Hammond, LA Spa and Massage

AVIVA is owned and operated by Linda Strickland, a nationally certified massage therapist dedicated to de-stressing her home state's citizens. At AVIVA, customers are viewed as individuals, not bioengineered clones with exponentially crumbling genomes. This is why your hour-long massage will not consist of prepackaged muscle swabbing but rather a careful treatment tailored to your body's personal needs. Techniques may include the gentle Swedish, therapeutic deep tissue, neuromuscular plumbing, connective tissue-focused aid, or some combination of assorted traditions. All sessions include indulgent hot towels, tranquil music, and a nasal massage in the form of essential-oil aromatherapy.

For a gentle, non-intrusive cleansing above the neck, try the ancient Egyptian practice of ear candling ($47). Ancient pyramid builders used them to remove earwax—as the Q-tip was still in its three-millennia R&D stage—and also to treat symptoms such as sinus pressure, allergies, and vertigo. Eminent physician Jessica Simpson, for example, uses them to update her Twitter feed.

About Face is a makeup boutique stocked to the rafters with quality products and a staff of experienced makeup artists. Today's deal lets you into About Face's calming environment of subtle décor and brightly hued pigments. Whether prepping for a special occasion, such as a high-school reunion or a Civil War reenactment, or simply hoping to pick up some tips on how to look your best, a professional makeup application (a $40 value) will leave your skin smooth, your pucker pinked, your cheeks flushed, and your peepers all the better to see wolves with. Put a cherry atop your face sundae with a lash application (a $15 value) for a dramatic, darkened fringe ideal for winking across great distances and protecting your eye sockets from incoming sparrows. Between About Face’s skilled facial artisans and quality products from Bare Escentuals, Smashbox, Revitalash, and more, you'll leave with a spring in your step and a glimmer in your gullet.

Client comfort is the No. 1 priority at Unique Creations Therapeutic Day Spa, where guests are greeted by attentive assistants who shower them with warm slippers, fluffy robes, and complimentary refreshments. Specialists in treating fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and sports injuries extend their tension-taming prowess to services that are strictly indulgent, including eight different facials built around organic, all-natural products. Calm, private treatment rooms play host to detoxifying mud wraps, sea-salt body scrubs, and Kenti massages that swap out oils for skin-softening shea butter, and an onsite whirlpool offers relaxing soaks and hourly reenactments of Speed 2: Cruise Control.

Treatments at Bodhisattva Tea Spa work to soothe away clients' stress from the inside out. Sauna sessions use infrared radiation to warm bodies from within, helping to banish toxins, chemicals, and heavy metals via relaxing sweat. Massage therapies evict deep-seated tension caused by hard labor, improper posture, and serving as an Atlas statue in public gardens. Alternatively, aesthetic services such as facials and waxing rejuvenate the outermost layers of the face and body. Patrons can complement any spa treatment with sips of warm, flavorful tea

Zoe A. Tritsis has been interested in healing others for as long as she can remember, but she discovered the therapeutic benefits of massage only after suffering a serious injury of her own. This injury would end up changing her life in unexpected ways. It inspired her to earn her license in massage therapy nearly two decades ago, and ever since then she has worked to soothe muscles with modalities that range from Swedish to neuromuscular therapy.

Throughout the years, Zoe’s base of clients has grown to encompass a number of musicians and staff members from the nearby House of Blues. She honors their patronage—as well as her studio’s location in historic uptown New Orleans—by giving her massages playful, blues-inspired names such as Blues Express and Bluesapallooza. Therapeutic oils, lotions, and mud from the banks of the Ole Mississippi accompany each of her treatments, which take place in a private room equipped with a bathroom and changing area.