BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Relax your mind and ease your aches and pains at a new acupuncture clinic coming to Bedford Avenue.
City Acupuncture Bed-Stuy is expected to open in June, according to owner Kate Henderson. It will take over the former SCRATCHbread space at 1069 Bedford on the corner of Lexington Avenue.
The 600-square-foot business will feature a reception area for reading, tea and retail, and a semi-private clinic space with hanging burlap dividers where up to six people can receive services.
Henderson, who has lived in the neighborhood for the past decade, opened the clinic with partner Darrin De Feo, who will offer massage therapy.
In addition to acupuncture, customers can take yoga classes, attend herbal consultations, purchase natural body care products, or sit in on Qigong and meditation sessions.
“I just saw a need for community acupuncture, which is affordable, accessible care,” Henderson said.
“I think Bed-Stuy is at a really critical point where it’s rapidly gentrifying, a lot of new businesses moving in tend to be catered to people with more money or be more recreational like bars and restaurants.
“I wanted to do my part to be a business serving everybody and have options for services they can afford.”
Average acupuncture sessions can cost anywhere from $80 to $200, she said, but City Acupuncture Bed-Stuy will offer hour-long sessions for around $40, with a discounted rate for seniors.
The practice involves stimulating specific points on the body with thin needles inserted through the skin, and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
It can help with stress, chronic pain and injuries, as well as seasonal allergies and fertility issues, Henderson said.
“Some people are scared but the needle stimulation is quite tolerable with hair-thin needles,” she added. “Most people fall asleep.”
“The side effects tend to be less anxiety, dealing with stress better, more regular digestion. I think just simply people taking that time out for an hour or so a week to relax, that much has a huge impact on their health.”
The Bedford Avenue branch will be the third location for clinic network City Acupuncture, which recently opened an East Village outpost.
The owners are open to suggestions for services, special events, classes or products, Henderson added.
“Some people don’t know about acupuncture, or if it’s for them. They don’t know how much it can help them,” she said.
“We want to spread it a lot further and make it accessible to more people.”
