Massage in Waunakee

Martyn Luberti traces his career back to the 1960s, when America's interest in alternative therapy first started to peak. Since then, Martyn has stuck with holistic therapies, exploring both acupuncture and homeopathy before settling on massage. He has been practicing for 16 years, and begins each and every session with a consultation to help him construct a unique massage based on his client's needs and treatment goals. His repertoire combines traditional massage, including the Swedish style, with more exotic therapies, including sensory repatterning, which uses gentle rocking to uncork stressful mental and physical patterns like a bottle of bubbling maple syrup at a waffle-house grand opening.

To create a tranquil, relaxing experience, The Spa of Cool Springs incorporates elements of nature into both its treatments and its decor. Guests walking into the reception area are greeted by comfortable brown leather armchairs and a substantial marble-and-stone desk. In the treatment rooms, deep-green walls and botanically inspired prints bring the outdoors in. Therapists perform a variety of massage modalities within their dimly lit hallows, using earthy tools such as warm river rocks and brown-sugar scrubs. During skincare treatments, the fragrant and sustainably farmed ingredients in Éminence Organic Skin Care products soothe weary skin. Aestheticians promote a balanced complexion with probiotics and tea-tree oil, or employ a citrusy, herbal formula to target men's ingrown hairs or stubborn Muscle Milk mustaches.

Like secret agents, the therapists at Miracles in Massage posses both state licenses and national certifications. As opposed to using their powers for subterfuge, however, they instead treat pain and tension with soothing massages. They combine the long, flowing strokes of Swedish massage with the more penetrating pressure of deep tissue massage and neuromuscular therapy.

Fully insured and licensed massage therapist Liang Jun spent her childhood in China, where she first learned the techniques of ancient Chinese medicine from her healer grandmother. Her youthful interest and aptitude in restoring balance to off-kilter energy channels soon led to her to pursue a degree in Chinese medicine and, later, to open her own healing practice in Madison’s Quarry Arts Building.

Jun's nimble fingers now lead the way through traditional massages designed to stimulate the body’s natural energy lines. By focusing on these meridians––also known as the "twelve rivers"––Jun can energize and rebalance the body's yin and yang. When not stabilizing mojos, Jun employs skills learned under a fifth-generation master to teach students tai chi, a Chinese martial art whose methodical movements can help one block out stress and escape undetected from heated political debates.

Licensed massage therapist Melanie Balsis doesn't hold one healing technique above any other—she believes that nearly every therapy has some value. Her time studying at East-West Healing Arts Institute taught her to integrate standard Western techniques with ancient Asian traditions in each of her soothing massage sessions, picking and choosing the approaches that are right for each client. From the West, she flaunts skills in Swedish and deep-tissue methods, whereas her Eastern techniques range from tui na—also known as Chinese medical massage—and acupressure to cupping therapy, which uses round cups and gentle suction to enhance circulation and recover the balls that vanish during sidewalk magic tricks. She listens closely to the goals and concerns of each client, letting that information guide her approach.

Relaxation Station bills itself as an alternative to the garish wallpaper and crowded lobbies of some other spas, providing an uncrowded, quiet environment where stress is massaged away. In a private environment, Relaxation Station’s massage therapists identify and correct the underlying causes of discomfort, whether they're caused by old sports injuries or frequent naps atop a pile of gold and bones. Clients can enjoy comfortable temperatures and muted colors in each of Relaxation Station’s rooms, where they may drink Teavana tea or Oliver wines.