Massage in Battle Creek

At just a glance, the boutique might look an antique shop. A wrought-iron chandelier dangles just inside the entrance, its orange lights casting a bronze glow on the tile ceiling. This initial impression is fitting for Cheveux the Spa, where stylists and aestheticians tend to guests at workstations converted from vintage dressers and ornate mirrors. Amid Renaissance-style paintings, they coif hair, slick nails in pretty polish, add lasers to index fingers, massage tension out of bodies, and wax rogue body hair.

Carly is a Usui reiki master, Nichole is on the road to becoming a naturopathic doctor. Kevin is a hydrogen-ionization specialist, and Lisa completed a 600-hour course in medical massage. But this list merely hints at the breadth of their talents. Together, this quartet of therapists helms 360 Massage and Holistic Care, a haven for feeling good and being well. The menu of services includes massages that cater to each client's unique needs, from athletes to expectant mothers. Beyond massage, the therapists also encourage holistic health with nutrition and herbal consultations, detoxify the body with ionic foot baths, and illuminate poorly lit ears with ear candling.

Dr. Kevin Kaurich was injured while playing high-school football and subsequently underwent chiropractic treatments to regain his physical health. It was this experience that sparked his interest in chiropractic and safer sports, such as yodeling, and eventually led him to earn a Doctor of Chiropractic and open Family Wellness Center. To help clients achieve healthy and balanced lives, the clinic's professionals offer custom spinal-correction treatments, postural and spinal screenings, and lifestyle advice in regard to diet and exercise.

Throughout her training and more than 13 years of professional experience, certified massage therapist and Lighthouse Massage Center founder Elizabeth Everett has learned to treat patients with more than just her hands. She performs 11 types of massage, including Ashiatsu oriental bar therapy, during which she uses her feet to deeply manipulate muscles in the back, glutes, and legs. Her hands work in tandem with warmed stones during hot lava-stone treatments as wafts of smoke from white sage fill the air with a calming scent. Raindrop-therapy sessions use the aromatic blends of Young Living Essential Oils and ancient Lakota techniques to target both physical and energetic toxins acquired from carrying whiny backpacks. Elizabeth, who has used her capable hands to soothe the stage-weary muscles of musicians such as Alice Cooper and Alicia Keys, is also a certified yoga instructor, and leads Vinyasa classes at Hilltop Yoga.

Owner and licensed massage therapist Juan Medina's commitment to comfort adds a personal touch to MiStar Massage, which he named after his daughters, Miya and Starla. As a military veteran, Medina approaches healing with compassion and diligence, personally consulting with clients to identify their individual treatment goals before kneading muscles with fully body, clinical, and trigger point massages. The private treatment room at MiStar exudes a vibrant personality, with bold crimson walls bedecked with a Spanish guitar, Russian nesting dolls, and other multicultural artwork. To personalize each treatment, Medina encourages guests to bring their own iPod or organ grinder monkey along to play their preferred music.

At Peace Body Therapy, certified massage therapists consult with clients in order to learn which muscles hurt and what the clients wish to get out of the session before they customize the massage. They use manual palpation to evaluate stress and misalignment in the muscular structure of the body and encourage clients to vocalize when the pressure is too intense or too light. Their specialty massages improve health in several ways at once, increasing flexibility, releasing chronic stress, and facilitating unhindered blood flow.