Greatwood, TX Health and Fitness

Smile Design Studios' Dr. Simone Ellis gravitated toward the field of dentistry after seeing her father lose his teeth while he was still in the prime of his life. After earning her doctorate in dentistry from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and gaining membership to professional organizations including the American Dental Association, she set about saving grins from premature departure at Smile Design Studios. She and her staff tend to teeth with dental services including deep cleanings, ClearCorrect invisible braces, porcelain veneers, and Zoom! in-office whitening treatments. Armed with advanced technology, they can help detect cavities with DiagnoDent, screen for oral cancer with VelScope, and read graffiti carved into molars using digital x-rays and snapshots from intraoral cameras. Massaging dental chairs and TVs populate each room of the spa-like office, where a running waterfall calms nerves and a plush reception area with a leather couch, artwork, and a flat-screen TV engages waiting patients.

Some swim coaches can only tout their credentials and experiences, but director Susie Collins can prove the results of her labor. One of her pupils is working toward swimming in the Olympics, and a thrilled parent recently praised her ease and dedication in teaching their special-needs son how to swim. All the academy's instructors receive training in water safety, stroke curriculum, and child development directly from Collins, who also teaches games and techniques to motivate even the most stubborn inflatable alligator. Students learn at their own pace, following Collins's stage-by-stage method that leads toward individual swimming goals, whether students want to compete professionally or use their butterfly stroke to blend in at the local dolphin tank.

Memorial City Mall’s chirping cash registers and department-store scanners give way to the scraping of blades against ice inside Ice Skate USA. There, a full-sized rink large enough to host official IHL and NHL games reinvigorates bodies worn from shopping by imparting the freedom and fun of uninhibited speed during open-skate sessions. The rink also keeps a squad of instructors on hand who host hockey academies to sharpen everything from basic skating skills to puck control to discerning between team mascots and roving packs of wolves. Additionally, Ice Skate USA also works to expand the community’s appreciation for ice-bound culture during scheduled events such as The Nutcracker on Ice or a basic skills competition.

Bedecked in paintings and traditional Indian artwork, the walls of Devanand Yoga Center provide shelter the distractions of the outside world while promoting a meditative yoga practice. Beyond the familiar breath-focused Hatha yoga, the center also offers a core-centric yoga-Pilates hybrid class, as well a gentle healing-yoga class and a mantra-chanting session. Instructors typically start all classes with meditative elements, working to balance the mind so the body can better balance itself during challenging poses or impromptu pogo-stick throw-downs.

Physique Studio's licensed technicians mold svelte, smooth silhouettes with noninvasive fat-reducing treatments. Liposculpture cavitation technology harnesses low-frequency ultrasound waves to break up unwanted fat cells, and infrared body wraps swaddle clients in radiant heat that helps tighten skin and melt icicles between toes. Each service is designed to trim inches and fat from such notoriously troublesome areas as waists, abdomens, hips, and thighs. Patrons with ailments such as liver or kidney disease may not be eligible for some treatments.