Best Shady Chinese Massage Place in NYC

 Living in New York, I walk past Asian body work places all the time.  I find that they provide the perfect fix for a serious get-the-kinks-out massage after a stressful week and are a good in-between to the $150 hour-long massage at the luxurious spa of your choice and the 10 minute chair massage after your mani-pedi.  Granted, some places look totally shady, and in my opinion, are possibly more in the business of money laundering, human trafficking, or happy endings than reflexology and massage so you need to trust your gut.  I'll also put it out there that you shouldn't expect scented candles, plush robes, or ginger tea après massage either.  This is a service for when your back feels like a pretzel, and the only remedy is going to be a tiny Asian woman digging her elbow into your shoulder blade.

So after a healthy search on Yelp! for a highly rated body work place I came across Taiji Body Work in Greenwich Village.  Why not give it a whirl?  I was completely impressed with this place.  It was very clean and the staff was so incredibly friendly.  My treatment room (which had a movable curtain for couples massage) had nice little touches like hooks and hangers for me to put my clothes and a nice little side-table with lamp for some homey ambiance.  There was even spa music playing, though I could slightly hear some clubby music from next door, but whatevs.  So, for 30 minutes I was completely worked out by my gal.  This is definitely on the 'deep tissue' side of the spectrum as opposed to Swedish, and I am usually a little sore the next day but in my book that means we made some progress.  So, in a nutshell, I think this place is pretty legit, and I will definitely be going back!

Taiji Bodywork

Location: 45 West 8th Street between 6th Ave. and MacDougal

Hours: 10:30 - 12am

Special: $48 for 1-hour massage

PS - I chose the above image only because these places always seem to do the karate chops at the end of massages!  So funny! 

Insiders Guide for Outsiders - NYC Day 4

Ok, onto the fourth, and last, day of my little bro's visit.  The humidity was high, the allergies were awakened, and we were running on fumes.  What's a brother and sister duo to do?

- Back to Murray's Bagels for breakfast.  I usually don't take guests to the same place twice, however, my brother loves bagels, and we had to attempt maple walnut raisin cream cheese again.  Had my brother wanted something more savory, eggy, or pancakey, I would have gone to La Bonbonniere on 8th Ave. near 12th Street in the West Village.  

- Now we got to the 'touristy' part of the trip.  We got off the F train at Bryant Park (42nd Street) and wandered around, made our way up 5th Ave. to Rockefeller Center, laughed at people waiting in line to shop at Abercrombie, then headed to The Plaza to sit and chill by the fountain.  I recommend doing these things before noon on a Sunday after which it turns into a mob scene of out-of-towners.

- What's a hot, sweaty pair to do next? Head to Central Park: Lounge in the Sheep's Meadow, take pictures, and just sit on a bench and chill out.  At that point we had hit a wall--no more outside, no more walking.

- Let's go to the movies!  Be sure to take the bus somewhere during your stay: you get to see the neighborhoods transition and don't just pop out of the earth in an entirely new place like one does on the subway.  I think a great movie theater is Quad Cinema.  It's in the heart of Greenwich Village and is a total gem.  This way you can see a movie and not feel guilty you spent 2 hours inside.  It is a vintage movie house from before the time of stadium seating, Dolby surround sound, giant screens, and 3-D.

- Dinner at Westville, one of my favorite places.  Great sandwiches, salads, sides, etc.  YUMMM!  Delicious and laid-back, it is perfect for a Sunday night.

- Head to Hudson River Park for a post-dinner walk and to escape the heat.  Go out to the end of a pier;  it is 10 degrees cooler and will most likely have a view of the Statue of Liberty.

- Magnolia Bakery cupcake time.  My bro got two cupcakes, I had two iced molasses cookies, we shared a milk, all was right in the world.

- Heading back to the apt. we strolled through Washington Square Park and found the piano man playing in the middle of the fountain (of course it was turned off).  This guy is truly amazing.  He wheels around an upright piano and plays in the park during random times.  I've seen him weeknights, weekends, day, and night.  We sat for a solid hour and just listened to him play everything from The Postal Service, to The Beatles, to classical music.  Pure heaven.

- Bed time and to EWR in the A.M. 

The Bro Has Arrived

My little bro is in town this weekend, so I will be testing out new cheap places, revisiting my favorite haunts, and trying to do the coolest New-Yorky thinks on a budget.  I will keep you posted of our goings-on each day for an insider's guide to showing an out-of-towner the city.

Thursday evening:

- Subway from Penn to my place - yay got A train--only 2 stops.

- Drop the bag off and cruise to The High Line (my favorite thing in NYC at the moment)

- Dinner at Bill's Bar and Burger.  Great burgers and fries on a budget.  It's exactly what you want to get your burger fix, and just the right amount of food (ie no food baby/coma).  We split the Oreo shake for dessert.  The menu touts "loads of Oreos" and it does not dissapoint.

- Walking tour of the West Village.

- Swing by The Park for a fundraiser for my NYC AIDS Walk team, The Harvey Milkmen.  Tres successful! 

- Mosey back towards Washington Square Park---bedtime.

Tonight: Yankees game!

Photo courtesy of thehighline.org

Breakfast at La Bonbonniere

I will say the one huge upside to having a gaggle of your friends out of town at once is found time.  Not that you ever lost it, but I always find having a bit of 'me' time is utterly amazing. I love to go exploring, try new places (instead of the old, worn out favs) and experience the sheer selfish joy of doing whatever the hell I want to do whenever the hell I want to do it.  Case in point:  I adore waking up early-ish on the weekends.  The city is just a completely different place before 11am.  They say it's the little things that make life wonderful, and I couldn't agree more.  Going out for breakfast is something I rarely treat myself to, but should definitely do so more often.  I woke up craving pancakes, and I knew just the place I wanted to test out.   I have walked past La Bonbonniere on 8th Ave. in the West Village a million times and have had a love affair from afar with the little diner.  After scoping out the farmer's market across the street on Hudson, I picked out a stool at the bar (my fav place to sit and watch the action) and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast...this is most likely the best $6.75 I will spend all week. 

Photos by B. Kratus