Charlottesville, VA Health and Fitness

Since 1988, Midlothian Athletic Club has dedicated its 70,000 square feet to myriad forms of achieving healthy living. Whether members want to hone tennis and racquetball skills, break a sweat in group exercise classes such as spinning and BodyPump, or relax in a sauna, they can do it at the MAC. The staff troll a stock of cardio and strength-training equipment, including FreeMotion Elite weight machines, Life Fitness treadmills and ellipticals, and Precor machines, ready to dole out technique pointers. At the indoor pool, swimmers can get a workout on the lap lanes, slip down water slides, or pretend to be toddlers in the kiddie pool. The club also has six indoor lanes, where instructors lead water-aerobics classes that are gentler on joints than moon aerobics.

To help guests recover after a hard workout, the Midlothian Athletic Club hosts many means of relaxation. The massage therapists calibrate their fingers to several styles of kneading, including deep-tissue, Swedish, and myofascial release massage. At the MAC Cafe, chefs sear turkey burgers, bake lime-chili parmesan fries, and blend protein shakes to order for nutritious refueling.

For eight years, Doctor of Chiropractic Michael Mulvaney ignored his chronic back pain and continued to play sports. He recalls a doctor once dismissing his nagging discomfort as “growing pains,” but his suffering persisted through his teenage years. When he reached college and a friend recommended that he visit a chiropractor, he jumped at the chance. Within three visits, he was pain-free.

This experience planted the seed that eventually grew into Dr. Mulvaney’s career as a chiropractor. Today, he helms Spinal Correction Center of Richmond, where he and his staff offer a combination of holistic chiropractic care and massage therapy. Dr. Mulvaney favors the Pettibon system of chiropractic care, which works to restore the spine’s natural curvature and normalize misalignments that may cause pain, stiffness, or unfair limbo advantages.

Dr. Edward Perraut hasn't just performed more than 46,000 LASIK surgeries, he's also undergone the laser-based procedure. This boosts the credibility of the Johns Hopkins fellow and his fellow doctors, who speak from experience when advising clients on the LASIK procedures. After leading a consult to confirm candidacy, the doctors schedule surgery, which begins with a small incision to open a flap over the corneal surface. Using a small-spot laser beam, WaveLight's Allegretto Wave Eye-Q laser helps reforms the curvature of the cornea according to calibrations customized for each patient. The flap is then closed and begins resealing immediately, thanks to the eye's ability to heal quickly. The surgeons furnish patients with home-care instructions, as well as recommendations for follow-up appointments. A small percentage may need touch-up procedures, which are included if the patient is a viable candidate. An FAQ page anticipates common questions, such as, "will LASIK affect my x-ray vision?"

At Richmond Balance, trainers forge bodies to match the beauty of life-changing events. Their bridal boot camp, which has been featured in Richmond Bride, tones wives-to-be with regular, small-group workouts that culminate in confident struts down the aisle. Likewise, their new mommy boot-camp classes help ladies achieve post-pregnancy goals, such as a slimmer stomach or arms that can change stroller tires without a jack. Support remains the common element of these specialized programs—the staff gathers students with similar objectives and capitalizes on a sense of camaraderie. The same method guides the Balanced Buddies system, in which partners share the same personal trainer, and PWR! Fitness Training, a regimen for guests with disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Even outside the communal atmosphere of classes, Richmond Balance prioritizes an intimate, custom approach to health. Its certified trainers will travel to homes for private sessions or supervise clients as they sweat aboard the gym's Precor, Tuff Stuff, and Schwinn equipment. During workouts, guests can occupy their eyes by watching the individual flat-screen televisions on select machines or by counting the exposed bricks on the walls around them.

Though trained in a variety of pain-melting strokes, The Spine and Injury Center’s state-certified therapists specialize in the penetrative kneads of deep-tissue massage. The company believes that massages should serve a functional purpose, so the therapists use their keenly trained hands or tentacles to specifically seek out and delve into muscles plagued with chronic pain due to overexertion or medical conditions. To lead the therapists’ hands, The Spine and Injury Center of Fredericksburg allows patients to begin therapeutic massages with an evaluation by a licensed chiropractor to determine what modality and specific areas of focus would best suit the client.