Taunton, MA Spa and Massage

Guests to iMassage are greeted by a wall bearing the words "Relax…Renew…Relieve", hinting at the kneading specialists' ultimate goal as they work to alleviate aches with eight different massage modalities. Private treatment rooms glow with amber tones and soft lighting, helping to usher away outside cares as massage therapists melt stress with gentle Swedish massage or hot stones or target harder-to-reach tension with sports or deep-tissue styles. They also offer side-by-side massages for couples or mother-daughter duos, as well as chair massages to soothe busy bodies or those who are routinely sat on.

Avalanches of tension once spilled over Jennifer Stogryn's neck and shoulders, causing debilitating headaches that plagued her for years. Relief didn't come from pain-masking medications or wearing really soft hats, but from the healing touch of holistic bodywork. With her discovery of the therapy's potentially life-changing effects, she went on to learn the techniques herself by studying at the DoveStar Institute. After receiving hands-on training in Swedish, Kriya, reflexology, and hot-stone bodywork, Jennifer furthered her studies with a yearlong intensive in the art of Reiki—an energy-based treatment designed to realign the body's pathways—and is now a Reiki Master. Jennifer also manipulates the delicate auras herself, balancing inner energies through light touches in an effort to optimize health and happiness. During other bodywork, she focuses on basic bodily ailments in hot-stone, Amma deep-tissue, and pregnancy massages that pair with stints on an Amethyst BioMat, which suffuses bodies with far-infrared rays to promote the purging of toxins and relief of pain.

ArchAngels is the specifically tailored brain baby of Rekha, a one-woman powerhouse of eyebrow-threading talent. With 25 years of experience and a self-described obsession with shaping, fixing, and perfecting the all-powerful brow, Rekha is a one-strand stand for eyebrow-threading needs. For arch pilgrims only familiar with waxing and plucking, threading is a technique that originated in ancient India in which brows are shaped using only a cotton thread. Instead of slathering on harsh hair-removal creams loaded with chemicals or hot wax that can burn and abrade your sensitive face skin, threading wicks away hairs one by one for elegant arches that will frame, define, and brighten your whole face. The results last longer than waxing, and you're also less likely to experience bumps, irritation, swelling, or event horizons. Check out Rekha's photo portfolio for images of her craft, and brace your forehead for a pair of symmetrical, elegant guests.

Lynne Reilly—a certified laser technician, licensed aesthetician, and registered electrologist with 14 years of experience—and her staff know that the best makeovers start with the face. That’s why their menu builds on hair removal and salon services with 17 facial treatments that soothe skin and clear out pores with Dermologica products and techniques such as microdermabrasion, masques, and cupping. Technicians lead their clients to treatment rooms amid the salon’s chic and colorful décor filled with hardwood floors and modern fixtures.

Glow Hair Skin and Harmony’s interior evokes an elegant turn-of-the-century hotel with its candles, sumptuous drapes, gilded decorations, and a real bed for massages. The spa encompasses all three stories of a colonial home, where beauty buffs flock for haircuts, specialty facials, massages, and nailcare. Aestheticians certified in Keratin smoothing treatments can coat strands in Matrix products, while skincare services such as waxing might use Glow’s house line of products. Regardless of the service, the spa staff only uses products that exclude artificial colors, allergens, and repurposed hotel samples.

Owner and stylist Rachel Sanson leads an all-female team of beauty professionals, whose talent and expertise have helped the salon to win Readers' Choice awards from Mansfield Patch in 2012 and Wicked Local in 2011. In addition to standard salon services, including cuts, styles, facials, and massages, the staff can keep its clients up to date on current trends with feather-lock extensions and color rubs, temporary dyes that easily wash out either in the shower or in a neighbor's birdbath.