Hugo, MN Spa and Massage

The Refinery boosts bodily morale with a bundle of rejuvenating spa treatments, all administered by a professional, experienced staff. With the spa package, serene seekers can pacify all of the body’s fibers, follicles, and subterranean volcanoes, starting with a muscle-mollifying Swedish massage, a 30-minute knead that untangles knotty tendons and reduces everyday and interstellar stress (a $33 value). The pampering package continues with a 30-minute express facial that refreshes skins with a steam, light exfoliation and a customized mask crafted from invigorating Dermalogica products (a $33 value). Hands and feet, meanwhile, find solace in the express mani-pedi, which cleanse, files, buffs, and polishes weary paws for smoother, photo-op-appropriate appendages (a $51 value). The day’s body coddling commences with a professional haircut, a follicular denouement of luxurious shampooing, snipping, and basic styling (a $35 value).

Owner and proprietor Denny Kemp started his career in styling as one of the first students of Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda. Amid playful depictions of personified planets, a brigade of artistically minded stylists, each with at least five years of experience, spritzes clients with such professional-grade products as Bumble and bumble and the French-developed Kérastase. Clarisonic dual-brush sonic oscillation uncorks pores during facials, and Dermalogica skincare products eschew irritants, artificial fragrances, and laugh tracks. In hair services, stylists smooth frizz with keratin formulas or, through the pinch-braid technique, weave natural hair with extensions while boosting volume.

When taj salon & spa’s stylists extract coloring foils, they don’t toss them in the trash. Instead, they recycle the aluminum, putting taj on a short list of local businesses that do so. This is just one of the ways the staff show how devoted they are to beautifying both the earth and the people that populate it. The members of the styling team have been trained extensively with Aveda and the International Dermal Institute to improve their hair, skin, and massage services. Other thoughtful touches that show their dedication to clients include warm towels for the face and neck during haircuts, complimentary bang trims between visits, and stylists who travel to create stunning hairdos before a wedding or between innings of a baseball game.

Upon entering The Image Creator Salon & Day Spa, clients are greeted by 17 seasoned stylists, each with at least five years of experience. As they cut and color hair, two certified massage therapists attempt to reduce clients’ anxiety with customized massages. Spa packages combine hair, nail, and body treatments to rejuvenate clients without fairy godmothers. After treatments, visitors can peruse a collection of products from brands such as Matrix Biolage, Crew, and Aveda to maintain their new looks at home.

Debra Johnson of Tiny Apples Massage Therapy soothes tense muscles with modalities such as Swedish, pregnancy, sports, and therapeutic massage. These techniques can ease injured muscles, improve range of motion, and call lazy blood cells to action. During hot-stone massages, Debra uses smooth stones to loosen curmudgeonly knots. She also uses a Japanese technique known as reiki, which targets the body's life force energy through the laying on of hands. She can also enhance these bodywork techniques with aromatherapy and detoxifying foot soaks. The former adds invigorating scents to the session, and the latter expels impurities by putting each sullied foot through a trial by ordeal.

The licensed massage therapists at Massage Advantage dote on visitors with a slew of custom massage techniques, including Swedish, prenatal, and deep tissue. Armed with warm blankets and a credo to respect patients' privacy, therapists begin each 30- or 60-minute session with a discussion on clients' specific aches and ailments. Therapists can also haul their equipment to office buildings for workplace chair massages that help reinvigorate fatigued employees or stressed-out water coolers during 5–15 minute stints. Each succession of kneads is designed to alleviate stress, muscles soreness, and various medical conditions, such as high blood pressure.