The Brooklyn Papers / Greg Mango

Back to nature: Owner and licensed massage therapist Sheila Brody demonstrates the heated lava rock therapy at The Spa in Bay Ridge.

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As the first days of spring unfold, for some of us, the green shoots of daffodils sound an alarm - it’s time to take stock of our own new growth. (Visions of both the love handles and increased thigh circumference spring to mind.)

The idea of exposing that dried out, dimpled bit of leg to the world doesn’t have to be cause for remaining in hibernation. Rather it’s an opportunity to embrace rejuvenation: spend a good hour and a half experiencing a body wrap at one of Brooklyn’s spas.

Bay Ridge’s spa community is expanding - ranging from interior makeovers inside the grandmother of Brooklyn spas, Pilo Arts at 8412 Third Ave., to the new ancient Indian-themed Tantra Spa at 8211 Third Ave. beneath the Cavale Tonuzi salon.

The way The Spa, on Third Avenue at 88th Street, keeps customers returning is with treatments that change with the season and by employing a down-to-earth, genuinely friendly staff. (Aesthetician Shalene credits her island childhood in Trinidad, for her passion to concoct all-natural body treatments, incorporating rose petals or fresh oranges and other natural ingredients.)

The three-year-old spa, owned and operated by Sheila Brody, a licensed massage therapist, offers the full range of massages. But for your superficial springtime woes, it’s really a body wrap (and possibly a good waxing) that’s going to prepare your body to be unveiled on that cruise or weekend in the Hamptons.

The Spa’s unique Parafango heated mud wrap has to be tried at least once this year - though the aestheticians recommend a series of six treatments for maximum results. (Brody offers a 10 percent discount for this six-week commitment.)

While she guarantees a 6-inch loss from your neck to your knees, there are many benefits built into the series of steps that comprise the treatment. Your mood will benefit from the aromatic oils and the tranquil environment and your skin will be noticeably improved by the exfoliation and moisturizing - literally from neck to toe if you go for the full body treatment ($135) or ($95) for half-body.

Despite the fact that I had a particularly odiferous mud bath at the famed Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Springs and Mud Baths in Calistoga, Calif. last summer where I pushed my body, clad only in a grimace, into a buoyant bathtub of strong-smelling volcanic ash, peat and steaming mineral water, I still managed to embrace the idea of the Parafango treatment.

Brody said the Parafango - a mixture of paraffin and Spanish sea mud - would combine the benefits of temporarily banishing water retention with buffing and softening of the skin. The mixture had a remarkably subtle, pleasant scent. In the capable hands of the aesthetician, your bare body is literally painted with a wide brush that coats your skin with the warm liquid.

The initial strokes are intensely hot, like dripping candle wax, easing aches and pains and helping the moisturizer to penetrate your already sloughed skin. After each limb and the torso is painted, you are sealed in plastic wrap and covered in blankets. You’re left to decompress for 20 to 30 minutes, listening to soothing ocean sounds while candles flicker gently in the dimly lit treatment room.

Though a bit more expensive than a trip to a therapist, this treatment combines beauty - taking off an inch (for a day or two) - with peace and quiet away from the kids (how many snow days were there this year?!) or the urban environs in general.

The Parafango is an hour and a half treatment, and worth every penny and every minute. You’re then unwrapped limb by limb, and the Parafango is easily, smoothly peeled away from your skin now that its texture is like cooled candle wax. For the most part it comes away cleanly, though you may have to unceremoniously stand on the towel and jiggle the last few pieces out as I did. There’s no need for a shower, leaving behind fragrant, soft skin without a sticky residue.

The Spa also offers a wide range of facials.

The facials are specialized, with the aesthetician examining your face to determine which facial is right for you. Most of the one-hour facials are $85. You can expect an expertly executed facial complete with cleansing, exfoliating, steaming, extractions, mask and moisturizer.

Be prepared to have your hair tousled and your face blotchy when you leave - and if you have your eyebrows waxed with the admittedly gentle, rose-scented Poetic Wax, you might as well put a bag over your head - you’ll be such a sight. (The aromatherapy wax is $12 for eyebrows, $8 for lip and $47 for full leg and bikini.)

If you’re nervous about the dreaded extractions, where any and all unsightly blackheads are squeezed free, you may opt for a "mini spa care facial" which includes cleansing and a mask ($45) and is pure relaxation sans the pinching.

After each facial, I was able to notice the results, a glowing shining face, (remember age 16?) for about 10 days afterwards. (Those initial blotches only take a couple of hours to fade.)

And no, your boyfriend probably won’t notice, but I noticed my skin was visibly cleaner looking than after my usual regimen.

For instant beauty, you can end your visit with a Bella Mani manicure with Rosalie. In this, she combines hand skincare with perfecting the superficial look of your nails. The Bella Mani is $45.

The staff’s down-to-earth friendliness - a far cry from the upturned noses at Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue spas - keeps their clients returning and lingering. Understandably, the jovial staff does what they can to fit everyone in when they ask to be squeezed in for additional same-day services, but they do recommend appointments.

The Spa is located at 8806 Third Ave. In Bay Ridge. For an appointment, call (718) 921-6100. The Spa accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, though gratuities must be left in cash. A special for GO Brooklyn readers: When making your appointment for a one-hour facial, mention "GO Brooklyn" to receive a body wrap or body scrub for half price or book a Bella Mani pedicure and receive half off the Bella Mani manicure.

©2001 The Brooklyn Paper