Shenandoah, LA Spa and Massage

AVIVA is owned and operated by Linda Strickland, a nationally certified massage therapist dedicated to de-stressing her home state's citizens. At AVIVA, customers are viewed as individuals, not bioengineered clones with exponentially crumbling genomes. This is why your hour-long massage will not consist of prepackaged muscle swabbing but rather a careful treatment tailored to your body's personal needs. Techniques may include the gentle Swedish, therapeutic deep tissue, neuromuscular plumbing, connective tissue-focused aid, or some combination of assorted traditions. All sessions include indulgent hot towels, tranquil music, and a nasal massage in the form of essential-oil aromatherapy.

Dipping their piggies into Body Cleanse’s relaxing footbaths, clients lean back and relax while the ion-charged water coaxes toxins and chemicals out through pores with the power of magnetic attraction. Sessions clean out the entire body, promoting better organ function and helping alleviate joint aches, insomnia, acne, and spontaneous invisibility.

Zoe A. Tritsis has been interested in healing others for as long as she can remember, but she discovered the therapeutic benefits of massage only after suffering a serious injury of her own. This injury would end up changing her life in unexpected ways. It inspired her to earn her license in massage therapy nearly two decades ago, and ever since then she has worked to soothe muscles with modalities that range from Swedish to neuromuscular therapy.

Throughout the years, Zoe’s base of clients has grown to encompass a number of musicians and staff members from the nearby House of Blues. She honors their patronage—as well as her studio’s location in historic uptown New Orleans—by giving her massages playful, blues-inspired names such as Blues Express and Bluesapallooza. Therapeutic oils, lotions, and mud from the banks of the Ole Mississippi accompany each of her treatments, which take place in a private room equipped with a bathroom and changing area.