Ridgeland, MS Spa and Massage

It's quiet in Aqua the Day Spa. No cell phones or pagers are allowed to remain active in either of the two locations, so all you hear is your pulse slowing to a steady, soothing beat and the tiny noises made as expert hands open bottles of designer beauty products. Open since 1998, owners Susan and Ralph Barnette struck the right, Enya-like chord in 2003, when they first earned the title of Best Day Spa in the Jackson Free Press's annual "Best Of" roundup. The team of aestheticians and massage therapists have swept that title every year since, deflating the competition in proportion to lifting spirits. Paraben-free Skin Authority and scented Tokyomilk tonics nourish skin with vitamin-rich Moroccan clay and soothing mango, or exfoliate dead cells with bamboo salves scented with ylang-ylang. The staff's nimble hands blend these into custom treatments, including those to combat aging and the strange shadows creeping over men's skin, and work aromatherapeutic elixirs into muscles with nine different massage modalities. OPI and Shellac nail polish transform hands and feet into fashion accessories, a project helped along by smoothing wax.

At Spa Beca, award-winning aestheticians and massage therapists tend to bodies in a tranquil spa exclusively devoted to massage and body-therapy services. A staff member ushers guests into private treatment rooms, where low lighting casts a warm glow on blond terra-cotta walls and soothing decor, such as bronze sculptures and landscape murals. The spa's treatments range from individual services—such as massage, nail services, facials, and body wraps—to packages that stretch across an entire day and combine several detoxification and rejuvenation treatments typically reserved for returning cosmonauts.

Lashea Sabatini's roster of massage therapies and body treatments sound indulgent—the shea-butter body whip, the aromatherapy oils—but often they couldn't have a more serious intent. That's because Lashea specializes in fertility massage, a modality that she says aids in conception by cleansing the digestive system, balancing the body's cranial-sacral alignment, and stimulating the genes that cause humans to become successful doctors instead of manatees. Along with fertility massage, she offers Swedish, deep-tissue, and prenatal massage.