Brandermill, VA Spa and Massage

At SpaTaneity, relaxation begins as soon as guests step over the threshold. The de-stressing smells of aromatherapy greet each guest, and the sounds of trickling water and calming music add depth to the refreshing beverages clients sip as they begin to leave the bustling world behind. The spa’s owner, Trish Diaz, honed her relaxation-inducing skills during 10 years spent as a master aesthetician. In designing her spa, Trish made sure that her qualified staff members possessed the same unparalleled attention to detail that Trish lavished on her tranquil spa space.

Amid earth-toned rooms filled with plants and plush pillows, licensed and master aestheticians use custom facials and microdermabrasion to rid skin of imperfections and signs of aging such as sun spots, fine lines, and the finger scratches that result from babysitting an ill-behaved grandfather clock. Massage therapists deflate stress and tension with Swedish, hawaiian, and hot-stone massages, and mud body wraps feature cameos from honey butters and sea mud to detox the skin and give it a healthy, polished glow.

There is a box at the door of Renewal Massage. Inside, the worries of previous guests wilt, discarded. Each was symbolically dropped in and left behind, an act that began many clients’ journeys toward relaxation and balance. Past the box, within Renewal Massage, licensed therapists facilitate this voyage. They employ more than 10 modalities and more than five decades of combined experience to combat stress, confident that massage treatments are not an indulgence but a remedial step toward total wellness. Thus, they strive to evict tension from both muscles and thoughts, pushing their patrons toward a holistic vision of health.

Every therapist on staff boasts his or her own specialties. Christie Jones, for example, has mastered the classic Swedish, deep-tissue, and hot-stone kneading styles and Will Jett focuses on helping his clients understand the importance of regular massage. Often, a massage will address specific or chronic concerns; pregnancy massages aim to relieve weight-bearing pains, and migraine massages target the facial muscles and shrinking sweatbands that can cause headaches.

Kingsmill Resort's grounds surround visitors in gardens, woodlands, and the gurgling of the James River. The aestheticians and stylists of The Spa at Kingsmill take inspiration and bottle nature's scents from these landscapes, developing spa and salon services to immerse guests in natural splendor. Facial peels draw on the organic enzymes of herbs and fruits, body wraps hydrate and invigorate skin with natural elements, such as chocolate, rose, or oatmeal, and massages alternate the placement of warm basalt and cold marble stones. Combining these naturally based treatments, the spa's staff curates full- and half-day spa experiences, including packages tailored for mothers-to-be, teenagers, and men. After guests are perfectly relaxed, they can pep back up with a fitness and wellness program of group classes such as yoga and water aerobics, all led by professional staffers.

Within Noreen's Salon & Day Spa's cream-colored walls lies the solution to soothing world-weary appendages and revitalizing hair, skin, and nails. During massages, thorough hands work kinks out of muscles with strokes that draw upon Swedish techniques and aromatherapy. To instill life into dull mitts, staffers shape nails and cuticles before bedecking each thumb with a replica of the thimble worn by Betsy Ross as she sewed America’s first pair of tweezers. Waxing rids bodies of unwanted fuzz, and the salon's other hair treatments help renew tired manes. The salon also stocks its cabinets with brand-name products such as OPI gel polish, as well as custom-made concoctions designed to tackle individual clients' needs.

The certified therapists behind Escape Massage knead away curmudgeonly knots seven days a week inside 10 private and two couples massage rooms. Three-inch high-density foam massage tables cushion bodies while warm waves of heat fend off goose bumps as they disperse through fitted cotton-flannel sheets and quiet heaters. After therapists dim the wall sconces, they manipulate sinews with Swedish, deep-tissue, aromatherapeutic, and hot-stone techniques, concluding each session with hot towels upon request. Escape Massage also provides prenatal massage tables, which come with specially designed padding and pillows that allow moms-to-be to lay face-down and solicit parenting advice from Mother Earth.

For more than 18 years, women and men have visited European Day Spa of Williamsburg for beautifying services ranging from body wraps to massages and waxes. Open five days a week by appointment, the spa pampers guests with à la carte services as well as full- and half-day spa packages, which make great gifts for friends, family members, and disheveled body doubles. European Day Spa of Williamsburg also carries an assortment of beauty products by brands such as Ahava, Guinot, and Shellac.