The Tune Bed at JW Marriott Nashville
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Just as a musician tunes his instrument to play his best, the Tune Bed is able to tune the human body through sound and technology. By enveloping a person in sounds—vibrations—at varying frequencies, it brings the vibrations of mind and body into balance and harmony. A fifteen-minute session leaves you feeling refreshed and imbued with a sense of clarity that abides with you throughout the day. You can choose from seven different frequencies depending on our need: Brighten, Focus, Energize, Create, Meditate, Cleanse, and Recover.
Lie down on the tune bed, and cocoon yourself with the weighted blanket. You may wear an eye mask. Put on the headset and focus on your breath. In moments, you’ll hear a pleasant “ting,” the audible signal that the session has begun. You’ll feel the vibrations of the bed, rolling, in waves, like the bass line to a song. These target the back and the hips, where we hold on to stress. And, they coincide with the music in your ears, at times melodies of piano or flute, at times of nature, the elements. With each resonant sequence, you go deeper into relaxation. While your body repairs, your mind becomes present to the simple joy of the moment.
JW Marriott is the only hotel in the world offering this service, available also to the public by booking through the JW Spa. Stay Tuned. marriott.com
Seasonal Body Polish + Massage at Urban Oasis Day Spa
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Cold weather often can lead to dull, dry skin, stiff joints, and an overall sluggish feeling. Sith and Mary Phrachak, owners of Urban Oasis Day Spa, have designed a solution: a treatment that combines and exfoliating cleanse, a hot towel treatment, and a therapeutic massage using handcrafted massage butter. In the drear of winter, this welcome indulgence leaves your skin renewed, your muscles and joints relieved, and your sense of well-being reinvigorated. The treatment lasts one hour, although you may opt for a longer massage.
Coming from a background in chemistry, Mary has formulated body scrubs and whipped massage butters under the Frisky Bumblebee Apothecary line. You might want Thai coconut-lemongrass, or cypress pine, or Tahitian vanilla-rose geranium.
Your therapist will start with a light massage before vigorously applying the body scrub, beginning on your back and shoulders. Next, your therapist will wrap a hot towel onto the buffed area, which dissolves and absorbs the sugar scrub, before smoothing on the special lotion made of shea butter, cocoa butter, and coconut oil.
The hour melts away, as back-to-front, your arms, legs, hands, feet, neck, and torso get cleansed, toweled, oiled, and massaged. You feel so cared for. Your skin feels soft, supple, and healthy. You glow.
CBD-Infused Massage at Mokara Spa at Omni
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If your goal is to kick off your year from a place of deep relaxation, book an appointment at the Omni Nashville’s Mokara Spa for one of their newest offerings, a CBD oil-enhanced massage.
“I tell anyone getting the treatment that it’s like a massage for your brain,” said Daniel, the masseuse, as he prepared me for my 50-minute treatment.
He warned that I might feel woozy afterward, especially if I was sensitive to caffeine or other stimulants—the CBD balm has 100 milligrams of activated hemp oil, which can coax the mind into a calmer state. The massage itself was slow-moving and low-pressure—more about melting the muscles into butter than putting them through the wringer. The oil smelled faintly of eucalyptus and pine—herbal but not overpowering.
Daniel put extra emphasis on my knees, mentioning that he was combining CBD and a birch oil on those areas to combat achiness—I immediately felt a difference. Afterward, I did move a little slower, practically floating from the room as my skin absorbed the tingly, soothing oil and my brain took in the calming effects of the hemp. The results lasted well into the evening, leaving me relaxed (and even a little giggly) until my head hit the pillow for what was a solid and restful sleep.
Warm Bourbon Massage at The Westin Nashville’s Rhapsody Spa
Lisa Diederich
Whether you’re trying to soothe your muscles after a long holiday season (standing at cocktail parties and keeping up with houseguests can be exhausting!) or just hoping to warm your bones, The Westin Nashville’s Rhapsody Spa has the cure for your winter blahs: a Warm Bourbon Massage. Yes. We said bourbon. This heavenly treatment combines some of the most tension melting ingredients, including scents of bourbon, Madagascar vanilla, and peppermint.
The experience begins with a little R&R in Rhapsody’s soothing relaxation room, where you recline in peaceful tranquility and enjoy a hot cup of tea, spa water, or a little Prosecco. (You can also take full advantage of the spa’s other amenities, but more on those later.)
Your massage therapist will roust you just long enough to make your way to a treatment room for the main event. During the 80-minute session, you’ll enjoy a massage with pressure of your choosing using the scented oils. Sink even deeper into relaxation thanks to a heated back pack and warm Himalayan stones.
Finally, your massage therapist will apply a peppermint twist lotion to your feet, which leaves them feeling silky, smooth and free of winter’s harsh dryness.
But the relaxation doesn’t end there. Let the oils soak into your skin while reclining in Rhapsody’s heavenly sauna. The heated co-ed space, complete with Himalayan stone foot rests, is the ultimate oasis from winter’s bitter winds. And if you’re not warm enough after that, take to the steam room, where you can add a spritz of eucalyptus spray for complete relaxation and bliss.
Infrared Sauna at Pure Sweat + Float Studio
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What better way to combat the season’s bitter chill with a hot hang in one of Nashville’s newest wellness oases? Pure Sweat + Float Studio opened their 12th South location (the company’s fourth outpost) in December—just in time to give clients a winter warmup.
Step into this chic retreat and surround yourself with relaxing practices. The studio offers a gravity-defying float therapy option, but we had our eyes trained solely on the infrared sauna experience this month.
Step into one of the cozy sauna suites (don’t worry, they are more open and airy than scary with a glass wall so you won’t feel claustrophobic). You can wear loose clothing, or go as bare as you dare (you’ll sit on a towel). Once the heat is on, relax and enjoy complimentary Pandora, Netflix, or the Calm app, and zone out with chromotherapy, or color therapy. You can even pick your own healing colors. There are also exercise bands and massage rollers, so the 45 minute sessions pass quickly and comfortably.
But what is infrared? It’s an invisible wavelength of therapeutic light, experienced as heat, that safely penetrates human tissue to raise core body temperature. Unlike traditional saunas, which solely heat the air around you and operate in excess of 200°F, Infrared heat warms the body within you on a cellular level and is effective at a more comfortable temperature, between 100°-145°F, producing a deep sweat composed of 20 percent toxins as opposed to just 3 percent toxins with a traditional sauna.
It is best not to shower for up to an hour after your sweat session, so your body continues to expel toxins.
The benefits of time in an infrared sauna are many…and varied. From detoxification and weight loss, to improved circulation and pain relief, to anti-aging and cell health, each wavelength targets the body differently. But every one of them will leave you feeling much warmer this winter.