Rel@x by Carolyn

Some bartenders double as confidants, listening to a litany of customers' troubles as they pour drinks. Carolyn Trumm was one of these bartenders until, deciding she'd rather work in the daytime, became a licensed massage therapist to help relieve stress without pouring spirits. Trumm relishes deep-tissue work, as it most quickly relieves the most chronic muscle pain, and she savors the gratification that comes from seeing clients leave feeling unburdened and finally able to shrug each shoulder independently.

In her nook in the back of Angie and Co Salon and Day Spa, Carolyn loosens knotted muscles with Biolage lotions as well as oils made by a local merchant. Shades of midnight blue and gemstones, along with hand-painted peacock feathers, grace the walls, and the room is dimly lit with candles from local purveyor Ates Candles, which Carolyn also offers for purchase. All this is set to a soundtrack Carolyn likes to call "ocean rock"—the sounds of waves set to instrumental music with a rock flavor, mixed with the distant humming of lobster choirs.