Alternatives to the Traditional Massage Gift Certificate - Alexandria Living Magazine

[Alexandria Living Magazine Staff]

Between honking cars, ringing bells, holiday parties, concerts and more, Alexandria is a noisy place this time of year.

An increasingly popular treatment — sound healing — is helping residents reset and rejuvenate.

Alexandria Massage Therapy, which moved to the third floor of 108 N. Alfred St. earlier this year, is one of the few places in Alexandria offering it.

Sound healing is designed to help sooth a person’s nerves from “all of the stressful noise that’s out in the world,” according to Alexandria Massage Therapy owner Leslie Luckritz. Environmental noise can affect how a person feels and raise stress levels, and sound healing can help put a person’s mind in a more peaceful state. (Even studies chronicled by the National Institutes of Health have vouched for its effectiveness.)

As residents look toward the new year and re-focus on wellness after the business of the holiday season, several local businesses are offering unique treatments.

“Everybody is dealing with something that they think is normal — but it isn’t, it’s just common,” Luckritz said. Pain is one of the most common complaints, but it shouldn't be considered a normal state of being.

In addition to sound healing for stress relief and traditional massages for relaxation, here are a few options.

Tip: Most of these businesses offer gift certificates — and they make great holiday presents for people who take care of everyone but themselves.

Float — Take the buoyancy of the ocean and elevate it! Synergy Float Spa in Old Town North and True Rest Float Spa in the Belle Haven neighborhood both offer float experiences in sensory deprivation tanks filled with warm, Epsom salt water. (We tried this out a few years ago — read more here.)

Stretch — Stretch Lab opened its first outpost in Alexandria earlier this year. The health practitioners there help clients stretch and relax sore, tired muscles.

Energy Healing — For people who are just overall exhausted after the holiday season, Energy Healing is a holistic practice that helps channel healing energy in to a person, promoting balance, energy alignment and removing blockages. Alexandria Massage Therapy, Del Ray Psych & Wellness and Alexandria Myotherapy offer these services.

Salt Chambers — If you’re missing warm weather and the ocean, Alexandria Massage Therapy has a salt chamber, which creates an experience similar to breathing in the ocean air, which can help with respiratory challenges in the cold months.

Not sure what to choose as a gift for a loved one? Luckritz suggests giving a flexible gift certificate that can be used for any services a healing center offers — and allowing the gift recipient to consult with the business on what will work best for them.