Laura Landseidel

Wellness Center or Day Spa—
Which One Should I Visit?

Where do you go when your family doctor recommends that you receive massage therapy for your neck pain? Perhaps you want to treat a friend to a relaxation treatment of her choosing, but you don’t know where to begin your search. Although there are a many types of locations where you can find wellness services, it can be difficult to choose the right location for your needs. Wellness centers and day spas are great places to begin your search. Below is a comparison these two subtypes of the wellness industry:

	Wellness Center	Day Spa
Purpose of services	Treatment or lifestyle focused	Relaxation focused
Service types: a sampling	Specialized types of massage such as medical massage or neuromuscular therapy	Facial
	Relaxation methods such as breath work	Massage (tends to focus on Swedish or deep tissue)
	Athletic maintenance services	Vishi (Vishy) shower for hydrotherapy
	Yoga (private lessons and/or classes)	Steam treatments
	Several types of yoga may be offered	Herbal mud wraps
	Pilates or Feldenkrais classes	Pedicure/Manicure
	Chiropractic services	Hot Stone treatments
	Classes focused on movement, lifestyle, or nutrition, couples massage	Permanent makeup
Price comparison (Raleigh, NC)	1-hour service: $65–$85	1-hour service: $70–$90
Length of session (time on table)	55–60 minutes	50 minutes
Environment	Clinical but with a softer feel	Draw on pleasurable sensations
	Educational material on walls	Aromatherapy
	Posture charts	Relaxing music
	Take-home educational materials	Soft touch
	Education library	Herbal teas, light meals
Packaged services	Price savings packages available	Price savings packages available;
		Services tend to be grouped for a “day at the spa” experience, e.g., a massage-pedicure-facial package
Special populations	Therapists have advanced education that helps them attend to special needs. Senior citizens, physically disabled, pregnant women, very young children, teenagers, medically restricted individuals, and athletes are a few of the special populations who benefit from these types of practitioners.	Practitioners in day spas have a lot of experience working with pregnant women, thus providing an excellent environment for pregnant women to receive relaxing sessions.
Health insurance reimbursement	More likely in this type of center
Products for sale	More likely to relate to self-care	More likely to relate to aesthetics
	Hot/cold packs	Face crèmes
	Pressure point bars	Hand lotions
	Pain relieving salves	Scented pillows
	Foam rollers/yoga mats	Aromatherapy

Keep in mind that many wellness-based companies offer overlapping services that combine wellness center and day spa activities; there is much more overlap than is apparent in this comparison guide. Practitioners at wellness centers are often highly skilled at promoting relaxation and offer many aesthetically attractive features such as lowered lighting, some therapeutic hydrotherapy, and warm treatment tables. Day spas often combine their services with Chiropractors or Eastern medicine practitioners. When searching for the place that is right for you, know what you are looking for and look for the best place that meets your individual needs. To learn more about wellness centers or day spas in your area, use these keywords for your Internet searches: massage therapy Raleigh NC; day spa; wellness center; yoga center; medical massage. In addition to receiving the benefit of these services, most importantly: enjoy your sessions!

Laura Landsiedel is Co-Owner of Hands on Health medical massage therapy. She is a 1993 graduate of Bucknell University with a BS in Behavioral Science. In 1996, Laura graduated from the Carolina School of Massage Therapy. She is a nationally certified and licensed massage (NC LMBT #1204)and bodywork therapist and holds and advanced certification as a St. John neuromuscular massage therapist.

Laura has additional training in pregnancy & infant massage and Doula labor support. In addition to a full time practice in bodywork, Laura teaches professional development, ethics, and deep tissue technique at the Medical Arts Massage School in Raleigh, NC. Hands On Health is a group massage therapy practice that provides exceptionally trained therapists who employ techniques that range from medical techniques such as Rolfing & Structural Integration and St. John neuromuscular massage therapy to relaxation techniques such as Swedish massage and hot stone therapy. As a group practice with more than 5 practitioners, Hands On Health can accommodate same-day appointments and same-time appointments for friends and family members.

Hands On Health
Medical massage therapy
2321 Blue Ridge Road, Suite 102, Raleigh
535 Keisler Drive, Suite 104, Cary
(919) 510-6655
massagetherapy@handsonhealthnc.com
www.handsonhealthnc.com