Massage in Lebanon

Licensed massage therapist Janet Shelton has been giving massages “since before I [can] remember,” she says. At first, these were mostly casual sessions for her twin sister, who “was born asking for a massage.” But as Shelton grew up, she came to take her hobby more seriously. Coming from a family of nurses, she “always want[ed] to do something to help people,” and with its positive impacts on injury recovery, therapeutic massage seemed to fit the bill.

Since then, Shelton has supplemented her massage-therapy license with work experience in chiropractic offices and spas. Depending on a client’s needs, she can perform an active clinical massage with stretching and feedback or gently knead for a soothing, quiet experience. No matter the modality, clients can bring in their own music on an iPod and breathe in the scents of botanical oils Shelton blends by hand.

After a frightening near-death experience, Ananda Rubio awakened from a weeklong coma with a renewed sense of purpose. Today, he fulfills much of that purpose by healing others through massage. A licensed massage therapist, Ananda applies his personal healing touch during deep-tissue and Swedish massages, hot-stone therapy, and PNF stretching sessions.

Ananda works alongside a team of like-minded practitioners at Radiant Health Center, a tranquil oasis that emphasizes the healing power of natural therapies such as massage, acupuncture, and Chinese medicine. The spa also hosts an infrared sauna in its secluded garden, where clients can detoxify and become one with nature as they pretend to be flowers in a greenhouse.

Whereas many massage practitioners stick to kneading backs and shoulders, Steve Brodsky approaches the healing process by working with the entire body. A certified Breema practitioner, Steve manipulates his clients' arms and legs, moving them into stretches and poses that promote total-body alignment. He also performs Thai massages, as well as therapeutic massages that can help bodies recover from days spent tumbling down steps at the amusement park’s stairway ride.