Massage in Hoover

Located inside of Go Natural Herbs for Health, Valleydale Massage houses massage experts ready to restore bodies to their natural balance with nine different types of customizable massage therapy. Therapists begin each visit with a consultation designed to suss out clients' reasons for visiting, determine their physical condition, and identify any individuals who happen to know the location of Carmen Sandiego. Next, clients recline upon padded massage tables before heated sheets wrap them in a steamy embrace and deft hands knead away stress and soreness. Therapists are proficient in a number of therapeutic modalities, unleashing Swedish strokes for massage beginners, prenatal techniques for mothers-to-be, and sports massage for athletes and those suffering from muscular pain.

Advance Muscle Therapy’s licensed massage therapists sweep away stress with classic massage techniques. The relaxation massage’s light–medium pressure gently coaxes pockets of tension and painful clusters of magic school busses from muscles, and the deep-tissue modality reaches the body’s buried kinks with the aim of ousting chronic pain. To round out the treatments, a small slate of spa services includes hydrating facials and body wraps.

Escape Day Spa co-owners Carrie Wheelock and Alicia Liddon know how therapeutic a day at the spa can be. Wheelock, an experienced massage therapist, has witnessed the restoration and healing power of touch while both giving and receiving massages. Liddon, on the other hand, is not only an aesthetician, but also a wife and mother of three who understands the daily stressors of family life. Her passion for healthy skin has helped ground her and was her inspiration for opening her own skincare clinic.

At the spa's new location in Edgewood, the duo and their team perform treatments that range from multimodality massages and facials with organic Babor products to mother-of-pearl body scrubs and mani-pedis with vegan SpaRitual polish. They also create spa packages that allow romantic couples, pairs of best friends, or celebrities and their egos to enjoy chocolates and champagne while relaxing together.

If she were handed a list of humanity's basic needs, Crystal Sutton might write "relaxation" just beneath "food, water, and shelter." The licensed massage therapist believes that cutting down on stress at the spa shouldn't be a special occasion, but a regular occurrence. She even began a massage membership program to encourage monthly visits.

Crystal—who graduated from University of Alabama with a biology degree—backs up that perspective by citing its many benefits, which range from a decrease in chronic pain to better blood pressure. She strives to achieve these results in her clients with a handful of methods. Swedish, deep-tissue, and hot-stone massages complement specialized styles, such as a TMJ treatment—focused tissue work around the mouth that relieves pain in the jaw from trying to swallow whole grapefruits. For less medicinal treatments, Crystal keeps cosmetologist Michelle on staff who upgrades appointments with a mani-pedi or facial.

Soft, relaxing music battles audible oohs and aahs at Kacey Mayo's massage studio, where the licensed massage therapist calls upon her training in seven modalities to dissolve stress and pain. Mayo encourages clients to speak up about their expectations and needs so that she can tailor her services to treat past injuries and other areas of concern. Electric warmers keep massage beds toasty, and the specialist uses heated packs to keep unmassaged areas warm throughout each session.

Licensed massage therapist Kimberly M. Johnson employs seven different styles of kneads to release her clients’ physical and emotional tensions. An annual participant in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Kimberly knows firsthand that athletic movements—as well as day-to-day activities—can put a strain on the body’s muscles. She combines her knowledge of anatomy with a compassionate approach during 60- to 90-minute Swedish massages that unwind knotted muscle fibers with alternating pressures. Aside from this popular modality and its deep-tissue sibling, Kimberly targets athletic ailments with specialized sports massages and prepares muscles for mashing with warm, smooth stones placed along the back or hurled at spots of tension.