Brooklyn Health & Beauty

Oula—a maternity center that combines midwifery and obstetrics for prenatal, delivery, and postnatal support—is an incredible option for pregnant people seeking low-intervention births. The staff of midwives is brilliant—friendly, vivacious, knowledgeable, supportive (there is zero judgment whether you want an epidural or drug-free delivery)—and visits feel unhurried and comfortable. The office is decidedly un-medical feeling. They take insurance including some Medicaid, and are committed to inclusive and equitable care to serve a diverse patient base. This location is in Brooklyn, and there's another Oula in Manhattan.)

Lia Bartha’s signature workout, B the Method, is based in classic mat Pilates but cuts out most of the props. All you need to get started is a ball. From there, Bartha dials in on good form and strips away distraction. It’s challenging and engaging but not prohibitively hard; we tend to walk away from it sweaty and satisfied, but not sore. B the Method is mostly online, but you can book at the Gowanus studio by appointment and join for monthly group events. (Sign up for their newsletter to jump on the list.)

Many of the treatments here call on the power of Chinese medicine to heal, energize, and enhance skin. Founder, acupuncturist, and herbalist Sandra Lanshin Chiu uses gua sha—an ancient Chinese medical massage technique that incorporates a jade skin-care tool to relieve tension, support circulation, and flush out toxins for a brighter, smoother complexion—in many of her treatments. The Acne Rehab is one of her most impressive: The aesthetician uses botanicals, gua sha, and facial cupping to break up stagnation in the underlying tissues and restore balance. (Chiu emphasizes that fantastic skin happens from the inside out—but that it’s also important to pamper the skin’s surface.) And we keep coming back for the cozy cups of licorice root tea, prized in Chinese medicine for its calming effects.

Simply walking into the Maha Rose Center is de-stressing: The tall ceilings, white walls, and billowing curtains of the former box factory are instantly calming. Services range from breathwork and reiki, to sound baths and shamanic healing circles. The shop is stocked with amazing crystals, herbs and tonics, and more. They regularly host open houses to allow potential clients to check out the space for free—plus, Friday afternoon group acupuncture sessions.

Acupuncture can be incredible for stress, physical pain, and many other conditions. Tigerlily Holistic offers group sessions to make their healing treatments more accessible and forge community connections (many people actually find communal acupuncture, versus private sessions, to be more revitalizing). Clients lay back on massage tables or zero gravity recliners as an acupuncturist tends to each person with filiform needles to remove blockages and stimulate the movement of chi in the body. If needed, there’s the option of adding on a therapy like tui na (Chinese massage), cupping, or gua sha (the Chinese practice of gently scraping skin with a massage tool to support circulation). And there are workshops and classes on therapies like Qi Gong, which uses breathwork, meditation, and martial arts-based movement to cultivate balance and emotional tenacity.



They take hair color very seriously at Pickthorn, where owner Chelsey Pickthorn has been known to mix twenty shades at a time to get the perfect flattering color. The salon specializes in impressively authentic highlights (imagine golden surfer hair and the sun-kissed flyaways of outdoorsy kids), which colorists paint on by hand, eschewing more traditional foil methods. The space is airy and sizable, but with only two chairs, the vibe is beautifully intimate. There’s no getting lost in the assembly line of blowouts that can be so frustrating at mega-salons, and the windows are hand-painted by local artists so that light streams through but pedestrians can’t peek in at the musicians and models who frequent the place—or witness your transformation, until you step outside.

Melanie Herring’s small studio in a Greenpoint brownstone is deceptively modest, but her facials will help change your skin, whether it’s breakouts that bother you or dullness and wrinkles. Massage, aromatherapy, all manner of nourishing oils and mists, plus a one-on-one discussion (sometimes assisted by animal-spirit cards) might happen before you begin.

This impossibly lovely, holistic spa-grocery-apothecary is serious about skin—and offers some of the most exquisite complexion-perfecting treatments: The Integrative Therapy for Biome Rehabilitation balances the skin’s ecosystem with a bespoke pre- and probiotic mask, herbal compression, blue-light therapy, and more, while the Integrative Therapy for Reducing Redness and Reactivity incorporates infrared phototherapy, lymphatic drainage, and herbal treatments to soothe inflamed skin. If you’re not too blissfully relaxed post treatment, peruse the store, which stocks everything beautiful, organic, and small-batch you could ever want—local honey, health-supporting herbal teas (their chrysanthemum-infused Rest & Digest blend is next-level), the crispiest apples, and the brand’s own skincare line that’s hand-crafted right here. There's a second location in Carroll Gardens.

Tucked inside the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, the Bamford Haybarn Spa is a 5,000-square-foot oasis marked by hand-carved doors and branch shelving. Here, in the nine treatment rooms, Lady Carole Bamford applies her "global wellness" approach to the menu of treatments which range from massages to facials—all of which are guided by Ayurvedic principles and use the brand's in-house line of skin care.

MNDFL is a modern day meditation studio done right, open for both classes and self-guided practice (with other locations in Greenwich Village and the Upper East Side). A variety of meditation techniques are taught in this serene, all-white space, save for a bit of tasteful greenery. Practice at this studio is all about comfort—both physical and mental—practitioners can sit on chairs or on cushions, with sessions as short as thirty minutes or as long as sixty, starting at only $10. Classes are taught to the sounds of crystal singing bowls—which rather than being distracting, are actually very grounding—giving you something to focus on without really having to focus on anything. To bring a slice of this zen with you, MNDFL also offers an at-home video series.