Hillsdale, NJ Spa and Massage

At TherapyWorks of Jacksonville, relaxation is only a side effect. The staff's main goals for treatments are more medically minded: treatment of injuries, pain relief, stress reduction, and improved quality of life for their clients. Founder James R. Lehman leads the team of licensed massage therapists and physical therapists, whose services cover common massage modalities, such as deep tissue and Swedish, as well as more specialized neuromuscular and orthopedic work. These staffers personalize each appointment to address a number of rehabilitative concerns, including relief for chronic neck and back tension, automobile and sports injuries, and the weight-bearing aches associated with pregnancy or watermelon smuggling.

All three TherapyWorks clinics strive to craft goal-oriented regimens for their visitors, focusing on concrete outcomes rather than merely suppressing symptoms. They also accept most insurance plans, provided patients have a physician's prescription for treatment.

At Integrative Health, Inc., more than 25 practitioners—from licensed chiropractors to acupuncturists to massage therapists—specialize in more than 30 total services that span both conventional and alternative medicine. This broad spectrum allows the independent practitioners to form a cooperative network that can offer clients integrated health care for both physical and mental wellness.

For example, chiropractors and massage therapists may work together to help patients overcome chronic pain, or acupuncturists and psychotherapists can combine efforts to help alleviate anxiety about Mayan-calendar predictions. Further services include therapies such as weight loss with the Ideal Protein system, and classes such as yoga and how to shop for ergonomic furniture. Integrative Health’s practitioners are happy to answer prospective clients’ questions during free consultations.

Chains of papery, white disks surround ceiling lamps at Element Salon and Spa and scatter golden light over the mod, spacious studio. A black-and-white color scheme permeates the space, which houses a row of stand-alone styling stations that resemble the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey, but with more hairspray. In this space, stylists update hairdos with cuts and coloring treatments, and aestheticians and nail techs tuck into quieter corners for waxes, facials, and mani-pedis. In the waiting area, flat-screen televisions roll footage of fashion shows as iPads entertain patrons who await appointments.

How does one start a skincare business with no equipment, products, or money? Kim Evans found herself in that predicament when she started her business immediately after passing the state boards. With nothing but faith and a strong work ethic, she began tending to her clients' skin needs inside a rented room of a small spa. She worked 80 hours per week and became a licensed massage therapist to expand her business into what it is today: a wellness spa that enhances the beauty and health of skin and body through spa services and massage. Inside 2Gorjis Integrated Health & Wellness, three private treatment rooms house clients as two skin therapists cleanse surfaces during custom facials, or wrap bodies in aromatherapy herbal linens. The staff members bolster natural features with eyelash extensions, meticulous body waxing, and makeup artistry that includes exclamation points drawn next to eyebrows.

The skilled staffers at The Spa at Hilton Woodcliff Lake refresh frazzled minds with an array of massages and restore weathered countenances with a bevy of salon services. While unloading their stresses atop a soft massage bed, visitors yield muscles to soft strokes during massages that melt away bad thoughts like a cell phone in the microwave. The crew also consists of several skin specialists, who draw upon their skills to moisturize skin, restore rich tones, and remove unwanted hair.

Royal Table Massage owner Rebecca Herrmann moved her nine-year-old business into its current location so that she and her staff could impart relaxation to more clients at once—seven, to be precise. She and her staff have mastered therapeutic massages but also utilize massage’s rejuvenating principles in treatments for the face and body. The space’s turquoise-and-blue color scheme exudes serenity, easing clients into the services that tend to leave them feeling as relaxed as a rooster dining at a vegan restaurant.