(Featured image credit: Pure Sweat + Float Studio)
Why settle for one-size-fits-all toiletries from your hotel room when you can book a series of specialized spa treatments in some of Franklin’s most tranquil spaces?
Read on—in the most soothing massage therapist voice you can imagine—to choose your preferred treatments. Flickering candles, lavender essential oil, and relaxing playlist not required (but highly recommended).
Country music mingles with BBQ smoke in the air. And while that’s probably not what you were expecting to read when you clicked into this article, the contrast between Leiper’s Fork’s street life and its sweet spa is noteworthy—but not unpleasant.
Cross the threshold of this pastel Victorian structure and pull the slightly slick doorknob to shut the door behind you (if you’ve had a massage or a manicure before, you know those oils don’t just disappear). Once you’re within the beadboard-covered walls, turn toward the reception area, where you’ll find shelves of the spa’s products, plus CBD gummies, perfumes, jade rollers, and more. After you’ve secured souvenirs for all your self-care-loving friends back home, head deeper into the home for a 75-minute Herbal Compress Massage.
The NOW Massage and Skoah Facial Shop
Over by the foliage-lined river in downtown Franklin, you’ll find two more spas tucked in a strip side by side. One specializing in full-body massages, the other facials.
A sandwich board stating, “Relax. Reset. Recharge. NOW” draws people toward the glass peering into The NOW Massage. Crystals and candles perch on the wooden windowsill and a massive menu hangs on the wall. Inside the cactus-filled space, you can choose what the trendy establishment calls your Journey. Opt for its signature Swedish-inspired massage or maybe The Stretch, a sports-inspired massage. Enhancements like a coconut oil Scalp Renewal ensure you’ll be pampered from head to toe.
Those looking to focus entirely on their face shouldn’t leave First Avenue North without stopping into Skoah. This crisp, blue and white shop is themed around “facial fitness.” (Hey, you just booked The Stretch, you may as well spring for one of Skoah’s self-proclaimed skin care trainers.) Book a 45-minute Skulpt & Tone Facial or a seasonally themed treatment, like this summer’s Cool-Glow.
Next on the list: a manicure and pedicure. (Think of how satisfying it’ll be to grab a pen and check off each of these experiences with freshly painted fingernails.) A Moment’s Peace has you covered with award-winning options—that go well beyond nail treatments. Warm tones envelop you as you slip your toes into a whirlpool spa, step into its spray tan booth, or spin around to check out your fresh trim.
Here’s where we get to jump off the deep end and into some off-the-massage-table spa sessions.
We’ll dive right in with Pure Sweat + Float Studio. (Only we won’t dive. We’ll stay perfectly still. It’ll all be very chill.) The studio’s high ceilings, woven decorations, and all-around beachy vibes kickstart calm. Lay back in one of its glowing, saltwater-filled tanks in silence or with a guided meditation. Travel Escape music pairings are also available if you just can’t turn off your love of adventure—and we wouldn’t want you to.
Pampering comes in many forms, and for some, sweat is involved. No, we’re not circling back and making you partake in an actual workout (although we have plenty of options to do so in the area). We’re talking about sitting back and burning calories in one of Sēk’s infrared saunas. The glow starts in the lobby, with a “Sēk your best self” neon sign hung prominently on its shimmery wall, and it continues into the studio’s sauna pods and cabins. Those who decide to spend their visit in a cabin can experience So Sound, a musical massage, in addition to infrared.
Now that you’ve immersed yourself in water and fire (okay, maybe not fire, but definitely heat), it’s time for earth. More specifically: Himalayan salt from floor to ceiling. During one of Serenity Salt Cave’s salt therapy sessions, you’ll lounge surrounded by the orange mineral. For maximum indulgence, heated foot tiles are available as add-ons to your 45-minute appointment.
Whether you choose to spend your time in a float tank, an infrared cabin, or a salt cave (or maybe on a massage table), you’re sure to snuggle back into bed at the end of the night more relaxed than you were when you first set foot in town. But you’ll probably still want some of your hotel’s sample-sized eucalyptus lotion—who can resist?
