Amazing massages and facials flying under the radar
2 NYC Spas that you can book on ClassPass
ClassPass is not my usual choice for getting a massage. For one, most of the “wellness” options are nail salons or waxing studios, or they're no-frills places that need a lot of vetting before you book.
I don’t really care if a massage studio has the ultimate luxury SPA aesthetics as long as I walk out dazed, deliriously relaxed, and with the face-rest imprinted on my forehead for at least an hour after.
I know a lot of people like the Chinese massage places, but for me, they’ve been a mixed bag. I’ve had some great ones (William at Renew Day Spa 2 comes to mind), and some terrible ones (Angel Hands), but my most common experience has been a massage where they just applied a ton of pressure indiscriminately, and I left worse or about the same as before. A lot of these studios are on ClassPass, but I skip over them.
But there are some real gems and serious practitioners on the platform. Here are my two favorites for massage and facials.
I Care Studio
I Care Studio was the second place I booked a treatment via ClassPass. The first was a bare bones massage studio where the massage therapist let out continual guttural burps for the entire hour. Thankfully, I Care Studio was the complete opposite.
I Care Studio’s founder, Natalia, blends the latest facial treatments from Japan, South Korea, and Europe with elegance. Her two-hour kobido treatment, a Japanese facial massage technique, was transformative.
When I came home, my husband blurted out, “Wow, you look like a model!” before I could take off my shoes in the hallway. It was such an honest reaction, I couldn’t even go for the obvious nit-pick: Don’t I look like a model all the time?!
Plus, I was too relaxed to be annoyed (the treatment had felt like all the benefits of a two-hour nap), and it was true that my cheekbones had shadows carved out beneath them, probably for the first time in my life.
You can also add a head/scalp massage, a buccal massage, or LED light therapy to any facial for $40- $50. I would also recommend the buccal massage as an add-on or a standalone option for anyone who finds themselves clenching their jaw while working on a computer.
Sanctuary Spa
I assume the more pain and distress that I’m in during a massage, the better I’ll feel once I leave. Carmen’s massage technique is gentle, so gentle that when your knots come loose, it may make you realize that you never needed to be in pain in the first place.
She uses a myofascial release tool that feels like the world’s gentlest cheese grater being taken to your back, releasing the small muscle fibers and, in my head, grating away all those grumpy muscle knots.
A sore right shoulder from sleeping curled up on my side was restored to full function after a body massage, and the facial massage provided some much-needed relief when the trees decided to pollen-bomb New York just after all that snow finally cleared up.
The only downside to Sanctuary Spa is that you have to exit into the chaos of Union Square. I found myself careening around, hearing and other senses dulled from relaxation, forced to weave around many people who still seemed to be learning how to walk in a straight line for the first time.