Everything She Wants

Would you like to pamper yourself or a loved one for Valentine's Day? Allow  Everything She Wants  to introduce you to Ounce of Nature Spa ( 541a 3rd Avenue ) , a  new, Black-owned day spa in Brooklyn. Tucked away on an industrial stretch in Park Slope, the spa is surprisingly bright and airy inside, with modern decor and a decorative white tub filled with sea sponges. I got a soothing, customized facial with microdermabrasion, and using the in-house brand of botanical products. In celebration of Black History Month, facials are just $91.  Can't make it to the spa? Pick up the products that inspired the spa  online . Founded by Andres Roban, Ounce of Nature™ is a high-performance botanical skincare line, featuring a trademarked blending technique that activates some of the world’s most emollient beauty oils into their most efficacious anti-aging functions. The essential oil serum featuring a luxurious Jamaican castor nut oil, mélange of essential oils, Retinol and colla

(Tracy E. Hopkins) Music has always been a passion.  Earlier in my career, I was a music writer for The Associated Press, Rolling Stone , Billboard , Entertainment Weekly , Vibe , The Source , and other media outlets.  Then for a decade I was a Digital Content Editor for Barnes & Noble's e-commerce website, where I wrote music reviews and had the chance to interview legendary recording artists like Patti Labelle, Chaka Khan, Daryl Hall, Michael McDonald, Mary J. Blige, Ronald Isley and Lionel Richie. Recently, I've returned to my music loving roots by curating Spotify playlists for Sisters from AARP , a digital newsletter for Gen X women of color.  I love compiling playlists that empower and support Black women, and really all music lovers. Playing DJ is a creative outlet and a form of meditative self-care -- so it's hard for me to stop generating new playlists, even when I'm not assigned to do one. So I put together a celebratory Black History Month playlist