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Michigan Spa Guide: The Best Spas in Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan. [Photo credit: Brad Switzer]

Famed as the home to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor teems with art, culture and dining. Nestled among its beauty is a delightful array of spa experiences to soothe mind, body, and soul. Ann Arbor's spas and wellness centers cater to diverse needs.

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From indulgent massages to invigorating facials, from yoga retreats to meditative spaces, each spa promises a unique journey of wellness and self-care. Join us as we explore the top spas in Ann Arbor for an unforgettable wellness escape.

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Ann Arbor Massage & Yoga Therapy

2020 Hogback Rd. #11, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; (734) 249-8998

With offices in Ann Arbor and Chelsea, Ann Arbor Massage & Yoga Therapy is a destination for massage, yoga, and community wellness. Their Chelsea location is for yoga teacher training and classes while the Ann Arbor location focuses on massage and yoga therapy.

They also host retreats for moms, yoga, and Ayurveda retreats, and free women’s song circles and community kirtan (non-sectarian yogic chanting). The spa’s founders and practitioners are Trevor Eller, a certified yoga therapist and licensed massage therapist; and Miriam Dowd-Eller, a yoga teacher, retreat leader, and licensed massage therapist.

Yoga and healing practices are deeply embedded in all their services and they offer womb-friendly and integrative approaches to yoga led by practitioners deeply immersed in its authentic practice. Guests can book yoga therapy sessions, often suggested as a follow-up to physical therapy sessions.

The spa also offers Ayurvedic lifestyle consultations which will explore body types, mental tendencies, daily and seasonal routines, and diet and herbal approaches. Massage therapy and bodywork include integrative massage, Thai bodywork, assisted stretching, perinatal massage, and medical massage.

Bellanina Day Spa

201 N.  4th Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104; (734) 327-1000

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Bellanina is a day spa that welcomes those looking for a full spectrum of healing services. An award-winning spa, they offer rejuvenating amenities to create a perfect spa day, amenities such as a private Crystal Suite for couples or small parties, steam showers, a quiet zone, and a Zen garden.

Their boutique carries Bellanina Botanicals skin care products and Epicuren Discovery Skin Care system. Accredited by the Day Spa association, they have many times been voted the best day spa in Washtenaw County and Ann Arbor.

Bellanina offers a variety of specialized massages which can be experienced as either a single or side-by-side service. These include therapeutic, sport, aromatherapy, prenatal, dry brushing, hot stone, Ashiatsu, cupping, craniosacral, facelift massage, and reflexology. Body treatments include polish, buff and glow, body wraps, exfoliating back treatments, and seasonal body wraps.

Skin care treatments can treat several conditions including acne, fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and rosacea. Types of facials include a back facial, Epicuren, botanical, vitamin C, microdermabrasion, dermaplaning, collagen, and non-surgical face lifting. They also offer HydraFacials. Other services include manicures, pedicures, waxing, spray tanning, and brow and lashes treatments.

Bloom Wellness Spa & Hot Yoga

2450 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103; (734) 436-8492

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Everyone needs a spa day sometimes, and Bloom Wellness Spa & Hot Yoga is the place for Ann Arborites to enjoy that day. A spa that offers massage, facials, a sauna, and floats, it’s also a place where you can do hot yoga. Check into the spa, melt into their spa robes and sandals, and book yourself a package that includes caring details such as hot towels and refreshments.

They’ve curated several packages for couples and special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations. They also recognize that sometimes you need time to yourself and offer an “isolated spa day” and ones that focus on wellness and rejuvenation.

One of their most popular packages is the “Spa & Wellness Day” where for rates starting at $189 a guest can spend 2.5 to 3 hours getting a massage, infrared sauna time, saltwater float therapy, and a “senses and recovery session” with sound, scent, and cell healing. Sound healing with bowls, gongs, and soothing sounds can be added to most spa days or spa services.

Capella Massage 

444 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104; (734) 353-8379

Life has irrevocably changed since the pandemic and Capella Massage wants to be the place where you can escape the stresses of modern life. They recognize how important touch has become in a society where people are increasingly isolated from each other.

They provide a place for people to come and relax. Guests are invited to lie down on a table and get a massage, or sit in a beach chair and watch downtown Ann Arbor while sipping on coffee or tea and nibbling on desserts.

Their services include massage, reflexology, and cuddle therapy. Massage modalities include Swedish, lymphatic drainage, hot stone, acupressure, Thai, deep tissue, sport, Tuina, and head touch.

Frequent visitors can become members with benefits such as one free massage each year, free couple’s massage class on Sundays, and 15% off on all services. It’s an opportunity to practice the spa’s motto: “Relax. Revive. Repeat.”

Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa

223 N. Maple Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103; (734) 436-1699

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Hand & Stone has created a calm, restful environment where people can come in pursuit of looking and feeling their best without having to break their budget. A local spa that is part of a corporate organization, they offer services starting at 30 minutes and up, services that are luxurious and promote relaxation.

A point-based membership program encourages routine wellness visits and self-care. They are open seven days a week with extended hours and offer first-time spa visitor specials to help acclimate guests to the world of spa. Services include massages, facials, and hair removal treatments. Massage treatments include multiple modalities such as Swedish, deep tissue, trigger point, and sports.

Their signature massage incorporates hot stones and they have private sanctuaries reserved for couples massages. Facial treatments use Dermalogica, ClarityRX, and ImageMD products. They are customized for men’s, women’s, and teen’s skin.

Options include exfoliation peels, rejuvenating, anti-aging collagen treatments, a rosacea facial, and LED phototherapy. Another service is Cryoskin body slimming and toning and facial toning.

Jessica’s Apothecary & Spa 

920 N. Main St., Ann Arbor, MI  48104; (734) 604-5971

In 2007, Jessica Goniea opened a space that could offer the luxury of a day spa with the expertise of a botanical skin care specialist. Goniea has studied aromatherapy, herbalism, and nutrition and is a licensed esthetician. She is committed to helping guests find the natural products and skin care routines that best fit their unique needs.

An advocate for mental health awareness, she brings her research into wellness to all services the spa offers, incorporating aromatherapy, warm towels and calming music. Her aromatics line is handcrafted and includes herbs such as calendula and lavender from her farm.

Open by appointment only (except for their retail space that sells botanical skin care items from 10 to 12 on Saturdays), Jessica’s Apothecary & Spa offers customized facials, massage therapy, herbal soaks, body treatments, waxing, and skin consultations. All products are plant-based and combine herbal knowledge with modern skin care science.

Facials are conducted as a nourishing ritual with high-quality natural ingredients and include aroma point therapy, gentle lymphatic drainage, and energy meridian massage. They make available facials that are gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and vegan upon request.

Skin conditions treated by facials include dryness, dehydration/disrupted barrier, acne, excess oil, rosacea and telangiectasia, fine lines, and hyperpigmentation. Signature spa treatments include a warm herbal soak in a copper tub. Massage modalities include Swedish, myofascial release, and aroma point therapy. Full-body exfoliation is also available.

K.West Skin Body Spirit 

415 N. Main St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104; (734) 435-8991

K.West is ready to be your partner in self-care. Their stated goal is to support their guests “along the healthy path of beauty, ease, and flow in your skin, body, and spirit.” Because one’s appearance and feelings are linked, they offer services that tap into both emotional and physical care. Their treatments and philosophies are drawn from Ayurveda, yoga, and Chinese medicine.

Led by founder Katie Westgate, the spa strives to support their guests in feeling beautiful and confident. Westgate wanted to create “a space of tranquility where people can rest, rejuvenate, and feel not only connected to community, but to themselves on a peaceful level.” She wants the spa to be a space of exploration into self-care and nourishment.

Service categories include skin renewal, body treatments, nail care, energy work such as Reiki, radio frequency treatments, and waxing. Skin renewal focuses on healthy aging and treating dermal imbalances such as acne or rosacea. Their skincare tools include reflexology, Laurel Whole Plant Organics Skincare, gua sha, fascia release, microcurrent, microneedling, and QiBeauty treatments.

Body treatments include therapeutic massage, cupping, LED light bed therapy, craniosacral therapy, prenatal massage, ayurvedic scalp massage, detox and trim body treatment and abhyanga massage. They will work with individuals and groups to provide customized spa days and parties including access to their lounge, yoga room experiences, gua sha lessons, and access to a menu of healthy snacks, smoothies or catered meals.

LaVida Massage

2793 Plymouth Road, Ste. D., Ann Arbor, MI 48105; (734) 222-1020

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LaVida Massage promotes personal well-being in an environment that is mutually elegant and casual, a place where multiple services are designed to provide such benefits as pain relief, increased energy, and healthy skin. As they serve busy and active guests, they make available evening and weekend treatments and give those guests options to book appointments by phone, mobile app, or online.

They look for ways to improve their lives with treatments, products, education, and customer care. Their mission as a wellness center is to make customized massage an affordable part of a healthy lifestyle. Integral to everything they do are their core values of respect, accountability, integrity, honesty, and caring.

Massages they offer include Swedish, sports, deep tissue, couples, prenatal, reflexology, cranial sacral therapy, and trigger point. Their uniquely designed and customized facials include the LaVida Signature Facial, Dermalogica Age Smart, Dermalogica Active Clearing, Dermalogica UltraCalming, Dermalogica Pro Power Peel, Dermalogica Pro Bright, Back Facial, and Ultrasonic Facial. All but the Ultrasonic Facial are less than $100. They also provide lash and brow treatments and waxing.

Massage Envy

3143 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. Suite C, Ann Arbor, MI 48103; (734) 373-5258

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Chasing the goal of whole-body wellness, Massage Envy, a national franchise, provides clients with massage, facial, and stretching services. Their stated mission is to help guests keep their body working through an accessible, daily wellness routine. Their core corporate values are optimism, gratitude, excellence, consistency, and empathy. They’ve opened locations in 49 states since 2002.

They stress the difference between feeling better and living better, and customize massages to help guests achieve wellness. They incorporate a catalytic process to wake up muscles and use generous amounts of lotion that is paraben- and sulfate-free.

Techniques include Swedish, trigger point, deep tissue, and sports massage. Enhancements include a skin serum boost, aromatherapy, exfoliating hand and foot scrubs, CBD cream, hot stones, enhanced muscle therapy, and percussion therapy.

Stretching services promote flexibility and use what they call the Streto Method. This involves a top-down technique, chiropractic influences, and a personalized approach. It can also include percussion therapy and Kinesiology tape. Skincare services include customized facials, chemical peels, microderm infusion, back facials, and light treatments.

MassageLuXe 

2222 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103; (734) 418-3111

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There’s work to be done at a spa—the work of easing stress, relieving tension, improving immune systems, and lowering blood pressure. It’s work that MassageLuXe does, work that soothes minds, treats bodies, and rejuvenates souls. One of their core values is that massage and skincare is not a luxury—it is self-care that leads to better pain management, health, and overall well-being.

A membership spa where the benefits are valid at all of their 91 locations across the country, they offer four membership levels including a family plan. Memberships include monthly treatments, discounts on products and other services, unlimited HydroLuXe sessions on their dry-water massage table. Founded in 2007, their mission is “to provide an unparalleled experience that supports and encourages health, well-being, and quality of life.”

Massage modalities include Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal, hot stone, sports, trigger point, and reflexology. Couples massages are also available. Their facials use the seaweed-based Repechage skincare line. Types include HydraFacial, hydrating, deep cleansing, peels, anti-aging, microdermabrasion, redness reducing, acne, brightening, and rejuvenating.

Add-ons include LED light therapy, vitamin scalp treatments, Lamina lift masks, and eye treatments. Other services include facial and body waxing.

My Spa

2512 Carpenter Rd. #101b, Ann Arbor, MI 48108; (734) 604-8648

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Hanna Tarasevich is bringing her 24 years of skincare experience to Ann Arbor, creating a spa that offers European-inspired treatments in a luxury environment. Raised in Eastern Europe and trained in esthetics and as a physician assistant, Hanna brings a wealth of knowledge to her clients. She’s partnered with Sothys, a line of products from Paris as a way of bringing high-quality results to her guests.

My Spa offers a line of beauty and wellness treatments. The extensive facials menu includes such treatments as hydration, anti-aging, detox, cryo eye treatments, and peels. Their body treatments draw upon traditions from all over the world.

Their signature treatment is “Journey to Asia,” which combines global body massage and mayonggo breathing rituals. It’s an original protocol inspired by ancestral Indonesian beauty rituals and combines acupressure and massage techniques.

Other treatments include a salt and sugar exfoliation, Hanakasumi (a Japanese-inspired perfumed ritual that involves peeling with exfoliating gloves), and several forms of traditional massage.

Pure Bliss Skin Therapy and Massage

2512 Carpenter Rd. Suite 2A, Ann Arbor, MI 48108;

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The owner of Pure Bliss wants to help you redefine the way you care for yourself. Brittney is a licensed esthetician, a licensed massage therapist, and the founder of Pure Bliss Skin Therapy and Massage. A believer in all forms of self-care, she wants to help her guests take a preventive approach to wellness, one where they make themselves a priority.

She works with her guests to create a customized treatment plan to achieve both immediate and long-term skincare and wellness goals. She offers to act as a guide to helping guests perform the three Rs: Releasing their stress and tension, Refreshing their mind and body, and Restoring their sense of balance.

Services include skin therapy, massage therapy, hair removal, and bodywork services. Facials are categorized into the three Rs: release, refresh, and restore, along with a back facial and a chemical peel. Massages include relaxation, therapeutic, hot stone, and exfoliating foot.

RelaxStation Massage 

1202 Packard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48104; (734) 623-1951

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For more than 20 years, RelaxStation Massage has been providing Ann Arborites a place in which they can relax, revive, and rejuvenate. Open seven days a week, they focus on being “effective, affordable, and convenient.” They’ll even bring their services to on-site events or workplaces.

Appointments are required for individual and couple’s massages in private rooms; however, they also offer “open room massages” for walk-in guests (or by appointment). Guests stay clothed for these massages, though the spa will provide open-back T-shirts and shorts at no charge. Massage modalities include deep tissue, relaxation, prenatal, sports, TMJ, ZenThai Shiatsu, and Reiki.

Sapphire Therapeutic Spa

4816 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103; (734) 827-9775

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Sapphire Therapeutic Spa has been a gem in Ann Arbor’s spa scene for more than 20 years. It’s owned by Ramin Ranjbar, who has an extensive background in sports medicine, massage therapy, martial arts, and management—all things he combines to create a warm, therapeutic, and inviting spa. They’ve worked hard to distinguish themselves in the market, creating a spa where people can experience true rest and relaxation.

Each guest has access to a spacious Tranquility Room before and after their services with no time limit rushing them in or out. Other amenities include an infrared sauna, a women’s steam shower, and essential oils with each massage. And a special and rare bonus for Ann Arbor: free parking.

They stress that an hour massage really is 60 minutes of hands-on time, not 50 minutes. Another service is their mobile spa that takes massage services to corporate and private sites. Spa packages include an orientation to the spa and some provide lunch.

Massage options include Swedish, aromatherapy, deep tissue, reflexology, couples, myofascial release, Himalayan salt stone, Reiki, hot stone, prenatal, lymphatic drainage, jaw/TMJ relief, Thai, cranial sacral therapy, and SomotoEmotional release.

Body treatments include salt scrubs, body polish, body wraps with oil application, and sunless tanning. They have an extensive facials menu including premium facials and peels. They use Yon-Ka skincare lines and regimens. Other services include manicures, pedicures, waxing, and lash and brow treatments.

Spa Jina 

2900 S. State Street, Studio #11, Ann Arbor, MI 48104; (734) 834-3716

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Maryam’s pathway to opening a spa was filled with experiences that she is now able to share with her guests at Spa Jina. She came to the U.S. as a single mom after studying art, painting, and getting a degree in electrical engineering. Once here, she studied massage therapy, cosmetology, and skin care. She learned about lymphatic drainage as a way to help patients reduce recovery time after surgery.

She wrote: “One thing that has always motivated me was the smile and pure joy on people's faces after a massage/facial, when they feel how relaxed they are or feel their skin.” The spa name came from an ancient Persian name that means tranquility, composure, and peace of mind.

Massage options include deep tissue, Swedish, sport, pre-natal, hot stone, TMJ, reflexology, lymphatic drainage, aromatherapy, and Himalayan salt stone. Skincare options include customized facials, anti-aging, lymphatic drainage, face lift, acne-clarifying, and teen.

Spavia Day Spa Ann Arbor

3070 Washtenaw Ave. Ste. 101, Ann Arbor, MI 48104; (734) 545-7979

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Spavia wants their day spa guests to have a resort-like luxury experience. The Spavia brand was created in 2005 by Allison and Marty Langenderfer. They want each of their locations to provide guests with the perfect spa day experience, an experience that they’ll decide they can’t live without.

Spavia Ann Arbor wants its guests to take a journey to wellness that includes a spa experience filled with luxurious details. Guests are invited to slip into a spa robe and kick back in the relaxation room where they can pursue the goals of relaxation, re-centering, and renewal.

Steps on the wellness journey can include such services as massages, body treatments, facials, and beauty treatments. They welcome guests to book “spalebrations” at their facility with special packages created for bridal, bachelorette, birthdays, girls’ night out, baby showers, work retreats, and anniversaries. These celebrations have options for a menu or to rent out the entire retreat area for privacy.

They have a specific menu for men’s treatments that includes massages and facials. Four spa packages center on relax, recenter, renew, and rejuvenate.

[Photos courtesy of individual hotels and spas]

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Bridgette, who is a second-generation journalist, fell in love with spas and travel while working as a writer and editor for 16 years at the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. As a freelancer for the International SPA Association, she co-wrote two textbooks, nine workbooks, and numerous case studies on spas. Her freelance career began in the 80s and she has written for publications in Michigan, Arizona, California, and Texas along with several regional and national publications. She is a committed storyteller who loves sharing narratives which improve people's quality of life and build community. Born and raised in Michigan, she currently lives in Lansing with her husband and son. See more of her writing at bridgetteredman.com.