Hand and Stone celebrates its first year in Hewlett

After nearly 10 months of operation, Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa owner Alan Bernstein thinks of his employees akin to relatives. “I consider my staff to be extended family,” said Bernstein, who added he considers his customers part of that genealogy as well. 

The Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa Hewlett location at 1300 Broadway will celebrate its one-year anniversary on Nov. 27. It opened on Black Friday, the traditional beginning of the holiday gift-buying season. 

As part of the celebration, Bernstein said that the spa would feature its annual buy one gift card, get one gift card free promotion for nonmember priced gift cards. In the year since it opened, the spa has attracted approximately 500 members, surpassing the average target for the company based on how long the location is in business, he added. 

Bernstein, a Hewlett resident, who previously did consulting work, said he “went out to look for a franchise opportunity.” Hand and Stone sparked his interest “based on the people and culture.”

The Hewlett spa currently has 14 massage therapists, seven of which have been working since it opened, with the exception of one on a temporary leave. Hand and Stone has six skin specialists. Five of these specialists have been with the location since the start, also with the exception of one on a temporary leave.

A licensed massage therapist who has worked at Hand and Stone since it first opened and who has been living in the Five Towns since 1997, Estee Gershkovich, said: “The best feeling is when a client smiles at the end of a session and I know that I’ve helped them reconnect with themselves.”

Hand and Stone introduced two new services recently, including the mini hot stone massage and LED skin phototherapy, which has separate therapies. The red light therapy is an enhancement for the rejuvenating facial, which stimulates the cells to generate new skin cells and collagen, Bernstein said. The blue light therapy is an enhancement for the detox facial for acneic skin as it helps to treat acne scars and reduce bacteria, redness and inflammation. 

Laura Siegel, a Merrick resident who works in Inwood, has been going to Hand and Stone for over a year using the services of the one in Huntington. She joined as a Hewlett member in April. “The quality of the treatments, the staff, therapists and the surroundings rated very high on my checklist,” Siegel said, who goes about two times per month for a Swedish massage. 

The most popular option at Hand and Stone is the one-hour Swedish massage, with the most common upgrade being the hot stone feature, which consists of “heated stones as an extension of hands to get deeper into tissue,” Bernstein said. 

The spa offers Swedish, deep tissue, sports, hot stone, trigger point and pre-natal massages with enhancements such as aromatherapy, peppermint scalp massage, cold stone face massage, hand therapy and hot towel foot exfoliation treatment. 

Pointing toward the future, Bernstein said he aims to reach 1,000 members and contribute to community causes and activities more often.