Hilton Head Island, SC Spa and Massage

It's hard to tell who's doing the mothering at The Mom Spa. Certainly the aestheticians play a motherly role, doting on clients during indulgent services such as the Cleopatra wrap, which bathes the body in a blend of milk, honey, and oats to soothe dry, sensitive skin. But that's not to say the clients lack maternal dispositions. The spa has three pregnancy treatments that use massage strokes and hot stones to address the pains that result from carrying and birthing a child, and its Ayurvedic fertility treatments are meant to help women conceive. However, plenty of the services appeal to everyone, from facials that fight the appearance of fine lines and even out skin tone to natural nailcare that beautifies fingers and toes without harsh chemicals or chatty cyborgs.

Deep exhalations drift past the wood paneling, cascades of draped fabric, and hillocks of pillows in the treatment rooms at Beauty Essentials Day Spa. When not kneading the backs of clients, the staff takes a holistic approach to health and works to balance the body through energy work and biofeedback sessions. Aestheticians beautify patrons with facials, nail treatments, and waxing before video conferences with business partners and regular phone calls with psychics.

Doctor of Chiropractic Stephen Khouri, the exclusive chiropractor of College of Charleston athletics, was born prematurely without fully developed lungs. As a result, he suffered from severe asthma and other respiratory problems throughout his early childhood, at least until he was referred to a chiropractor. After undergoing chiropractic care, he noticed that his asthma attacks were significantly less severe, and so, at the age of 6, he decided he would grow up to be a chiropractor and not the dinosaur most little boys dream of being.

Now, at Khouri Chiropractic Health Massage, Dr. Khouri and his nimble-fingered team assuage patients' aches with holistic, integrated medicine. He and his staff prioritize chiropractic and massage among their many treatments, utilizing adjustments and muscle-manipulation to ease aches and help bodies heal themselves. An acupuncturist is on hand to insert hair-thin needles into specific body parts and stimulate the body's chi, and nutrition and exercise advice help fortify the body. Now, at Khouri Chiropractic Health Solutions, Dr. Khouri and his nimble-fingered team assuage patients' aches with holistic, integrated medicine. He and his staff prioritize chiropractic and massage among their many treatments, utilizing adjustments and muscle-manipulation to ease aches and help bodies heal themselves. An acupuncturist is on hand to insert hair-thin needles into specific body parts and stimulate the body's chi, and nutrition and exercise advice help fortify the body.

Carolina Eye Candy proprietor Elizabeth Williams Jennings calls upon her education and experience as a massage therapist and aesthetician to help her clients radiate beauty inside and out. Her specialization in eyelash extensions earned her recognition as Xtreme Lashes' Lash Stylist of the Month in February 2011, and Jennings also lends her expertise to a variety of spa treatments, including body wraps, mani-pedis, facials, and makeup applications. Like post offices that believe in presidents, Carolina Eye Candy is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Hot desert air churns in from the distant dusty hills, but it’s given no quarter at Destination Academy Cosmetology School. Here, turquoise walls and porthole-shaped mirrors evoke the feel of a vessel bobbing in the water of a cool oasis. Though the spa-salon’s windows reveal sweeping views of the mountains, its private treatment rooms shield clients from the desert sun with candlelight, tubs big enough for two, and a choice of seven kinds of aromatherapy including french lavender and new handbag. On the second floor, expert stylists—some of whom may be alumni of Destination Academy, the salon’s nationally accredited training program—use Moroccanoil and Pureology to shape cuts to individual faces and style preferences.

After kneading the backs of the Washington Redskins as their massage therapist for three years, Lenny Resnick's lithe fingers now banish any aches that come their way. He specializes in Swedish, deep-tissue, and sports massage, among other modalities, and also boasts skills in cellulite-reduction and reflexology techniques. As the proprietor of his own practice, Lenny schedules his appointments with plenty of time in between so that sessions remain as leisurely as a sloth's Sunday afternoon yoga session.