Between dry skin, cracked heels, stubborn holiday weight gain and a deep-set sense of malaise, late winter can take a toll on our mental and physical health. That’s why March is an opportune month to hit the “reset” button on your personal wellness by getting a deep-tissue massage, taking a yoga class or breaking a sweat in a sauna.
“It’s a great time to do that cleanse, when the energy is already springing to the surface, as part of your wellness routine,” said Rachel Reich, owner of Five Branches Wellness in Greenport.
Whether you prefer a traditional day at the spa with your girlfriends, heart-pumping exercise or detoxifying treatments featuring the latest in alternative medicine, the East End of Long Island has something to make everyone feel pampered.
Five Branches Wellness
430 Main St., Greenport
Take a holistic approach to rejuvenation at this Greenport Village business, whose name is a reference to the so-called five branches of health: acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, dietary therapy, exercise and massage.
Rachel Reich, who opened Five Branches Wellness in 2012 and is a licensed massage therapist and acupuncturist, also practices Chinese herbal medicine. In addition to custom, prenatal and sports massages, she offers acupuncture to adults and children, along with cupping and gua sha therapies. The latter is similar to cupping in that it “breaks up adhesions and detoxes muscles” with the use of a porcelain Chinese soup spoon, Reich said.
Trying to tone a specific area or looking for a non-medicinal solution to arthritic or menstrual pain? Reich also offers moxibustion therapy, which entails burning dried mugwort on different parts of the body.
Five Branches Wellness is open by appointment. Call Rachel Reich at 631-629-6636 or visit fivebranchesgreenport.com.
On the menu
Customizable massage: $60 for one hour; $145 for 90 minutes
Acupuncture: $100 an hour; pediatric sessions include a one-hour consultation ($75) and half-hour follow-up session ($45)
North Fork Yoga Shala
430 Main St., Greenport
Treat yourself to a reinvigorating full-body stretch at this Main Street, Greenport, studio, which opened in 2014 and offers group classes to yogis of all abilities. Private training is also available.
“Yoga, by definition or default, is directing our wellness on every level,” said owner Claire Copersino, who owned the former Southold Yoga Center. “It’s very much a whole-person approach.”
Three beginners’ classes are held each week at the Shala, a Sanskrit word that Copersino, one of 10 instructors at the 1,400-square-foot space, said translates loosely to “house.” Intermediate and more advanced sessions round out the schedule, but nearly every class can be modified based on ability.
“The term that we use most often on our schedule is ‘open’ and that means open to all,” said Copersino, who has practiced yoga for 25 years. “It’s an inclusive approach.”
North Fork Yoga Shala is open seven days a week. View class schedules at northforkyogashala.com or call Claire Copersino at 516-443-5626.
On the menu
Drop-in classes (90 minutes): $20; $85 for five. Additional packages and private training available.
The Spa & Salon at East Wind
5720 Route 25A, Wading River
Spend the day getting yourself ready for spring at this 10,000-square-foot space, where you can take a relaxing soak in a hydrotherapy tub before having your hair blown out professionally.
The Spa & Salon at East Wind offers a wide selection of services including body polishes, facials, manicures and pedicures, sauna sessions and keratin hair treatments. Individual and couples’ massages are perennially in demand, said spa director Linda Servidio, and skin treatments like a milk-and-honey body polish and vitamin hydration body wrap are particularly popular this time of year.
“Everybody always has dead and dry skin after the winter and they may want to improve their skin for the spring,” Servidio said.
Grab some friends and make a party of it with packages like East Wind’s “Spa Soiree for the Day,” which includes your choice of one treatment plus lunch and a glass of wine. ($179 per person for one treatment; $329 for two treatments.)
The Spa & Salon at East Wind is open seven days a week. Visit eastwindlongisland.com for more information. For appointments, call 631-846-2339.
On the menu
Milk-and-honey body polish: $115 for 45 minutes
Vitamin hydration body wrap: $140 for 50 minutes
Facials: $50 and up
Essential manicures: $22 and up
Essential pedicures: $35 and up
Keratin hair treatments: $150 to $300
More places to pamper yourself on the North Fork:
Blue Sage Day Spa
Spa packages include body work, eyebrow shaping and facials. Body waxing also available. Local B&B guests receive a discount on services.
11700 Main Road, Mattituck
631-298-4244
bluesagedayspa.com
Eastern Sun Holistic
53345 Main Road, Suites 6-1 & 6-3, Southold
631-765-2100
Massage therapy and acupuncture treatments are big draws to this health center. Skincare, aromatherapy and a far-infrared sauna are also among the services here.
easternsunholistichealth.net
Quintessentials Bed & Breakfast Spa
Yes, you read that right, this B&B is also a spa offering body work and facials for girls weekends and couples getaways.
8985 Main Road, East Marion
631-477-9400
quintessentialsinc.com
Spa Bellezza
Massage, nail care, treatments, facials, tanning and waxing aren’t all this spa offers. You can also receive make-up applications, a great add-on for a facial.
1116 Main Road, Aquebogue
631-779-3773
spabellezza.net
Special Effects
A tea house is one unique feature that sets this spa apart. Services include massage, hair, nail skin care and waxing.
455 Main Street, Greenport
631-477-2265
specialeffectssalonandtea.com
