A & J Beauty and Day Spa, Roslindale

You're laying face down, unsure of what to expect, when you catch a scent. It’s vaguely familiar, but you can’t pinpoint it before the therapist begins massaging your back and shoulders. The lotions and oils seep into your skin and their aromas rock your mind to a sleep-like state. The therapist arranges heated stones along your spine, and, like an electric blanket in a lightning storm, your back suddenly warms, allowing your muscles to complete the transition from tense to relaxed. The next hour flies by.

The hot-stone treatment is just one of five relaxing massage treatments mastered by the licensed staff at A & J Beauty and Day Spa. Aromatic or unscented oils accompany each custom service, be it an indulgent 80-minute Swedish massage or an in-and-out 30-minute mini treatment. The team doles out just as many facials, soothing and rejuvenating both men and women with products tailored to individual needs, and annihilating signs of acne or aging with the needle-free CarboDerm therapy. Their body wraps cocoon clients in seaweed or masks that energize the lymphatic system and firm and tighten physiques, and their mani-pedis incorporate skin-softening paraffin wax and no-chip shellac polish.