Birmingham Spa and Massage

Escape Day Spa co-owners Carrie Wheelock and Alicia Liddon know how therapeutic a day at the spa can be. Wheelock, an experienced massage therapist, has witnessed the restoration and healing power of touch while both giving and receiving massages. Liddon, on the other hand, is not only an aesthetician, but also a wife and mother of three who understands the daily stressors of family life. Her passion for healthy skin has helped ground her and was her inspiration for opening her own skincare clinic.

At the spa's new location in Edgewood, the duo and their team perform treatments that range from multimodality massages and facials with organic Babor products to mother-of-pearl body scrubs and mani-pedis with vegan SpaRitual polish. They also create spa packages that allow romantic couples, pairs of best friends, or celebrities and their egos to enjoy chocolates and champagne while relaxing together.

If she were handed a list of humanity's basic needs, Crystal Sutton might write "relaxation" just beneath "food, water, and shelter." The licensed massage therapist believes that cutting down on stress at the spa shouldn't be a special occasion, but a regular occurrence. She even began a massage membership program to encourage monthly visits.

Crystal—who graduated from University of Alabama with a biology degree—backs up that perspective by citing its many benefits, which range from a decrease in chronic pain to better blood pressure. She strives to achieve these results in her clients with a handful of methods. Swedish, deep-tissue, and hot-stone massages complement specialized styles, such as a TMJ treatment—focused tissue work around the mouth that relieves pain in the jaw from trying to swallow whole grapefruits. For less medicinal treatments, Crystal keeps cosmetologist Michelle on staff who upgrades appointments with a mani-pedi or facial.

Soft, relaxing music battles audible oohs and aahs at Kacey Mayo's massage studio, where the licensed massage therapist calls upon her training in seven modalities to dissolve stress and pain. Mayo encourages clients to speak up about their expectations and needs so that she can tailor her services to treat past injuries and other areas of concern. Electric warmers keep massage beds toasty, and the specialist uses heated packs to keep unmassaged areas warm throughout each session.

Licensed massage therapist Kimberly M. Johnson employs seven different styles of kneads to release her clients’ physical and emotional tensions. An annual participant in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Kimberly knows firsthand that athletic movements—as well as day-to-day activities—can put a strain on the body’s muscles. She combines her knowledge of anatomy with a compassionate approach during 60- to 90-minute Swedish massages that unwind knotted muscle fibers with alternating pressures. Aside from this popular modality and its deep-tissue sibling, Kimberly targets athletic ailments with specialized sports massages and prepares muscles for mashing with warm, smooth stones placed along the back or hurled at spots of tension.

At A Room of Therapy, licensed massage therapist Octavia Stevens draws upon her expertise in half a dozen massage traditions to soothe beleaguered bodies. During 30-, 60-, and 90-minute massages, Stevens's hands skate on the surface of your back, boosting circulation and oxygenating muscles. As her customized strokes—in modalities such as deep muscle, sports, and neuromuscular—hone in on high-priority areas, pleasant scents from fragrant essential oils create a soothing, therapeutic effect. For an extra fee, Stevens can add hot towels, hot stones, or hot potatoes.

On the walls of DnL Hair Studio, portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Lady Gaga bespeak an upbeat atmosphere where both edgy and classic looks are welcome. The stylists—grouped into three levels that correspond with experience—treat hair exclusively with Redken products. They pass beneath chandeliers to reach the chic-vintage bureaus at their stations, remodeling 'dos with services that range from smoothing formulas to simple trims. They can also wax unwanted hair from brows, chins, lips, and sideburns trying to annex the nose.