NYC's 5 Best Cleanses
Ready to turn over a new leaf this summer? Devotees claim cleanses revitalize the mind while detoxing the body. The five places listed below offer a range of options. Have a sip and see how much better you feel. By Jessica Allen.
More On Juice Cleanses: Is A 'Detox' Diet Right For You?
More: NYC's 6 Best Healthy Wraps
Give your insides a hug with Juice Hugger's products—so goes the motto of this Brooklyn-based juice emporium. Currently there are four cleanses on offer: Love, Clarity, Happiness, and Joyful. Just reading the names makes us feel calmer and more centered. Each comes with six 16-ounce bottles of juice per day (they're numbered, so you know which to take at which two-hour interval). Clarity mixes juices and soups, including lentil and sweet potato, while Happiness begins with Juicy Greens (kale, spinach, alkalized water, lemon, celery, and apple, sweetened with agave).
More: 5 Delicious Salads In NYC
Like Duane Reade and Chase Bank, Organic Avenue boasts several locations around town, so there's likely an outpost near you no matter where you are. Its beverages are cold-pressed, freshly and daily, in Long Island City. Three- or five-day cleanses include LOVE*easy (juice and raw foods), LOVE*fast (juice and salad), and LOVE*deep (all juice), with such concoctions as Almond Mylk (similar to a smoothie) and Master Tonic (alkaline water, cayenne, lemon, and coconut sugar). For those in a rush, try the one-day spring cleanse, a limited edition, all liquid plan. By the way, LOVE stands for "live organic vegan experience."
More: 7 NYC Plates Under 600 Calories
Backed by Salma Hayek, Cooler Cleanse delivers its products right to your door. It emphasizes nutrition, not starvation, deliciousness, not deprivation. Plus, it sources its ingredients locally, demonstrating a commitment to keeping the environment equally clean and healthy. The Cooler Club offers multiple cleanses each year. Those looking for less commitment might try the one-, three-, and five-day versions, with drinks like essential red (apple, carrot, lemon, and beet) and food like cashew cheese ravioli. There's even an apple pie.
Liquetria offers three levels of juice-based cleanses: level 1, Explore & Nourish; level 2, Restore & Energize; and level 3, Deep Dive & Heal. You can also do a cleanse with food, or customize your cleanse based on your specific needs. Since 1996, this East Village juice bar has been making New Yorkers feel great with such combinations as the Royal Flush (aloe vera, apple, golden pineapple, ginger, pear, and an ingredient they call "liver kidney lymph detox"), All Greens (kale, romaine, parsley, celery, spinach, and cucumber), and coconut water.
The Squeeze has attitude. Often parked in Union Square from 8am to 9pm, this food truck specializes in raw, organic food, cold-pressed juices, and puns like "it's "RAWnchy" and "Don't Cry Over Squeezed Milk" (nut milk made from cashew, cardamom, hemp seeds, dates, Irish moss, alkalized water, and vanilla). Its cleanses include the all-liquid Main Squeeze, with drinks named The Jeans I Wore in High School (orange, lemongrass, and grapefruit) and I Have a Heart On (apple, Swiss chard, kale, pineapple, dandelion, mint, and celery), among others.
