Massage in Forest Hills

Little Jasmine Thai Massage’s skilled practitioners place great emphasis on the merits of the 2,500-year-old tradition of Thai massage that allegedly originated in southeast Asia around the time of Buddha. The traditional Thai massage incorporates guided stretches and slow, rhythmic compressions while the recipient stays completely relaxed. This guided process is designed to combine the benefits of massage, yoga, and meditation to augment blood flow, boost stamina, and vanquish tension caused by poor posture. For weightlifters and those who fulfilled their New Year’s resolution to get fit by having dumbbells surgically attached to their hands, the staff alleviates muscle strain with Swedish massages or delves into stressed sinews with deep-tissue bodywork.

At just a glance, the boutique might look an antique shop. A wrought-iron chandelier dangles just inside the entrance, its orange lights casting a bronze glow on the tile ceiling. This initial impression is fitting for Cheveux the Spa, where stylists and aestheticians tend to guests at workstations converted from vintage dressers and ornate mirrors. Amid Renaissance-style paintings, they coif hair, slick nails in pretty polish, add lasers to index fingers, massage tension out of bodies, and wax rogue body hair.

Carly is a Usui reiki master, Nichole is on the road to becoming a naturopathic doctor. Kevin is a hydrogen-ionization specialist, and Lisa completed a 600-hour course in medical massage. But this list merely hints at the breadth of their talents. Together, this quartet of therapists helms 360 Massage and Holistic Care, a haven for feeling good and being well. The menu of services includes massages that cater to each client's unique needs, from athletes to expectant mothers. Beyond massage, the therapists also encourage holistic health with nutrition and herbal consultations, detoxify the body with ionic foot baths, and illuminate poorly lit ears with ear candling.

Stationed within the stress-free zone of Eclipse Salon Suites, certified massage therapist Andrea Newton treats world-weary muscles to therapeutic hot-stone and relaxation massages. Andrea’s contoured and padded massage bed absorbs anxieties as she coaxes them out of backs and shoulders with intuitive strokes and gentle pressure. Powder-blue and soft-brown walls coalesce in a palette that soothes the eyes while Andrea plumbs muscles, plies soft tissue, and unties knots that routinely cause shoulder blades to trip over each other.

Within the serene, freshly hued walls of Simply Massage’s new locale, licensed massage therapists showcase their extensive knowledge of body manipulation during individual or couples massage sessions. Ensuring clients are appropriately draped at all times, each customized treatment helps to improve circulation, joint flexibility, and stress reduction while therapists glide hands across clients’ bodies using Swedish, deep-tissue, sports, and pregnancy modalities. Hot-stone massages further encourage relaxation, with warmed stones that help to dissipate tension and soreness by letting the muscles slowly open up and discuss unfulfilled dreams of being featured in anatomy textbooks.

Throughout her training and more than 13 years of professional experience, certified massage therapist and Lighthouse Massage Center founder Elizabeth Everett has learned to treat patients with more than just her hands. She performs 11 types of massage, including Ashiatsu oriental bar therapy, during which she uses her feet to deeply manipulate muscles in the back, glutes, and legs. Her hands work in tandem with warmed stones during hot lava-stone treatments as wafts of smoke from white sage fill the air with a calming scent. Raindrop-therapy sessions use the aromatic blends of Young Living Essential Oils and ancient Lakota techniques to target both physical and energetic toxins acquired from carrying whiny backpacks. Elizabeth, who has used her capable hands to soothe the stage-weary muscles of musicians such as Alice Cooper and Alicia Keys, is also a certified yoga instructor, and leads Vinyasa classes at Hilltop Yoga.