A happy hour unlike any other thrives in Chelsea

Working by flashlight so as not to disturb others, Colleen Canyon inserts four accupuncture needles into a client’s ear. The procedure, Auriculotherapy, targets the four points for relaxation in Chinese medicine.

Canyon had the woman fill out a brief questionnaire and medical history form. She then led her into a sacred space, a narrow exam room cleared of all furniture and equipment, where nine large red pillows were strewn along one end of the floor, while a row of candles flickered in the darkness along the other side. Anatomical-style posters of the body — with “trigger points” and “acupoints” highlighted — hung on the wall. The room was warm and womb-like, perfect for relaxation, which is the point (no pun intended) of acupuncture happy hour.

Canyon had her client lie down in the darkened room and swabbed her ears with alcohol swipes. “I’m going to put four needles in each ear,” she said in a low, calm voice. “You may feel a little pinch.”

Using a flashlight to illuminate her subject, Canyon effortlessly inserted the needles one by one. Judging by the woman’s expression, she didn’t even notice.

Placing a playing card, face down, into the woman’s hand, Canyon told her that if she felt any discomfort, she should turn the card over, instead of calling out, so as not to disturb other clients who had entered the room during the interim. As soft flute music wafted amid the darkness (“no percussion,” Canyon explained), Canyon returned to the waiting room and sat down next to a vase of orange tulips and a small Buddha figurine.

“Acupuncture happy hour was just a brainchild that just came to me,” she said. “It’s a low-cost way to try acupuncture if you’ve never tried it — an easy way to sample.”

Indeed, many people have attended Canyon’s “parties.” Thrown on the first Thursday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m., the happy hours accommodate as many as 15 people for rolling 30-minute sessions of Auriculotherapy, or ear acupuncture.

The concept, derived from ancient Eastern medical arts and combined with contemporary medicine, considers the ear as a switchboard connected to meridians throughout the body. The points targeted by the four needles Canyon inserts in each ear connect to the mind, solar plexus, nervous system and muscles. Each needle is inserted a quarter of an inch under the skin and manipulated. The body is then supposed to relax, rebalance and convert any blockages into energy transmissions.

As more people arrived and were checked in by Canyon’s assistant, actress Amanda Paige, the evening’s first client finished her session.

“I just wanted to try out a new experience,” said dancer Miyako Ishidate, while slowly pulling on her coat. “It was good, though I think I would rather go to massage. It makes me feel better.”

Meeke Mutter, a tall, athletic dance student from the Netherlands, was more enthusiastic and energized after her session.

“I believe in this kind of healing, the energy flow,” she said. “I think both traditional medicine and acupuncture are important, mostly for people who have blocked emotions, because the flow can stimulate getting better.”

Canyon is one of 2,000 licensed acupuncturists in New York State. While living in Seattle back in 1995, she received acupuncture for a health problem and first discovered its benefits.

Upon returning to New York City in 1997, she enrolled at Tri-State College, in Chelsea — one of three schools in the city that offer acupuncture training — for the equivalent of a master’s degree in acupuncture. After graduating in 2000, Canyon opened her first practice in Union Square. Four years ago, she saw an ad for space on Craigslist and moved into her current Chelsea office on West 20th St. between Sixth and Seventh Aves.

Like all candidates for the profession, she completed a three-year curriculum at Tri-State focusing on Chinese medicine and herbology, receiving hands-on practice in her final year.

On Thursday, she exuded a competence and serenity that put her clients at ease. And the clients kept coming. Halfway into the two-hour happy hour, a half-dozen people arrived from work all at once, keeping Canyon busy for the rest of the evening.

“I’ve been coming for almost a year for the relaxation,” said Roseanne, a copy editor from Queens. After her session, she felt “a little bit sleepy, a little bit relaxed.” She also said her insomnia vanished after each session.

Ryan Senser, an Internet account planner, always wanted to try acupuncture. “I definitely feel lively in my ears,” he said. “It’s very subtle. I would come back.”

Meanwhile Paige, who helped Canyon check people in on Thursday, also talked about acupuncture’s ability to alleviate acute or chronic health problems.

“I had jaw tension that was interfering with my vocal studies,” she said. “My voice teacher sent me to an acupuncturist. Immediately, immediately I had results. My vocal range actually lengthened, believe it or not.”

Such testimony elicits a knowing nod by Canyon.

“A lot of people have repetitive problems, overuse injuries,” Canyon explained. “Bikers with hip problems, a baseball player who dove on his shoulder, marathoners with hip and knee problems.” Her practice, aptly named Acupuncture for Athletes, welcomes them all.

On this night, a little after 7 p.m., the happy hour participants had for the most part filed out of Canyon’s office, many of them oozing serenity. After the last client had left, Canyon began dousing candles and cleaning up.

“This is my calling,” she mused. “And every month is a new adventure.”