Bloomfield, NJ Spa and Massage

For nationally certified massage therapist Missy Hammond, massage isn’t just therapy for her clients, it’s therapy for her, too. “I enjoy helping people feel better… I am all for a healthy mind, spirit, and body,” she says. With this enthusiasm and the knowledge gained from attendance at Body Therapy Institute in Siler City, Hammond alleviates pain and increases circulation through a variety of massage modalities or exfoliates away dead skin cells with a body polish. During treatments, she keeps clients comfortable atop a cushioned, heated massage table inside a dimly lit room with soft music, a relaxing waterfall, and a miniature whale that coos haikus.

At Peaceful Spirit, owner and licensed massage therapist Mara Concordia and her staff help patients attain improved wellness through therapies that balance their physical and mental energies. To do so, they consult with each client and create tailored, integrative care plans that may draw upon treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, and spa therapies. Through such customized care, Peaceful Spirit's practitioners have helped patients overcome everyday ailments as well as manage diseases such as Parkinson's and cancer.

They also focus on teaching clients how to heal themselves through classes in Qi Gong, an ancient Chinese healing philosophy that combines simple movements and attentive breathing in order to cleanse the body and cultivate life force—known as qi or chi. In addition to Peaceful Spirit's five locations, therapists can meet patients in their homes or tree houses.

The aroma of vanilla lingers in the air in the private treatment rooms of Healing Massage & Wellness Spa as trained therapists unleash relaxation-inducing therapies galore to do that comforting atmosphere justice. Massage therapists engage in muscle-melting modalities from hot stone to prenatal to soothe stiff spines and tight joints. Other aestheticians and bodywork specialists indulge guests in holistic acupuncture sessions, rejuvenating facials, or body-slimming wraps that sheathe figures with caffeine-infused patches or a plaster model to shape figures like a model's favorite hand-whittled hourglass timepiece. To help spa-goers share their luxurious lifestyles with others, Healing Massage boasts a hefty lineup of themed spa parties for weddings, girls' nights, and bachelorette parties.

The therapists at Studio 88 begin their battle against stress before clients even get to the treatment room. A chandelier-lit reception area surrounded by cheery pink walls puts tension on the defensive as soon as clients walk in the door. Down the hallway, the fight continues, with massages powered by Swedish, deep-tissue, and hot-stone techniques that dissolve knots and muscular tightness. Elsewhere, skincare specialists brighten visages with facials, and makeup experts highlight clients' winning features with professionally applied products. The staff’s permanent-makeup treatments also help clients free up time during their morning routines for sleeping in or firing spitballs at the paperboy.

Tension and stress melt away at International Steam Baths, where guests lounge within the steamy chambers of a Russian steam room, relax inside an infrared sauna, or high-dive into a cold plunge pool. Inside private treatment rooms, spa-goers receive more than five types of massages or a body wrap blended from black mud and seaweed. Guests can also get a breath of fresh air on the outdoor deck or visit the restaurant, where bright orange walls surround tablecloths covered in strawberry designs.

Fantasy Spa Beauty Lounge’s team beautifies clients with procedures that range from hair-smoothing keratin treatments to back facials. Staffers augment locks with colors and hair extensions, embellish digits with nail art, and revitalize faces with facials and chemical peels. In addition, makeup artists offer complimentary demos of the spa’s hypoallergenic products, teaching patrons how to select a lipstick that will not permanently bind their lips together. To maximize convenience, the spa’s stylists and technicians can conduct appointments in clients’ homes.