The Brooklyn Bride

	Scrub away stress: Among the services offered at Body By Brooklyn spa in Clinton Hill is the relaxing, Japanese-inspired bathing ritual, the “Red Sento Flower Treatment.” T he Brooklyn Papers / Jori Klein

Pre-nup indulgence
Clinton Hill spa has talent & space to pamper the bride & all her ’maids

By Lisa J. Curtis
The Brooklyn Bride Editor

This week I received an e-mail from a dear friend and her fiance who just returned from a vacation. Much to my surprise — and the other family and friends copied on the e-mail, I’m sure — it read, “What with the complexity of planning a big wedding, we just decided to say ‘f***-it!’ and make use of the chapel onboard the boat.”

While it certainly can be romantic to elope, we at The Brooklyn Bride hope that the eloping is done for all of the right reasons: Because it’s what the bride had been dreaming of, not because the aggravation and stress of planning a reception pushed the couple into walking the plank, instead of taking the plunge while surrounded by friends and family.

One way to make sure that you’re enjoying that sweet, short engagement period is to take stock of your stress level. When it’s high, take advantage of places like Body By Brooklyn Spa and Lounge in Clinton Hill. The 10,000-square-foot emporium of pampering offers everything a bride could possibly require to relax after a confusing day of visiting reception sites.

A bride can also take advantage of a series of facials to ensure that her skin is in the clear before the big day, or a series of massages or body treatments to make sure she adheres to a regimen of relaxation and stress-release.

With the spa’s generously sized lounge — replete with full bar, tapas menu and fireplace — Body By Brooklyn is also perfect for a bachelorette party. Prior to the treatment, the bridesmaids can cavort in the adjacent thermal and cold dip pools — bring your suits, ladies — and after treatments, unwind together over cocktails in the “dry” lounge, dotted with bouquets of green bamboo. There’s more lounging to be had in the cedar sauna, Turkish aroma steam room or Russian bath formed from river rocks.

The spaciousness of the lounges, and the helpful staff, encourage patrons to linger, enjoy and absorb the tranquil atmosphere. (Use of the lounges and saunas is free with any treatment of $90 or more, booked in advance. Cocktails and snacks are extra.)

In addition to Body By Brooklyn’s usual menu of treatments, which includes “platza” — being tapped and scrubbed with a broom made of oak leaves in their Russian steam room, the spa features new treatments according to the season.

One experience that can be enjoyed year-round is the “Red Flower Sento Treatment,” which extracts stress from a fretful bride using tried-and-true, centuries old Japanese ingredients. The five-part bathing ritual combines flower oils, fruit essences and rich minerals for an experience to remember.

The “Sento” begins with an all over body cleansing, followed by a ginger-bamboo scrub — a perfect skin polisher for a bride with a strapless gown. The treatment is so decadent that the client isn’t even required to stand for the scrub to be rinsed away. Remain reclined while the staff washes away your cares — and bamboo granules.

After being moved to an adjacent room, the client is gently patted with wild cherry blossom rice buff on all of her energy pathways. The buff is sealed in with an oil — infused with “kinmoxei” flowers, wild lime and bergamot — that is worked into the skin during a shiatsu massage.

After 90-minutes of “Sento” pampering, it’s unlikely you’ll remember that the invitations are late coming back from the printer. After the two-hour-long version, you may forget your wedding date.

Planning a wedding is a special time, so it’s important to find an oasis like Body By Brooklyn if you need help unwinding. Take a lot of friends, and enjoy a day of pampering. By scheduling a couple of hours to reflect and rejuvenate, you’ll ensure that the wedding you’re planning is one born from your dreams, not your frustrations.

Body By Brooklyn Spa and Lounge is located at 275 Park Ave. at Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill. The staff returns from their summer break on Sept. 9. The “Red Flower Sento Treatment” is $150 for 90 minutes and $200 for 120 minutes. To make an appointment, call (718) 923-9400. For more information, visit the Web site www.bodybybrooklyn.com.

September 9, 2006 edition |. Read more about Brooklyn Weddings