Kristen at The Ivy Salon and Spa

Kristen Burtt's friends have always loved her back rubs. "For some reason, I could always feel the muscles with my hands," she says. "They knew what to do." She took that as a sign and went to school to improve her muscle-kneading prowess. Today, she taps into her natural gifts and education as she lavishes her clients with Swedish, deep-tissue, and sports massages. Her favorites are hot stone and lomi-lomi, a Hawaiian full-body massage that she gives with her forearms as clients recline on a bed of ukuleles.

Kristen keeps the lights dim and the music low as she kneads weary muscles within her private massage room, which she's outfitted in earthy browns, blacks, and mauves. She says that when she finishes each appointment, her clients emerged relaxed and focused. "I take the pains away so you can focus more on life," she says.