green and "glama"rous

While it may forever remain a mystery what chemical concoction gave your mother's face-mask its green color back in the day, Wink Eco Beauty Bar in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, can honestly say that its facials are green, in every sense of the word.  Even in the few weeks that the spa has been open, the Green Glama facial has been a noticeable favorite among clients. Described as "the facial for the Eco-Fabulous," the signature 60-minute service includes deep cleansing, exfoliation, herbal steam, detox mask, and massage.  The mask is made from all-natural ingredients-- green clay, an absorbing clay mineral that gives the mask its color namesake, purified water, herbs, and oils-- and targets accumulated pore-clogging sebum that causes whiteheads, blackheads, and pimples.  The products leave no residuals aside from a gorgeous glow. There's also a Green Glama Express sans the sebum extraction process and massage for those tight on time.

Brooklyn local Tani Chambers founded Wink and was inspired to bring sustainability to her spa after an abrupt decision to change her life for the greener.  "I changed my personal lifestyle.  I became a vegetarian. I was obsessed with the labels on what I was eating and on cleaning products, but I never thought about beauty," recalled Chambers. "I started finding out how toxic beauty was."

Wink uses vegan makeup by stript, a cosmetic line "stripped" of nasty chemicals like the synthetic preservative, paraben. stript substitutes plant-derived preservatives, or "plantservitives," for their chemical counterpart. The beauty bar offers 40 standard spa services with an environmental spin, including manicure/pedicure, waxing/threading/sugaring, make-up application, and massage therapy.  The Eco Mani/Pedi can be waterless; customers who opt out of using water are treated with hot, damp towels instead.  Above the polish area is an Apothecary bar for mixing customizable and affordable body scrubs and lotions to stay or to go.  Chambers hopes to add all-natural fragrances to the shelf in the next few months.

Wink Eco Beauty Bar is located at 602 Vanderbilt Avenue (between St. Mark's Avenue and Prospect Place) in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn; (718) 230-3443.