Good Neighbor Podcast: Bergen

Ep # 146 How A Manhattan Spa Owner Reimagined Wellness In New Jersey

• Doug Drohan • Season 2 • Episode 146

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A great neighborhood spa isn’t built on fancy buzzwords—it’s built on skill, trust, and a calm space you can count on. We sit down with Susan, owner of Esteem Green Life Spa in downtown Closter, to share how she transformed years of Manhattan experience into a local wellness hub known for clean practices, fair pricing, and results you can feel. From Swedish and deep tissue to Chinese tuina and lymphatic drainage, Susan explains how to match the right massage to the problem you’re trying to solve, whether it’s nagging neck pain, stress headaches, or full-body burnout.

Curious about head spa therapy? Susan breaks down her water-circulation scalp treatment that combines gentle washing, steam, and focused scalp massage to ease migraines, calm the nervous system, and melt away screen-time stress. It’s not a salon shampoo; it’s an hour of deep, restorative care designed to reset your mind and body. We also talk about why she sold her Midtown spa after COVID, opened close to her Harrington Park home, and still consults in the city while keeping Closter as the heart of her work.

You’ll hear how memberships, packages, and seasonal promotions make weekly wellness realistic, why monthly staff training and strict cleanliness standards matter, and what truly sets a neighborhood spa apart. If you’re weighing a couples massage, exploring lymphatic drainage, or finally ready to try a head spa, this conversation will help you choose with confidence. Ready to relax smarter and closer to home? Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a quick review to help more neighbors discover the show.

Esteem Greenlife Spa
Susan Xu
(201) 367-1995
225 Closter Dock Rd, Closter, NJ 07624
esteemgreenlifespa.com

Intro/Close:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together.

Doug Drohan:

Here's your host, Doug Drohan. Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of the Good Neighbor Podcast. I am your host, Doug Dryhan, and the owner of the Bergen Neighbors Media Group. Today we are joined by Susan Xu. Susan is the owner of Esteem Green Life Spa based in downtown Closter, New Jersey. Susan, welcome to the show. Yeah, how are you?

Susan Xu:

Good, good.

Doug Drohan:

Good.

Susan Xu:

Thank you.

Doug Drohan:

So uh yeah, we were so you know, basically the the the format of the show is to talk about uh your business, but also your uh kind of journey as a business owner. So before we started recording, you mentioned that prior to opening Esteem Green Life Spa, you used to own a spa in Manhattan. Is that correct?

Susan Xu:

Yes.

Doug Drohan:

Where where was it in Manhattan?

Susan Xu:

Um in Midtown Um Second Avenue, 22nd Street.

Doug Drohan:

Oh, okay. I used to live on uh 23rd, 26th Street between 2nd and 3rd. Yeah back in the 90s, I lived there, so a while ago. So you so how long did you have that business?

Susan Xu:

Um in Manhattan?

Doug Drohan:

Yeah.

Susan Xu:

No, like um seven, eight years.

Doug Drohan:

Oh yeah, okay. And then and then why why move to New Jersey? Like what was do you still own the business in Manhattan or you closed that and then opened up the new one in Cloister?

Susan Xu:

Uh yeah, actually I sold the business and uh I opened um new one in New Jersey because after COVID 19 is um you know it's all the business difficult and too far away from you know, too far away the distance for driving every day. Uh because I live in Harrington Park around 10 years.

Doug Drohan:

Okay.

Susan Xu:

So back and forth every day.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, I I live in Harrington Park as well, and I used to commute into Manhattan every day by bus. I didn't drive, and I worked in in Times Square. So um, yeah, it was wasn't uh it wasn't fun. So, but now you now you open up a uh uh spa about a mile or two from your home, which is nice.

Susan Xu:

Yeah, just a few minutes.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, that's great. So, what is what kind of spa is it? Because you know, the word spa can mean a lot of things, right?

Susan Xu:

I mean, some people think like this spa uh we do um like a um facial massage, the head spa. Um you know, um now it's very popular for the um with the water, water circulation, the head treatment.

Doug Drohan:

Oh, really? So what is that exactly? Because I'm I'm not familiar with that. How does that work?

Susan Xu:

Um it's a like uh um massage your head and wash um and steam.

Doug Drohan:

Really?

Susan Xu:

Yeah. Yes, hair washed, yes. It's actually can help people, you know. You have a migraine, you uh if you feel yeah, too much, uh, a lot of stress. So it's good for people, yeah.

Doug Drohan:

So you're you're sitting back in a chair like when you go get your hair washed at a salon, and then while you're uh yeah, it's different, it's different kind.

Susan Xu:

We do the water circulation um scalp therapy, like we the customer will lighter on the table and uh you know more relaxing.

Doug Drohan:

Okay, okay. That's interesting. That's nice. Yeah, and how long is that treatment?

Susan Xu:

Uh there's a different, like uh um basically it's one hour.

Doug Drohan:

Oh wow. Okay. Yeah. So it's not water, it's not waterboarding uh torture treatment. You you have you're sitting back and the water is just flowing over your head and you're getting small. Nice, nice.

Susan Xu:

So you can come to try next time.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, yeah. You know, I've had the traditional massages, right? I've had um, you know, I've had uh, you know, traditional massage and um whether it's shiatsu or Swedish or whatever, sports massage, but I've never had my, you know, the only time I've had a little massage is when I'm getting my hair washed and somebody might be, you know, rubbing my temples a bit, but uh I could definitely see the you know the therapeutic value of that. That that sounds really nice. So you've always you've so you've been in cloister for three years now.

Susan Xu:

Yeah.

Doug Drohan:

So if I drive into downtown cloister, you are on coming from Harrington Park, you're on the left-hand side on Cloister Dock Road near the clock, which I sometimes I have as my background. If you go to my website, you'll see almost can see where your where your uh spa is, because I have a picture of of the clock and then that where the street has the triangle right there.

Susan Xu:

But really, yeah.

Doug Drohan:

But the uh, you know, to be honest, there's a lot of spas, right? And especially in cloister, there's others. There's uh as you get down more towards um, you know, like uh Leonia, Palisades Park, and those areas, there's a lot of spas.

Susan Xu:

Yes.

Doug Drohan:

How are you guys? How are you different? Like, why should I, you know, aside from just being a mile away, like what's different about the experience at your spa that I might get that I may not get somewhere else?

Susan Xu:

Yeah, we try to, you know, um, yeah, I know a lot of spa, but um it's hard to say uh uh other spa, but we try to do the um make people feel um better. So we we do everything, uh we um clean everything and uh um we change everything after the treatment um done and so um and I I training the um massage therapy and uh um beauty channel um um every each month I training them.

Doug Drohan:

Okay, okay. Yeah nice, nice. So you have uh how how big's your staff?

Susan Xu:

You have a large staff or no, I actually um in the like small store. We only have uh um three or four okay therapists employee, yeah.

Doug Drohan:

Okay, so let's go back. Um obviously you weren't uh you weren't born in New Jersey, right? You don't have a New Jersey accent. So where where were you born and and when did you come here?

Susan Xu:

Um I born in China.

Doug Drohan:

In China, okay.

Susan Xu:

Yeah.

Doug Drohan:

What what part of China?

Susan Xu:

Um North North China.

Doug Drohan:

Okay, okay. And when did you immigrate to the uh to the US?

Susan Xu:

To the US, just uh um uh because I have uh uh one best friend here. Yeah, so um uh I was in Malaysia um do the same business like uh 15 years. Oh wow. So yeah, she she says you may come to US and you're like here.

Doug Drohan:

Oh yeah, okay.

Susan Xu:

Yeah.

Doug Drohan:

How many years ago was that?

Susan Xu:

Um I'm here like 15 years.

Doug Drohan:

Okay. Did you live in New York City first before you moved to Harrington Park?

Susan Xu:

Yeah, I'm in um New York City first.

Doug Drohan:

Uh huh, yeah.

Susan Xu:

And after I uh bought a house, I moved to um New Jersey.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, yeah.

Susan Xu:

Yeah, and by the way, I just uh uh opened another new um spa in Manhattan, Soho.

Doug Drohan:

Oh really? Oh wow, where about where in Manhattan?

Susan Xu:

Yeah, in Manhattan, Soho.

Doug Drohan:

Oh nice, okay. Yeah, just a couple months why, but you're not going there every day, right?

Susan Xu:

Uh yeah. I I'm not I'm not going every day. It's just maybe a couple times a week.

Doug Drohan:

Okay, okay. Um, and and why did you do that? Why open another business in Manhattan?

Susan Xu:

Um, actually the the spa is um usually my um my friend is my friend's spa, but she yeah, she has uh a lot of spa. She has she have have like a six, seven. Wow. And um, yeah. And she has uh two uh kids need to take care.

Intro/Close:

Yeah.

Susan Xu:

She asked me, oh do you want to take um take over the business?

Intro/Close:

Yeah.

Susan Xu:

Um yeah, it's a good place, and so I say okay.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, okay, okay. Wow, that and is it similar types of services that you offer in in New Jersey?

Susan Xu:

Uh it's um a little bit different. Um in Manhattan, uh just in Mahattan store, we have um uh more service, um like more uh multiple services like uh air large extension and oh okay.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah. So more aesthetics, aesthetics type of of things.

Susan Xu:

Yeah.

Doug Drohan:

More beauty, I guess you could say, yeah, yeah.

Susan Xu:

Yeah, I brought something, you know.

Doug Drohan:

Right, right, okay, okay. Do you have plans on on doing that in in your closer location or is it uh you're happy with what you offer in New Jersey that it will always be different than what you have in in Manhattan?

Susan Xu:

Yeah, um, I mean, you know, maybe do uh more service in New Jersey too.

Doug Drohan:

Okay.

unknown:

Yeah.

Doug Drohan:

And who's like your typical customer that comes through your door in New Jersey?

Susan Xu:

And is it uh is it female, is it male, is it kind of even uh yeah, the New Jersey customer um like um male, female, like a half half, and uh we have a lot of couples, and uh most of like uh 90 99 customer uh customers from local around here.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, sure, sure. And they're coming for um obviously if you you know when I yeah, they come like uh once a week. Oh wow for massage or something, yeah.

Susan Xu:

For massage once twice um week, yeah. It's good for your uh you know relaxed attention.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, sure, sure. I mean, like for me, I'm always over.

Susan Xu:

People have a lot uh stress, yeah.

Doug Drohan:

Neck is tight, and yeah, yeah. So do people can they join as a monthly membership or or do you just pay as you go?

Susan Xu:

They can do either. We have a monthly, yeah, member, and um yeah, if you join member, much cheaper the price.

Doug Drohan:

So for somebody who's coming once a week, it makes sense to be a to be a member, yeah.

Susan Xu:

Yeah, they uh they can buy a package if they want uh you know save money.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure, sure. So what what um so when you came to America, did you always know you wanted to own a business? Was that your goal?

Intro/Close:

Yes.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. And so what I mean, I know obviously there's big differences between China and uh and the US, and especially, you know, New York City is not the US, right? Like where we live, even in Bergen County, uh in you know the area that we live, there's a lot of people from New York City or who work in New York City. So we have a different, you know, we have a different culture than the rest of America. Um, but you know, there's a lot of Chinese immigrants in in this area, certainly trailblazed, you know, generations ago into New York City. Um, what was the adjustment for you and and you know, and if you have a family, what what is what has that been like in the 15 years that you've been here? Was it a big adjustment coming from China? And certainly the you know, the political system's different, the economic system's different. Uh, what was the adjustment like?

Susan Xu:

Um actually, um I was in Malaysia 15 years, so um a long time uh like uh 30 years. I'm uh you know, I'm not been staying in China.

Intro/Close:

So yeah, yeah, yeah.

Susan Xu:

Um a lot of things um I'm not sure. Um but I like US um here. I can say um New York City and New Jersey is uh the business um a lot different.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah.

Susan Xu:

Yeah. Um we um you know face to customer is um totally different. In New York City, um most people they um you know they are so busy.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, yeah.

Susan Xu:

Yeah. Um they come, they just uh they they come just to massage and uh and they done the treatment, they they left. And they you know, we're they talk very little, but in New Jersey, the customer more friendly way they're yeah, yeah.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, I mean when I when I worked in Manhattan, if I went for massage, it was normally during my lunch hours, so you know you don't have a lot of time. You're going to have lunch and then you gotta get back to work. So it's uh I could see that, yeah.

Susan Xu:

Yeah, why I come here um because the Malaysia, you know, um before I come to US and Malaysia, the economy is you know down a lot, it's no good. So that's why I changed I changed the country.

Doug Drohan:

Okay. Yeah, I've never I've never been to Malaysia, but I mean you spent 15 years there, so uh yeah, I like the weather and I like I like uh Malaysia is you know and the food, the um and the place is it's so nice.

Susan Xu:

You like uh here it can be very seem like uh Los Angel um Los Angeles.

Doug Drohan:

Oh yeah, okay. Not too humid in the summer. Uh here it can be very, very hot and humid.

Susan Xu:

Yeah, it's yeah, yeah. They um it's but you if you're living there uh for a while, you feel okay. Not yeah, not where not feel so hot.

Doug Drohan:

Kind of like kind of like here in the winter, you know, you get used to the winters here, and especially they're not as bad as they used to be.

Susan Xu:

So yeah, I if it's too too cold in New Jersey.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I mean, it must have been a shock for you coming from Malaysia, but uh maybe nine years, ten years later, you're you're kind of used to it. Plus, it's it's not as bad, it's not as cold as it used to be, you know. Uh, you know, we don't get as much snow as we used to. But so why don't you um you know where what's the address of of the spa? And you know, how do people uh you know call? Do they call? Do they drop in to make an appointment? How's the what's the best way to to um make an appointment?

Susan Xu:

Um the address is 225 closer docker route. Um actually um customer can make appointment by phone call or online. Yeah, we have a website, yeah, they can make an appointment online.

Doug Drohan:

And what's the website? It's a steam green life spa.

Susan Xu:

Yeah, Steam GreenLifespa Nj.com. Oh no, uh Steam GreenLifespa.com, yeah.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, okay.

Susan Xu:

And in there you can find out all the different uh yeah, all the service, all the yeah, all the service uh we uh and the price online.

Doug Drohan:

Right, right. And you know, I have to say, like your prices are very uh reasonable. You know, there's not um you're not spending like $300 for massage or anything like that. So very reasonable. Um, and then so let's if you won't mind, let can we go through some of the services that you do offer? So you have different forms, we'll say relaxation services. So what are they?

Susan Xu:

Um yeah, um we um you mean what the service we do?

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, so you know, there's you mentioned the the head massage, there's the normal, I guess, like uh shiatsu or full body massage. Like what are the different types of treatments that you offer?

Susan Xu:

Oh yeah, uh we do full body massage. Um it's it's different kinds, like relaxing, or some um some clients that have uh uh muscle pain, that's a different kind of massage. So it's regular massage which we charge like six sixty dollars per hour. Um we also do yeah for most of the um ladies' client, we do lympatic drainage massage. Um like um it's good for um to put the detoxing away, good for um um health. So yeah, better for ladies and um we do um head circulation scalp trappy. Um we have offer for like 20% right now for Thanksgiving.

Doug Drohan:

Ah and I was gonna say, like you do couples massages, and it's probably yes, we do couples massage, yes. Nice, and you're getting uh since we're getting into the holiday season, people can buy gift cards.

Susan Xu:

Yes, we yeah, we sell a gift card and a lot of promotion, they can check online.

Doug Drohan:

Okay, oh that's great. So I uh I see on Instagram, which you know, your esteemed Green Live Spawn, Instagram, yeah, and um the esteemed signature massages is Swedish, deep tissue, hot stone. What is Chinese uh twina?

Susan Xu:

Actually, Chinese tuna just uh have people, you know, some um um the client they have uh pain, the like muscle pain. Okay, so we do tuna is um just like a pressure, but no oil.

Doug Drohan:

Okay, okay, nice. So um I'm gonna just repeat your you're on 225 Closter Dock Road in Closter, which is right where um when you're driving into town from Harrington Park, it is where kind of like a triangle where the clock is. You come in and it's just over on the left-hand side, and uh the phone number is 201-367-1995. Um yeah, no, this was great. You know, I I so you know, I've I've been a um a client or customer, and it was a great massage, and I recommend it.

Susan Xu:

Thank you for your support.

Doug Drohan:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So uh, yeah, Susan, is there anything else you you wanted to um you know leave us with uh to let people know or uh not to put you in the spot.

Susan Xu:

So uh yeah, in the future we'll do uh more, you know, facial uh right now we have a facial service too. Yeah, we have a regular official, we have uh um some kind of different official, but um yeah, in the future we'll do more like uh at large something.

Doug Drohan:

Okay, okay, that's great. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. And um, you know, it was really very interesting. I I love the the stories of people that come over as entrepreneurs and you know really try to live out that that dream, I guess we can call it the American dream, but I think everybody, everybody, you know, in so many different countries, but especially here, you know, pursue that that ability to thank you. Thank you. All right, you and I, you and I'll be right back. We're just gonna have uh Chuck just say a few parting words.

Susan Xu:

Okay, thank you.

Doug Drohan:

Thank you.

Intro/Close:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpbergen.com. That's gnpbergen.com or call 201 298 25.