Fern Creek, KY Health and Fitness

Core Pilates' staff of former ballet dancers, registered nurses, and doctors discovered Pilates in various ways, but having experienced its health benefits firsthand, they've joined forces to share their knowledge of the rehabilitative, low-impact exercise. Mat, reformer, and barre group classes tone cores seven days a week, and seasonal instruction in hoop fitness, yoga, and VertiMax add new flavors to exercise routines. Serious practitioners can seek teacher certifications, which are spiced with a liberal helping of anatomy and medical science, essential for helping students recover from injuries from disastrously ambitious toe-touches.

Strong Hold Climbing Gym at Hester's Family Fitness beckons to rock clingers of all skill levels with more than 4,000 square feet of top-rope routes, bouldering, and peerless climbing classes. With padded floors throughout, Strong Hold's crew of climbers can scale the multicolored routes with no fear of hard falls, and Strong Hold equips each climber with the harness, shoes, and cliff-badger bait necessary for topping its walls. Introductory classes, taught by master stone whisperers, cover the basics of rope work, proper knots, and the techniques required for pulling on slopers or crimps.

Dr. Joseph Banis, a board-certified surgeon, leads a team of registered nurses and aesthetic specialists at his plastic-surgery and medical-skincare practice. This well-qualified crew tackles signs of aging with facial peels, injectables, and laser treatments, as well as surgical nips, tucks, and lifts. Noninvasive CoolSculpting body contouring aims to freeze fat cells for a more shapely physique, whereas traditional liposuction removes fat deposits from areas such as tummies, thighs, and vestigial tails.

20/20 Eyecare's optometrists examine eyes and dress them up in specialty lenses and designer frames. They can recommend gear for almost any pair of soul windows with a supply of scratch- and glare-resistant lenses as well as OSHA–certified safety glasses. Technicians offer free adjustments, perform minor repairs, and change glasses' oil, often with same- or next-day service.

As an Alcon–sponsored Dry Eye Center of Excellence, 20/20 Eyecare is notably equipped to treat dry-eye syndrome.

Alexander Digenis, MD, and Brian Thornton, MD, have more in common than their offices at the Kentucky Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery Institute. The two doctors share a wealth of knowledge in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, which enables them to perform advanced aesthetic procedures to enhance the skin, face, breasts, and body. They also share an experienced staff that assists them though these procedures. Chief among this staff is aesthetician Jessica Burnett, whose skincare services include laser hair removal, resurfacing chemical peels, and IPL laser treatments that zap away blemishes and spaceships double-parked outside the clinic.

The certified and degreed trainers of Body Evolution don't judge themselves by their personal accomplishments, but by their clients' results. Greg Claycomb, an International Sports Sciences Association–certified trainer, knows that every person is mentally and physically different, so no single fitness approach will work for everyone. Trainers Vince Hogue and Tristen Hines also adhere to this principle, and use their experience to draft workout regimes that inspire clients, nurture their health, and reduce daydreams of owning a house made of Twinkies. To ensure he continues to give clients an optimal workout, ACE nationally recognized and CPR/AED-certified trainer Walt Fleitz regularly attends seminars and studies new methods. His favorite quote from Maya Angelou sums up his beliefs the best, "people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."