Coldwater, MI Spa and Massage

Vital Living WellSpa's accomplished staff, which include registered nurses, licensed aestheticians, and 11 certified massage therapists, focus on healing bodies with de-stressing massages, rejuvenating facials, and calming body treatments. In fact, Vital Living requires patrons to fill out personal-health information forms, answer skincare questionnaires, and consult fortune tellers to ensure that problem areas aren't glossed over during body-mending sessions, causing future health troubles. The spa specialists then get to work repairing corporeal landscapes, revitalizing skin with more than 10 facial and body treatments that use high-end Bioelements and Sircuit Cosmeceuticals products and powerful essential oils, and untying knotted musculature with classic massage varieties such as deep tissue, trigger point, and neuromuscular therapy. Vital Living may also add extras such as hot packs, heated blankets, pillows, and sweet compliments to any treatment to further soothe corpora.

Melinda Smith started dreaming about feet in high school. Confused by the recurring visions, she asked a teacher for advice and began to study reflexology—the practice of gently massaging pressure points along the feet in order to promote well-being across the entire body. Melinda’s first encounter with the healing bodywork technique cemented her resolve to study massage therapy, and she eventually founded her own studio with numerous modalities on the menu.

The spa includes four private treatment rooms, each of which is designed to channel one of the four elements (earth, fire, air, and water) that Aristotle discovered with his particle accelerator. The rooms’ different energies serve different purposes—with the earth room aimed at relaxing minds and the fire room intended to cultivate inner strength. Outside these rooms, the spa's aestheticians and technicians incorporate botanically derived Aveda products into skincare treatments and paint nails with chip-resistant OPI gel polishes.

Jessica Elkins's eponymous spa is a tribute to her love of plants, nature, and beauty. During her aesthetics training, Jessica worked in the bodycare department of a natural-foods market, assisting clients as they selected lotions, rinses, or cucumbers. She then turned her attention to biochemistry, a field of study that explores the chemical processes in living organisms. By learning how cellular components interact, Jessica broadened her ability to resolve or diminish skin conditions with specific products. At the spa, Jessica works alongside aestheticians who perform custom facials with natural ingredients from Europe or minerals from the mines of Moria. Wax technicians specialize in Brazilian and eyebrow services, and cosmetologists perform makeup applications with mineral pigments.

The beauty experts at Advanced Esthetics draw from more than 50 years of combined experience to deliver a gamut of beautifying services. After a complimentary consultation to determine the best approach for issues such as rosacea, fine lines, or skin laxity, a licensed aesthetician may recommend a rejuvenating, saline-based JetPeel or a noninvasive radio-frequency treatment to enhance both collagen growth and the ability to tune out infomercials. Advanced Esthetics' master skin technicians can also reduce spider veins and lift unwanted hair, and a team of licensed massage therapists eases tension and stress with long, gliding Swedish strokes.

A pharaoh luxuriates in a warm pool while four royal cats doze under fanning palm leaves. It's easy for this pharaoh to forget that the entire scene—including the 12-foot obelisk and Egyptian statuary—is decor. The cats are painted on a wall, and the obelisk, though impressive, is just for fun. The pharaoh, too, is merely a customer enjoying the Egyptian suite at Oasis Hot Tub Gardens.

The Egyptian suite is one of 14 themed hot tubs where couples or larger groups privately soak up temperature-controlled bubbles created by the crawl strokes of the facility's resident Michael Phelps. Other evocative motifs include the baroque English countryside, Polynesian islands, and a fragrant pine woods. Guests are also treated to mood music on the multichannel sound system and can use private showers and changing rooms.

Within Shear Style's cozy, welcoming atmosphere, owner Kim Wolf leads a team of beauty experts in customizing treatments for hair and nails. Kim draws upon 30 years as a master stylist, specializing in cuts, color services, and feather extensions that can help to break the ice with a new pet parakeet. The family-friendly salon boasts a tropical mural, paintings of palm trees, and a trickling waterfall next to the fireplace, along with a children's play area to keep youngsters occupied.