Bristol, CT Spa and Massage

State-licensed massage therapist (license #004958) A. Malaika Sharp cultivates relaxation and targets each client's unique issues with a focused menu of services. She can shoo everyday stress away through basic relaxation massages, but she’s as focused on function as she is on feeling good. An avid martial artist and cyclist, Sharp consults with all clients to understand the ways they use their bodies for work and recreation. That helps her pick out distinct patterns of motion and coax bad habits or stored tension out of muscles, whether she’s targeting chronic aches through deep-tissue techniques or helping athletes recover from strenuous duck-duck-goose training through sports massage. Or, for those suffering from headaches and migraines, she can incorporate trigger-point therapy. Sharp is also a member of the American Massage Therapy Association and is certified through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.

A seven-circuit labyrinth sounds like the setting for a Greek myth, but at Branford River Resort & Spa, it is a concrete place patrons visit to practice meditation. Relaxation is not reserved for the labyrinth, though—it pervades the spa and resort as a whole, helping to earn the establishment one of 2012’s Patch Readers’ Choice awards. Visitors can bask in the healing milieu of its infrared sauna, lounge in the onsite gazebo, or unwind during diverse spa treatments. 

The spa’s treatments encompass a vast array of facials, which can combat acne or aging, soothe with warm stones, or draw on the healing power of crystals. Massages range from traditional Swedish effleurage to the Shiradora indian head massage, which incorporates kneading upon the back and herbal oil conditioners, just like a cat clinic held in a soap shop. Body wraps ensconce physiques in materials from Dead Sea mud to mylar foil, and a complementary suite of salon services beautifies visitors with custom haircuts, highlights, and nail services.

La Dermique Skin Rejuvenation & Body Contouring Center’s board-certified surgeons, registered nurses, and master aestheticians keep their fingers on the pulse of emerging technologies they can potentially use in their minimally invasive treatments. Simple aesthetic procedures, such as microdermabrasion and photofacials, rejuvenate dull, aging skin, whereas Botox and dermal fillers temporarily remedy wrinkles for a smooth, supple complexion. Ultherapy, one of the center's newer treatments, sends sound waves below the skin’s surface to gently heat tissues and simulate the effects of a face-lift, all without incisions or cheek suspenders. La Dermique’s technicians also wield lasers, including Smartlipo Triplex technology, to permanently destroy fat and remove unwanted body hair and tattoos.

After a year of living in the corporate-communications world, Sabita knew she needed to change paths. Like a baseball player who runs to first every time he swings, she felt herself becoming too aggressive. In order to reconnect with her inner empathy and sense of place in the world, she decided to commit herself to taking care of others. With that desire in mind, she became a massage therapist and holistic-health counselor and opened the Sabita Holistic Center in 2003 to surround herself with like-minded professionals.

Celebrating their 10th year of business, Sabita and her staff heal guests of all ages and needs with holistic techniques, such as guided meditation, massages specifically tailored to elderly guests, and self-esteem workshops. In addition to leading the classes and workshops, doctors meet with guests to prescribe holistic treatment plans that incorporate Western and Eastern methods. The center even purveys its own beverage: Sabita Tea. It's a kosher-certified organic line that comes in varieties such as peppermint white tea, nutmeg white, and anise—which comes from the eponymous seed-producing plant.

Born and raised on a farm in Hadley, massage therapist Heather Barstow uses the same hands that once worked the fields to plow away clumps of tension, pain, and anxiety with massages in various modalities. Skilled in Swedish, deep-tissue, and prenatal techniques, Heather tailors each session to her clients’ individual health issues; simply tell her what ails you during a pre-massage consultation, and she will make sure to focus her attention on areas with the highest concentration of tension or “Kick Me” signs.

Canji Healing Touch owner Jennifer Graves grew up in a culture that emphasized touch. But when she came to the United States, she realized people were more physically distanced. She decided to become a massage therapist and bring the calming, comforting power of touch to more people. Her business's name pays homage to both her birthplace of Canje, Guyana, and her belief that touch can heal.

Before each of her massages, Jennifer fills the room with the soothing aromas of lavender and sage oil, then turns on relaxing music. She's skilled in a variety of therapies, including Swedish massage—whose relaxing strokes banish stress and increase circulation—and trigger-point massage, which helps relieve the pain of tight muscles. Prenatal and postnatal massages help women's bodies as they handle the added stress of pregnancy. Jennifer also performs sports massages to release tension and soreness from being too awesome at football. Her therapeutic integrative massages aim to not only help bodies feel better but also rejuvenate clients emotionally and spiritually to nourish their whole being.