Watervliet, NY Spa and Massage

Bethlehem Massage's practitioners blend western massage techniques with eastern practices to promote balance and harmony in their clients. First visits typically begin with a consultation, during which a licensed therapist takes the time to understand individuals' medical histories and motivations for visiting. They draw from a buffet of services such as Swedish massage and hyper-specific doctor's-orders massage, before lavishing clients with focused bodywork that rewards the muscles for automatically flexing when photographed by traffic cameras. The facility's in-house acupuncturist also stands ready to target afflictions with a 4,000-year-old Chinese practice.

Presumably tired of standing, sore of foot and back, Dustin Campbell first found his way into a massage chair at a concert. Fifteen minutes later, he knew he wanted to be a massage therapist. With barely a backward glance, he plunged into a 1,020-hour massage-therapy certification program that covered four modalities, basic sciences, medical skills, and business practices. He came out the other end Dustin Campbell, Licensed Massage Therapist, and started his own business, The Bears Massage. Today, he continues to explore and study the world of natural healing as he plies his trade on Albany's sore backs.

Muscle-kneading duo Linda Mehleisen-Kelly and Bryan Bauer eradicate back-bound aches with nine massage and energy-balancing services, calling upon years of training from Albany's own Center for Natural Wellness. Swedish and deep-tissue massage work kinks out of tired physiques, and reiki employs dexterous hands to clear away energy blockages and detoxify the body. Hot stones and bamboo sticks gently unwind tension with pulsating warmth, loosening even the most tightly wound of muscles and thawing out backs frozen from giving snowmen piggyback rides.

John Mitchell’s many certifications allow him to perform massages, personal training sessions, CPR, as first aid, as well as combat bloodborne pathogens when vampires get reckless. John dispenses most of those skills at Advanced Bodyworks, where clients recline during relaxing massages and stay upright during calorie-burning workouts.