Five Element Body Work

Ok, the down side; this is the low budget no frills massge. Carpet is severely musty, makes the whole place smell. Also very, acrid. I had been there before so I chugged my bottled water before & after.
Cindy saved me. It was an excellent massage. Since a five hour flight earlier in the week, I had been seriously incapacitated. Professional and effective. I’ve paid more for better ambiance but less massage skills. I prefer quality over décor.
But seriously, steam clean that carpet!

Don’t ever go to this place. Massage and service were pretty bad. For the 1 hour massage they didn’t massage my feet and once I inquired about it they said I would have to pay extra. I ended up paying $ 182 total (including tip) for a shitty couple’s massage.

Like some other sistas have mentioned in their reviews this place is not a fancyshmancy type of massage place. But what it lacks in décor it makes up for in giving you a really good bargain for a top-​notch massage!!! $ 55 for an hour massage??? Yes, please!!! I’ve seen Gina in the past but last time I went she was not there. Did she leave? I could not find out. I just got a mumbled reply from the woman there. No matter, still got a great massage.
Please know that since this place is such a bargain that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t tip these women well. They work very hard and deserve to be given a generous gratuity. :)

The worst experience I’ve ever had. There was absolutely nothing therapeutic about what was done to me. I’m in pain, my skin is burning, imagine I’ll be bruised tomorrow. I hope this place burns to the ground, how dare you hire people so unqualified that they cause damage to a client’s body.

this spot gets me RIGHT!
you should know:
this place needs a complete renovation
try not to look at the carpet,
because it is the worst in the world
and the walls are dirty
and it’s dank, for real.
BUT!
they managed to get rid of upper back pain
I’ve been carrying around for over four years.
i told myself this was the year to get rid of it, and 5 massages later,
it’s about 80% gone.
been there almost every week, and technique is so on point,
there’s never any filler rubs
their hands and fingers are always in constant motion,
working the muscle, finding the knots and killin em dead.
i sleep better, poop better (tmi?), work out better and feel better.
if you have muscle tension that annoys you, go.
love,
me.

This is my go-​to massage place in brooklyn. I’ve been going here for at least 7 or 8 years and I’ve not quite found any reason to go anywhere else. Def no frills, but they get the job done.
However, make sure you tell them I want 60 minutes or 30 minutes or whatever and no more before you start. I get really annoyed after all these years that they still ask me 45 minutes into a 60 minute massage, ok, 60 minutes up, you want more?
They stopped doing it for a while, so I stopped telling them before I go in that I want ONLY the amount of time I want. But they started it up again :/

No frills, but a fantastic deep-​tissue massage at a fantastic price. No appointment necessary.

This place was brilliant! They knew exactly what they were doing, really targeting my area of need. I ended up in a Zen like trance. Yes, it is no frills in terms of décor however I’m not going for the ambiance I’m going for a proper massage. This is now one of my weekly rituals.

I can’t stop telling everyone I know about this place. People are starting to think I have a financial interest in it. This is one of the hardest/​deep massages I have ever gotten and for $ 55? I mean, comon. Expect to get completely pummeled. This massage is so good for the price that you really can get over the COMPLETELY NO FRILLS/​KIND OF GROSS space (or lack of space). Don’t get me wrong, it seemed clean, but they have fish tanks and one of them had no fish. What happened to the fish?
This isn’t Bliss Spa (and God knows I love Bliss) but when you need a massage vs want a massage spa experience this is the place to go!
A note to the owners: please get rid of the fish tank and investing in some new towels wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

So I’ve been here a couple of times and the massages were good. Yesterday I decided to go with my husband for a couples massage. I’ve always had women before, but this time I had the guy who seems to also handle the front. First of all I wasn’t expecting a man so was lying butt ass naked when he came in. I feel they should ask if its okay to have a male. Also during the massage he concentrated on my butt area so much I felt uncomfortable and had to ask him to concentrate on my back only. He also kept skimming his crotch area near my arm, which may have been an accident but wasn’t pleasant. If you get a woman it’s great, but I wouldn’t recommend the guy I personally felt uncomfortable but maybe I’m a prude!

I come here for 30 minute massages to work out the knots on my back from my herniated disc every now and then. It’s a no frills massage place. You shouldn’t expect a spa experience. But you will get your knots worked out and everyone I’ve had so far has really done wonders on my muscle spasms. The price can’t be beat and the staff are nice enough.

No frills, no atmosphere, no wait. Come here to get your back rub, foot rub, whatever for a cheap to reasonable price. The pressure was fine, no more than a Swedish tissue massage, but can’t expect too much for the price.

Clean, quiet. I’ve been here twice and have always had solid, knowledgable and good massages. I usually go to Fishion Herb Center in Chinatown, but have found myself coming here when I am in the neighborhood or trying to kill time before a movie (since Court St cinema is right across the street).

We try and go here once a week for a half hour massage. We don’t come for the ambience but they do a great job of working out the knots in our backs. If you do a half hour they focus on your back and neck. They start out placing a large towel over you and press and rub you to warm you up. Then they remove the towel and apply oil. At this point they go pretty deep using elbows and forearms on knots & problem spots. At the end they use a hot towel to rub off the excess oil.
+
great deep tissue work
good price
consistent talent– always have had a good massage
-
place is no frills and some of the rooms are divided by sheets.

My husband and I come every other month and we are never disappointed. Yes, the ambiance isn’t the greatest, but then again, we aren’t there for the ambiance. The massages are perfect to get are bodies in working order since we are both very athletic. Couple price is $ 50 each which helps too.

This place is incredible. I’ve gone here several times for the hour massage and will sometimes ask them to focus on reflexology on my feet. Every therapist that who has worked on me has done a thorough and great job. I have pretty tight muscles from working out and general damage that NYC and working in an office does to the body. So, I really like the acu-​pressure style massages, which are intense and deep massages and really release a lot of tension. If you don’t like deep massages, I recommend specifying that you want them to go light on you.
As others have mentioned, this is a no frills spot where the price is fantastic. I docked it one star because you can’t really make an appointment, but I have called before heading over to see if they had availability at that time.

A very good experience — this is definitely my new cheap massage spot in the neighborhood. I’d tried a few others, including a spot on Montague and one on Henry Street (can’t remember the names… but similar cheap, low-​frills spots), but Five Elements was by far the best.
I came in around 4PM on a Friday, looking for a one-​hour massage. The staff was very friendly, and ushered me right into a room. The space was clean, good temperature, low-​key. Don’t expect anything fancy. The massage itself was really good. Not the best I’ve had, but a solid, get-​the-​kinks-​out kind of rubdown. She even spent 20 minutes of the massage ON the table, really getting into my back.
I’ll definitely be back!

I’ve had alot of Tui Na massages in Chinatown, from men and women, so thought I’d try this place out since its not far from where I live and the reviews here seemed good. I was disappointed and a little uncomfortable.
I got an hour massage and for half of it he was rubbing my upper to lower back up and down (with too a little much oil) and pressing on or around my, umm, butt area. Now, Tui Na does normally include massaging the bum but he just seemed to work that area too long. Also, it usually involves more pressure and pinpointing of muscles where they push really hard to get the knots out and dig in most of the time, so no focus on light rubbing, which is what he kept doing to my shoulder to back area… I kept waiting to see if he was going anywhere with it, but he just kept repeating it, ineffective up and down rubbing and adding oil with barely any pressing. I asked how much longer it would take because i wanted to end it early! Even requested another hot towel to get the excess oil off.
I’m not saying the guy was trying to cross the line, it may have been innocent and just his style of doing it but it definitely wasn’t worth it and I didn’t feel relaxed after.

The missus and I used to go to a Tui Na parlor on Bowery and 3^rd. But it’s kind of a buzz kill to get all blissed out after an hour on the massage table and then have to battle traffic or the subway, or the rats scurrying around the East Village on garbage night. We also bought one of these fancy schmancy massage chairs, so we took a break from Tui Na.
I’ve been walking by Five Element for a few years and thought it was just another of the many Tui Na places that are all over the City. However, the women who work here are quite good. Definitely a cut above some of the rest and up there with our beloved E. Village parlor – but walking distance from home in leafy Brooklyn Heights.
It’s typical of these places, with lucky bamboo, a tank of bug-​eyed mutant goldfish, and towels that must be 15-​count. But Wendy sure went to work on what ailed me after a weekend of heavy gardening. When I told her I like a firm massage, she worked her heart out for the hour.
Recommended if you’re in the Brooklyn Heights/​Cobble Hill/​Downtown area. Totally legit. Not like the happy ending place a few blocks away on Henry and State.

The previous reviews were spot on. The ambiance is just so-​so (instead of rooms, they have the hanging curtain partitions; you cover with a towel, etc.) but my masseuse Mimi was very gifted. I came in with low back pain, and she spent a significant amount of time working on the area with her elbows.
I recommend the 60 minute full body massage ($ 55), and if you’re feeling particularly relaxed and wanting more, tack on the 10 minute head/​20 minute foot massage (an extra $ 25).
Will definitely be my default massage place while I’m living in BK Heights.