North Stamford Spa and Massage

Salon Shahin owner Shahin Farzam opened his salon with a steadfast pledge to devote time and attention to both clients and the environment. The team of hairdressers uses plant-based Phytologie products, and each stylist brings his or her own unique touch to the styling chair, delivering customized classic and cutting-edge haircuts alongside coloring services that use ammonia-free European products.

The staff also provides skincare services using the Jan Marini system. A slate of facials for men and women, along with nourishing body treatments, renders clients’ skin as smooth as a lounge singer’s request for a raise.

Julianne Steiner readily admits that she can’t turn off her “beauty junkie” tendencies. When she meets someone new, she automatically homes in on their most striking features and brainstorms ways to accentuate them. As an aesthetician and a makeup artist, Julianne begins with skincare in creating her beauty masterpieces. Using the organic Jurlique line, she custom-blends facials, and, with Palomar wand in hand, unleashes waves of pulsed light on blemishes or unwanted hair. Julianne also offers Brazilian waxing, using special wax that's suitable for sensitive skin, as well as chemical peels.

Once she liberates skin from spots and fuzz, Julianne can fully realize her artistic vision with the help of high-quality liners, shadows, and mascara. In addition to applying makeup, she also teaches lessons and helps clients rid their own cosmetic bags of unflattering or outdated products.

Nobody will mistake Mountain Therapeutics for an ancient Buddhist temple, but the two have more in common than one might think. This is all thanks to licensed massage therapists David Schoenberg and business partner Marisa DelMonaco, whose mutual interest in Buddhist teachings led them to master traditional Thai yoga massage. With a history that stretches back three millennia, this form of bodywork requires a deep commitment on the therapist’s part. This did not deter David. If anything, he was attracted to the ways in which Thai yoga massage exemplifies the Buddhist principles of kindness and compassion.

Today, David administers the slow, rhythmic strokes of Thai yoga massage within the serene confines of their shared studio. When he isn’t using their thumbs, palms, elbows, and feet to seek out sen—or energy—lines across the body, he works to alleviate chronic pains with neuromuscular therapy and increase muscles’ range of movement with myofascial therapy. Considering the holistic emphasis of most of their massages, it’s not surprising that he also offers detoxifying colonics and nutritional coaching to ensure that clients aren’t getting all of their iron from anvil shavings.

Kim Sangiuolo doesn’t just practice massage; she curates it. Her signature fusion massage—the centerpiece of Holistic Healing’s service menu—is a soothing and spirit-reviving treatment designed to assuage muscular discomfort while bolstering the body’s spiritual well-being. Beginning with deep-tissue work, Kim incorporates techniques from other massage types, picking and choosing based on the client's specific needs. This form of therapeutic massage has helped her treat clients with injuries such as tendinitis, muscle strains, and headaches. Kim and the other therapists at Holistic Healing also offer Swedish and deep-tissue massages, which can be useful when trying to relieve work-related stress or recover from a day of helping a friend move his collection of antique cement bags.

The Ridgefield Salon & Spa's owner, Darcey Wulkan, is also a licensed massage therapist and certified aesthetician and has been a local beautifying presence in Fairfield County for more than 17 years. Along with her staff, Darcey provides a suite of aesthetic services ranging from basic to downright indulgent—encompassing everything from classic mani-pedis and full-body waxing to decadent facials built around ingredients such as 24-karat liquid gold, caviar extract, and diamond dust. The newly remodeled spa features two pedicure chairs, complete with shiatsu massage jets, to make it even easier to schedule mani-pedis with the a friend. Massage therapists knead out knots in a private treatment room, where cocoa-colored walls and tranquil black-and-white photos of nature lend a relaxing aura akin to watching Yanni do yoga.

Though the historic post-and-beam building that houses her studio dates all the way back to the 1830s, licensed massage therapist Lynda Williams is used to dealing with healing traditions that are even older than that. She draws upon her training and experience in ancient Eastern and Western modalities—including acupressure, craniosacral, and positional release therapy—to release stress, address chronic pain, and relieve the symptoms of an array of medical conditions. Each therapeutic session is tailored to clients' individual needs, addressing both physical symptoms and their underlying physical or emotional causes.