quiet, but I don’t care, I’m there for the bodywork. You go for Venita. Really great addition to the neighborhood, and so affordable.

I’m no massage therapist, but I love a good massage and have had many great ones! and a few eh ones.
I received my 90 mins massage as a gift and was a little weary of the place based on reviews, but I have good news to report local Clinton Hillers!, this place is actually great! With some minor exceptions that shouldn’t keep you from taking advantage of their very affordable prices.
First thing to note is that calling yourself spa in NYC does not mean you have an elaborate lounge area, it simply means you offer spa services, so this place qualifies. But it is a bare-​bones operation, which is likely reason #1 why it’s so affordable.
I had Venita as my therapist and she was outstanding. Warm and healing, firm when necessary and very caring. Made light conversation, but mostly left me to relax. I highly recommend her.
Brownstone, you really do need to add some music in the background. Get one good speaker, install on the ceiling and play low soft soothing music for all. (Until they do this, bring headphones.)
They have frosted some of the windows on the doors, I think they are trying to create a very open atmosphere which is why not all frosted. I didn’t mind at all.
When the phone rings and both therapists are busy, they should let it go to voicemail.
That’s all I got! I loved my experience and will be back to see Venita soon.

Rebecca is great. She really gave great pressure to alleviate the tension in my back (and there was a lot) this spa was very comfortable and most importantly affordable ! Rebecca just won a customer!

I’m a massage therapist and when this place opened up around the corner for me, I looked forward to the idea of a cheap local place to loosen me up when I can’t get to one of the people I trade with, or get in at one of the spas I like. While it was by no means the worst massage I’ve ever had, it certainly wasn’t one of the better ones, and I’m not sure these are actually certified massage therapists.
The facility is kind of bare-​bones, which is honestly fine with me especially given the price range here, but there were some ways this caused kind of major problems in the overall experience. The room I was in was small and private, but the walls don’t connect all the way to the ceiling so you can hear other rooms. They also don’t play music or have any ambient noise (which I found incredibly odd) so not only can you hear the other rooms, there is nothing to distract you from any, and all sounds in the space. You hear the phone ringing, you hear them greeting other clients, you hear people shuffling in other rooms, you year your therapists breathing as they work on you. It’s not good. I’ve honestly never been to a spa that didn’t have some kind of sound incorporated into the space. It’s kind of rule #1 for helping your clients relax and let go of their surroundings, which is a really important element in creating even just a functional massage.
The door to the room I was in was a french door with glass panels, which I found really disconcerting and difficult because anyone walking past could just look into the room as I was changing. Usually I don’t have much hesitation about stripping down for a massage but in this environment I kept my underwear on and had to kind of hide a long the wall/​keep checking that no one was coming while I tried to change and get on or off the table. The tables were odd as well; instead of a more standard model with a separate, padded, headrest, these tables just have a large hole at one end of the table for you to put your face in. I found the tables not only rickety overall, but this head hole was really uncomfortable. While I think of myself as having an average sized head, I had to put my hands on either side of my face to keep my head from hanging through the hole. For that reason I could never fully relax during the massage, and I couldn’t really lie in a position that was most comfortable for me or most optimal for the massage. When my therapist was working on my arms (an important area for me), I had to strain my neck to keep in position.
The massage itself was somewhere between barely adequate to a bit disorganized and uninsightful. As someone who has a ton of experience in this field, I could tell my therapist did not really have a clear sense on how he wanted to approach the massage, he would move around different areas of my body without much rhyme or reason. His movements were also kind of sloppy, and despite my specifically asking for medium pressure he basically stuck to either so light I could barely feel his touch to so hard I was holding back tears. The way he employed his broader arm, deep tissue movements made me question how well he knew anatomy, and how well he sensed my relaxation level. If you are going to really work into someone’s body, it is very important they are incredibly relaxed. If they are not, your pressure against the pressure of their tensed muscles can cause busing and tissue damage. I was sore leaving, which is generally the sign of an incompetent therapist, but what was especially bad was that I was sore the next few days, and instead of loosening me and alleviating some of my work-​related tensions, my sore spots were aggravated.
I recognize that as a person in this field, I have a higher bar than many people do, and someone who doesn’t care that much about technique or facility and just wants a lot of pressure will probably be very happy here. However, as a MT, I really urge anyone reading this to seek out a better facility and not be lured in by the cheap prices.

I went called brownstone this morning to schedule an appointment for a 11am. When I arrived there was no one at the front to greet me I has to say hello 2 times in order for someone to come out. Then she asked me what can I help you with. I explain to her I had an appointment and she said oh I thought you was going to Call me back. Mind you she had taken my name and number down and had told me ok see you later. She asked me to wait a while because the person who was giving me the massage had not arrived. (They open at 10am!) After waiting until 11:33am I was told the therapist didn’t know what time she would be in because she is stuck in traffic. I will not be supporting this local business and I won’t ever recommend this place!!!

Amaaaazing. My roommate walked in and were able to be seen right away. We got their 50% off the first visit special so our 2 hour massages were only $ 60 each! Unreal. Mark worked out the months of knots in my back and I can finally turn my head from side to side again. My roommate was equally happy and we will definitely be back.

It took 3 different appointments before I actually received a massage. Apparently they don’t actually hold your appointment time because the first time I came in I was told «just a few more minutes» before I would be seen and ended up waiting over 40 minutes before I had to leave. The second time they didn’t even have my appointment written down so I didn’t bother waiting. When I returned a third time I had a great massage. Guess you just have to get lucky?

Excellent experience with Rebecca. I drove by a few times and decided to walk in. I was on the table in an hour. Great location and affordable. I will be back every month.