San Francisco Spa and Massage

Situated below a former bank, Acqua di Roma has transformed the cold aura of currency into a gorgeous spa environment that sooths the soul like a warm biscuit filled with jazz notes. Treatment rooms are situated in what were once underground security vaults. Gone are the padlocks and the daily jewel heists; they've been replaced with neutral-hued walls, wood floors, dim lighting, and exquisitely selected artwork, including a wall frescoed with a Gustav Klimt work. Some details have been preserved, such as doors framed by metal rivets that remind the visitor of what once was while adding an edge of character to the spa's appearance.

The elegant spa offers a variety of lavish treatments to treat tired Thoreau scholars and their transcendentalist companions. Stop in for an express manicure ($35) and pedicure ($45) to repair damage incurred during sandcastle-building contests, or opt for an eyebrow wax and shaping ($25) to ensure optimal expression of emotion. A 60-minute massage ($180) is customized to suit the kneading needs of your body and mind, and an hour-long essential exfoliating body treatment ($180) calmly sloughs away unwanted skin scales. To pamper your body like a pro wrestler, exchange your Groupon for a three-month membership to the state-of-the-art gym (normally $89 per month) to work and sweat your way toward a physique that will make statues weep sodium pebbles from their rocky eyes.

When Earthbody looks to hire new massage therapists and licensed aestheticians, it doesn't consider recent graduates—rather, it's looking for people with years of training and experience beneath their belts, and who still love what they do. It wants people who are healers at heart, able to lavish each client with skillful services and attention. Each detail at Earthbody has been carried out with similar mindfulness—from the spa's own line of organic body and facial products, all crafted in small batches in San Francisco, to little luxuries such as heated and infused foot towels and complimentary tea service.

To set the mood, the staff lights soy candles and tea lights, which burn cleanly so that even those with allergies can breathe easily. Surrounded by this soft glow, aestheticians renew skin with facials or treat bodies to massages that not only make muscles feel great but also uproot deep-seated tension. After each session—be it a couples massage or hot-oil Indian scalp treatment—the staff can compost, recycle, or launder everything used during the sessions. Dr. Shawn Goozh, a licensed clinical psychologist, also offers somatic-psychotherapy sessions that use bodywork to deepen traditional psychotherapy.

The staff's attention to detail hasn't gone unnoticed by the media. "This intimate Hayes Valley spot is more healing center than mere day spa," writes the San Francisco Bay Guardian. "Therapists are trained in several modalities and develop custom sessions for every client, including consultations before and after treatment." In 2010, SF Weekly named Earthbody its pick for best day spa, citing its "ecological sustainability and ancient holistic rites."

The demand for Ginger Springs Day Spa's holistically minded services has sparked a recent expansion resulting in a couple’s massage room and private relaxation area. Wielding botanical-laden European skincare products from Pevonia Botanica and Jan Marini, aestheticians pamper countenances with vitamin-rich ingredients and supplement most sessions with extras such as aromatherapy, a heated neck cozy, or herbal tea. Sage accent walls and exposed brickwork create a soothing, homey ambience amid the spa's contemporary ambience, which features stark-white moulding and gleaming wooden floors.

Eva Claiborne grew up in Hungary—a country renowned for its rejuvenating hot springs and lavish spas. She received her master's in skincare after five years of graduate training in Budapest, and in 1989, she moved to the United States. Today, she has more than 30 years of spa and skincare experience, which guides her as she treats women and men of every age.

Eva's specialty skincare services work to diminish an array of skin problems, including age spots, rosacea, and portraits of Marty Feldman drawn in permanent marker. Her luxurious Hungarian-style facials, meanwhile, regale faces with lavish treatments, including one that incorporates a 24-karat colloidal gold serum. Her body treatments range from slimming wraps to her own signature "shell and chakras" therapy, which uses aromatherapy oil and seashells to massage bodies and balance chakras.

The products Eva uses are every bit as luxurious as her services, from her own Inderma line, forged from fair-trade ingredients to treat pre- and post-operative plastic-surgery patients, to European formulas such as Omorovicza and Germaine De Capuccini.

The certified massage therapists at Oakland Massage Therapy ply away muscle tension with practiced strokes and spa-like add-ons. Within a cozy private room, they mend aches with gentle Swedish strokes and stretch sore muscles with deep-tissue kneads. Warm towels envelop backs and limbs in soothing comfort enhanced further by the penetrating heat of hot stones. Therapists also soften skin with salt scrubs, and tackle stressful thoughts about work or the ending of 1984 with aromatherapy.