Beauty & Spas in Holt

Licensed massage therapist Bilky Joda-Miller believes that massage can do more than just loosen tight muscles. That’s why her signature services go beyond full-body massages—including those for children and infants—to include regimens geared toward the pain relief and detoxification of fertility and prenatal clients. Her belief in the healing nature of her art also extends to cancer survivors and their caregivers, whom she grants special discounts. Whatever their background may be, clients begin their treatment by settling onto a cozy massage table as soft notes of soothing music keep their minds centered and their spirits providing beatbox accompaniment.

Owner and licensed massage therapist Juan Medina's commitment to comfort adds a personal touch to MiStar Massage, which he named after his daughters, Miya and Starla. As a military veteran, Medina approaches healing with compassion and diligence, personally consulting with clients to identify their individual treatment goals before kneading muscles with fully body, clinical, and trigger point massages. The private treatment room at MiStar exudes a vibrant personality, with bold crimson walls bedecked with a Spanish guitar, Russian nesting dolls, and other multicultural artwork. To personalize each treatment, Medina encourages guests to bring their own iPod or organ grinder monkey along to play their preferred music.

The colors black and maroon frame Bella Rio Salon’s prominent storefront windows, which reveal aestheticians and stylists scurrying to and fro inside the Old Town establishment. Dangling from a high-vaulted ceiling, contemporary lighting fixtures illuminate the historical building’s exposed-brick walls, sleek haircutting stations, and a jumble of Bumble and bumble and Pureology haircare products perched on glass shelves. Owner Faith Waugh is a Douglas J Aveda Institute graduate, as are several of the other beauticians, all of whom excel at endowing patrons with lustrous hair, glimmering eyes, and cheeks rosier than the Queen of Hearts' roses.

Massage therapist Bee Queener channels her training at Ann Arbor Institute of Massage Therapy and passion for helping to ease discomfort and pain into custom therapeutic massages. Bon Vitale Naturale massage oil helps Bee's hands to skate smoothly over the skin as they apply targeted pressure on client-chosen areas, untying knots and easing aches in modalities ranging from Swedish massage to myofascial-release therapy. Beyond banishing discomfort from backs during massage sessions, the spa's custom facial massage services—in addition to perfecting the skin—seek to ease tension from the face, neck, and jawline, helping clients to swiftly chew steak without help from mother birds. In keeping with her own personal vegan habits, Bee uses vegan facial products from Lush, carefully chosen to match each client’s unique skinscape.

Bee’s ground-level office employs warm orange tones to elicit feelings of health and vitality. The welcoming atmosphere encourages patrons to express their needs and comfort levels, and in keeping with this philosophy, clients can undress as much or as little as they like, lounging beneath professional draping or keeping on beloved aluminum foil cardigans.

If a cornucopia could grow to the size of a city block, it would look something like Lansing City Market. On a typical day, baskets brim with peppers, squash, and turnips from local farms, and homemade pies flaunt fillings as sweet and colorful as the rainbow that fathered Shirley Temple. Nearly 20 year-round merchants chat with passersby, telling the stories behind handmade wares such as soaps, chutneys, and garden statues. At Caruso's Candy Kitchen, kids ogle hand-dipped chocolates and bins of bulk candy, which teem with gummi bears and Jelly Belly jellybeans. Adults gather around the tables at Uncle John's Fruit House Winery, drinking in the flavors of Michigan's orchards with free samples of cherry wine and apple brandy. To make shopping as enjoyable as possible, Market Place Massage's trio of therapists melts muscle knots and undigested cheese logs with trigger-point therapy and flowing Swedish massage strokes.

After 20 years working under the name Capelli Oggi, the team at the newly minted Encore Salon decided it was time to reinvent, rename, and remodel the entire space. The beauty experts continue to provide top-notch haircare, waxing, and nail services in their reimagined salon, using a consultative approach that facilitates a fruitful back-and-forth and allows them to craft styles based on each client’s vision and wig collection. In addition to the talented team of beautifiers, the facility houses an impressive array of salon products for purchase and also boasts a dedicated mani-pedi room for nail treatments.