Revere, MA Spa and Massage

Willow Salon, Spa, & Shoppe feels more like a cozy living room than a salon. Wood floors, exposed-brick walls, and a roaring fireplace provide a backdrop for hot cups of tea from a tea bar, adding an unusually homey vibe to the act of polishing nails or styling hair. Its services, though, are strictly professional: stylists sleeken hair with nourishing products such as Moroccanoil and Global Keratin, and nail technicians leave mirror sheens with OPI, Essie, and Butter lacquers. Walk through the french doors in the back of the salon, and you'll find yourself in the spa room, where skincare products lining an old-fashioned white hutch power a slate of facials and the company's secret microdermabrasion cyborg. Customers looking for a single pampering session aren't the only ones who can enjoy the warm environs, either, as the salon also hosts celebrations for birthday girls of any age, bachelorette parties, and even cigar- and scotch-tasting events for men.

After earning a dual bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston, Latoya Lewis graduated from the Elizabeth Grady School of Esthetics and Massage Therapy. Today, she specializes in reflexology, deep-tissue, Swedish, and sports massage, in which a cushion-footed baseball mascot walks on the client's back. Latoya prides herself on her level of empathy and intuition, always making the effort to understand clients' problems and constantly tailoring her services to the individual in her care. She often incorporates elements of trigger-point therapy and reflexology, as well as stretching and breathing exercises, into her massages. Past clients have included oncology patients and senior citizens, for whom she's developed ongoing therapy plans that she hopes will translate into broader, life-related changes.

In 2005, a pair of sisters—chiropractor Dr. Anne Marie and aesthetician Christina—put their holistic-centered minds together to create a spa focused on health and relaxation. Peace and tranquility are the main offerings at Vitality, a centre intended to be an oasis for both body and mind. Between blue, lavender, and khaki walls, guests step into slippers and inhale at the aromatherapy bar before taking on relaxing treatments such as facials, massage, or body wraps. Aesthetic services such as nail care, hair removal, and makeup artistry round out the spa's generous menu of treatments. Individual needs inform what types of services the staff recommends for guests, be it an anti-aging facial, dermabrasion skin-renewing treatment, or soothing, massage-based sessions. Memberships, packages, and private parties also create affordable ways to experience Vitality's serene spaces and aesthetic professionalism.

After a more than 20-year career in retail, Kim Ryan heeded the encouragement of her husband, friends, and thoroughly wrung out dish towels to pursue an education at the Salter massage school. Today she’s a member of ABMP—Associated Bodywork and Massage Professional—and dedicates her life to helping do away with the stress of others. Ryan’s custom massages take on many forms, such as flowing Swedish strokes to improve range of motion in limbs, but they are all consciously geared toward giving clients a relaxing respite. When not melting muscles in her quaint studio, Kim can be found donating her massage skills for assisted living facilities and other worthy causes.