Fort Mill, SC Spa and Massage

"Touch can be healing," says Donna Medley, proprietor of CovRing Day Spa. Indeed, Donna uses the word “heal” often when she talks about the events that inspired her to open the spa. Her son dealt with prolonged medical problems, and the family worked together to nurse him back to health. This, she says, pushed the long-time cosmetologist to pursue the wellness aspect of her training, and soon she'd shuttered both her Maryland salons and focused on opening CovRing Day Spa.

Donna thought in terms of healing potential when designing the spa itself. The space is awash in the restorative colors of the earth, from the grass green in the mani-pedi room to the lounge painted in the same cerulean shades of the sky and naturally occurring groups of blue musicians. The healing power of olive oil infuses all of the spa's Swedish massages, facials, and mani-pedis. To Donna, the olive oil symbolizes an anointing, and because she used it when caring for her son, it recalls his healing, reminding her every day why she chose this path.

Boutique Du Jour Salon And Spa’s staff beautifies faces and bodies with a suite of beautifying services from keratin hair treatments to hot-stone massages. Nail technicians prink fingers and toes with mani-pedis, and aestheticians revamp visages with facials, microdermabrasion, and sea-mud treatments delivered in private rooms.

Spa Du Jour's skilled aestheticians melt away stress and pamper bodies with a massive repertoire of dozens of spa services for the entire body from head to toenails. During cellulite-reduction treatments, an aesthetician smoothes cellulite cream over the body like the living birthday cake that it is, working to target specific areas or treat the whole epidermal landscape to smooth out dimples. Facial services include traditional cleansing treatments alongside exotic offerings including the Bellanina facial massage, which helps tighten skin on the face and jawline with massage techniques taken from acupressure and lymphatic drainage styles. Waxing services tackle full-body defuzzing for men and women, including Brazilians for the ladies and both backs and swimsuit areas for the men and the odd social sasquatch aiming to make it in human society.

Two sides of the same cosmetic coin, aesthetician Terri McConnell and stylist Angie Fortney united their respective talents when they opened Noma Hair & Skin Studio. In the salon, Angie customizes cuts for men, women, and children, boosting color and highlighting strands or stripping away fuzz with waxing services. In the spa, Terri begins each treatment with a consultation about her clients’ individual skin types and skincare goals, be they to reduce wrinkles, clear acne, or eliminate a permanent look of shock. After establishing a treatment plan, she calls on her arsenal of techniques and treats mugs to such comprehensive skin services as the Basaki lightening lift, a gentle treatment of lactic acid, lightening agents, and vitamin-A-rich banana, which work together to reduce signs of aging and hydrate the skin.

Drawing from her Native American heritage, licensed massage therapist and aesthetician Nelissa Chamberlain integrates alternative holistic treatments and traditional bodywork to nurture her clients in both body and soul. Nelissa's specialty is massage, and she weaves reflexology and hot stone therapies into her sessions to treat sore muscles all over the body and gather research for her PhD dissertation about ticklishness. In the spa's serene treatment rooms, clients can achieve glowing, smooth skin with a wide range of skincare and waxing treatments.

A team of skillful hairdressers and massage therapists dwells behind Studio U Salon & Spa's light-brick façade, where a bright purple sign welcomes patrons to a world in which beauty services abound. Trained stylists detach split ends, brighten crowns with highlights, and add bouncy layers to hairdos to help patrons update their looks before starting a new job or ending a relationship with a twin. Skin treatments include waxes and a variety of massage modalities help to keep bodies in a state of relaxation, much like a samurai warrior in battle. Pedicures and manicures cloak nails in vibrant colors, and acrylics keep shy keratin sheets under wraps.