HAMILTON HEIGHTS — A new spa is offering manicures and pedicures that they say feel like full-body massages.
Dubbed “handcials and footcials” because they use the same techniques as facials, the experience leaves people’s entire body feeling relaxed, said La Juana Smith-Huebner, owner of The SPAaaht (pronounced the spot) at Saint Nicholas Avenue and 149th Street.
“If it’s done properly it’s like having a full body massage because that’s where you have the nerve endings,” she said. “If you massage properly you can massage the whole body.”
The process involves treating the hands and feet the same way you would treat your face. Steps include exfoliation, refinement, mask, scrub, massage and then a color application, she added.
Smith-Huebner has been working in the spa industry for two decades and currently works at the Mandarin and is a brand ambassador for Sparitual.
She is triple licensed — aesthetician, massage therapist and a nail stylist — and has worked in sports clubs, hair salons, five-star hotels and spas all over town.
“I just sort of let myself go and enjoy whatever La Juana does,” said Lauren Iossa, one of her clients.
“I feel rejuvenated and relaxed at the same time. You know how some people have the magic touch? She has the magic touch. You just kind of melt into being relaxed.”
Iossa met Smith-Huebner a couple of years ago when a mutual friend hosted a spa party in a Hamilton Heights brownstone. She has been seeing her ever since.
Part of the reason she opened The SPAaaht is to bring high-quality services to Hamilton Heights, where she has lived for the last 12 years.
“I feel like it’s something that’s needed in the neighborhood,” she said. “We have a lot of restaurants now, we have enough bodegas and enough 99-cent stores. I just felt that it’s something that would be a benefit.”
The prices are reasonable compared to upscale spas like The Mandarin, where a treatment can cost about $350. Handcials are $30, footcials cost $50, and massages cost $120, she said.
Smith-Huebner is currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The main purpose of the campaign is to pre-sell services and build up a customer base. If the goal is met, the money will go toward finishing the design of the spa and building out the massage room in the basement, she said.
Currently, The SPAaaht is by appointment only —Smith Huebner is still working at The Mandarin and for Sparitual — but she is planning to host a weekly walk-in day where customers can just wander into the store.
“I’m not trying to be exclusive,” she said. “I live here and I see these people every day. I want it to be something these people can come to and be a part of.”
