By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer
Many Working Well Massage clients travel for business. Aside from cramped airplane seats, long waits in security lines, and walking for miles on concrete terminal floors, air travel requires sitting for long periods, breathing in stale recycled air and can be dehydrating. Where do weary travelers go for relief while waiting for their planes to board? Well, you can go to the airport bar and have a cocktail, beer or cup of Starbucks finest, but keep in mind that alcohol and caffeine are both dehydrating. Health conscious travelers go to an airport massage station, spa, oxygen bar or get a pampering manicure to pass the time and help their bodies adjust to air travel stress. And then they drink plenty of water!
What Services Do Airport Spas Provide? from By Anitra Brown, at About.com
• Chair Massage — The most common service is a seated or chair massage. You sit fully clothed in a special chair that cradles you face while the massage therapist works on your back and shoulders.
And you can get a chair massage for as short as ten or 15 minutes. It is great for working out kinks before they turn into hard knots! These are sometimes available in small “kiosks” right by the gates.
• Oxygen Therapy — You sit in a comfy chair with a two-pronged plastic tube up your nose, usually for 15 minutes, getting oxygen scented with essential oils that help you relax or boost your immune system.
• Other popular services are manicures and pedicures. Facials are more unusual, but sometimes available. A few places offer full salon services — cut, color even highlights.
Massage and Spa Services at U.S. Airports
Here’s a list of some of stress relieving services compiled from articles by Harriet Baskas of USA Today and Anitra Brown of About.com:
• Austin- Bergstrom International Airport Knot Anymore offers chair massages
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport has two Destination Relaxations — one is a chair-massage kiosk on Pier B and the other a full-service store on Pier D that offers table and chair massages, as well as foot and hand rubs.
• Boston Logan International airport
The Jetsetter Mini Spa offers chair and table massages, manicures, pedicures and facials.
Boston’s Logan Airport also has Polished, in Terminal C, just before the security checkpoint at Gates 25-36. Polished offers foot, hand, back, neck and shoulder massages, manicures, pedicures, make-up applications and men’s grooming services.
• Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport has the Backrub Hub, offering neck and back massages in Terminal 3 (by the American and Delta gates). Massages also are offered at the full-service health club at the O’Hare Hilton, accessible via pedestrian tunnels from the terminal.
• Denver International Airport is served by two locations of A Massage Inc. You can get a haircut or massage (chair or table) at the location on Concourse B. The other is in the Main Terminal, on Level 6.
• Detroit Wayne County International Airport-OraOxygen
This airport has an underground passage with a trippy light show and New Age music. If you need more, the OraOxygen Spa by Gate A45 gives oxygen treatments, as well as facials, manicures, pedicures,a and massages, including foot massages and a 90-minute hot-stone massage. You can even take showers.
• Indianapolis International Airport
The post-security Enroute Massage and Spa (formerly Passport Travel Spa) offers manicures and pedicures, chair and table massages, and a new 20-minute, three-technician, three-service treatment (the “3 in 20”) that offers time-pressed travelers a neck and shoulder massage as well as hand and foot treatments — all at the same time.
• John F. Kennedy International Airport- Elemis Travel Spa and XpresSpa
While the Elemis Travel Spa in Terminal 7 offers complimentary massages to British Airways’ top-tier travelers.
XpresSpa in JetBlue’s new Terminal 5 offers passengers will find pay-as-you-go services ranging from head, foot, leg, back and shoulder massages to manicures, pedicures and facials.
• Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport
Oxygen treatments are also available at here at three Oxygen Bar locations.
• Miami International airport
The Jetsetter Mini Spa offers chair and table massages, manicures, pedicures and facials. The Miami branch also has a sleep pod for napping.
• Nashville-The Massage Bar
Heat therapy, foot massages and a variety of seated massage services.
• Newark-D-Parture Spa
d_parture spa offers chair massage, spa pedicures combines with massage, and cuts, color and manicures. d_parture spa has two Newark airport locations: Terminal C at Gate 92 and Terminal B across from the Duty Free shop. In addition, The Terminal B location offers oxygen therapy and has a private room for full-body massages and European facials.
Also in Newark, The Massage Bar in Terminal A offers 15-minutes of seated massage for $21 or 30 minutes for $39. Ten minutes of foot refexology is $15. A second kiosk location is in Newark’s A-3 connector.
• New York’s LaGuardia Airport
XpresSpa offers passengers will find pay-as-you-go services ranging from head, foot, leg, back and shoulder massages to manicures, pedicures and facials.
• Orlando International Airport d_parture Spa
The menu includes hair and nail services, as well as waxing, chair and foot massages, and facials.
• At Pittsburgh International Airport Polished offers foot, hand, back, neck and shoulder massages, manicures, pedicures, make-up applications and men’s grooming services. It’s located at the beginning of Concourse A, after security.
• Sacramento Columbus, Ohio-The Massage Bar
Heat therapy, foot massages and a variety of seated massage services.
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport-The Massage Bar
In addition to heat therapy, foot massages and a variety of seated massage services, the Massage Bar offers happy hour discounts.
• Washington Dulles International Airport-The Massage Bar provides massage in a a kiosk on Concourse B.
Canadian Airports Spa Services
• Alberta’s Calgary International Airport-OraOxygen
A full-range of massage services, plus ear candling, showers and oxygen sessions, are offered.
• British Columbia’s Vancouver International Airport has three locations of Absolute Spa. Services include massage, pedicures, manicures, facials, and oxygen treatments. Absolute is located before the security gates in the International Departures area; past security in the U.S. Departures area; and in the Fairmont Hotel in the International Terminal.
International Airport Spa Services from Spa Index
• Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport-OraOxygen
A full-range of massage services, plus ear candling, showers and oxygen sessions, are offered.
• Cancun Airport-The Salon Spa at Cancun Airport, Terminal 2, A Gates
• London, England-The Molton Brown Travel Spa
British Airways Terminal 1 and Terminal 4, Departures Lounge. Complimentary spa treatments to British Airways customers traveling First Class and Club World, and gold cardholders.
• Frankfort, Germany-Frankfurt Airport (FRA)- Be Relax Spa
Terminal 2
Be Relax provides relaxation and beauty services at the heart of airports and business around the world. Day after day, Be Relax professionals provide support with our relaxation centers when you most need to take a break. Services are designed to be of short duration and without requiring appointments.
• Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)-Regal Airport Hotel Health Spa and Pool
Full menu of services, including gymnasium, fitness center, aerobics, sauna, steam room, massage services, spa beauty treatments. Connect from the hotel to the Passenger terminal of Hong Kong International Airport via the sky-way.
• Milan, Italy-Linate Airport (LIN) – Be Relax Spa
Be Relax provides relaxation and beauty services at the heart of airports and business around the world. Day after day, Be Relax professionals provide support with our relaxation centers when you most need to take a break. Services are designed to be of short duration and without requiring appointments.
• Paris, France-Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG)
Be Relax Spa with locations in most terminals — visit website for individual phone numbers and email addresses for each CDG kiosk.
Be Relax provides relaxation and beauty services at the heart of airports and business around the world. Day after day, Be Relax professionals provide support with our relaxation centers when you most need to take a break. Services are designed to be of short duration and without requiring appointments.
Airport Massage Chairs
Even, Smarte Carte, the company best known for renting airport luggage carts, is getting in on the airport massage action. The company maintains self-service, automated massage chairs in about 30 airports, including Anchorage, Cincinnati, Dallas-Fort Worth, Reno and Pittsburgh.
Airport Nail Services
In addition to the spas mentioned above, travelers with nails in need can also visit one of the thirteen airport locations of 10 Minute Manicure or stop in at one of the three airport locations (Seattle, Sacramento and Dulles) of butter LONDON, a nail salon with a non-toxic product line.
Harriet Baskas writes about travel etiquette for MSNBC.com and is the author of the airport guidebook Stuck at the Airport and a blog of the same name.
Anitra Brown, Guide to Spas for About.com, is a journalist specializing in spas who decided to experience the other side of the treatment table. In addition to her writing, she is a licensed esthetician in the states of New York and Arizona and has worked at several luxury resort spas, including Alvadora Spa at Royal Palms in Phoenix.
Working Well Resources' Blog 
Does this mean that there are no massage/spa services at the Dulles International Airport in Dallas, TX?
No, According to the Massage Bar website, the massage kiosk at Dulles is still in operation. Check out the link here:
http://www.massagebar.com/dulles.htm
For Other Massage Bar airport locations check out the map here:
http://www.massagebar.com/locations.htm
However, if you learn that the Massage Bar has closed in this airport, let us know and we’ll make a note of it on our blog.
Thanks so much for commenting!
Sue
[…] Reduce Airport Stress with Massage and Spa Services October 2009 2 comments […]
[…] chair massages. but there are other places to get chair massage as well. Shopping malls, salons, airports, all these places may offer chair massage. More and more, many workplaces are bringing in companies […]
“Be Relax” in Frankfurt
Hello – I came across this discussion and thought I’d share my experience in the Be Relax in Frankfurt.
I had a layover of 3 hours there yesterday and, as I am a pedicure aficionado, decided that I had enough time for an “express pedicure” – as it was called on their price list.
Well, let me tell you that apart from being quite expensive for only a very quick job, this was also the worst pedicure of my life!
The girl doing it kept on hurting my feet and felt like she had not idea what she was doing and half way through the treatment cut my feet so bad that screamed and I broke into tears… Blood over the floor, etc.
It was more of a torture then a “be relax”… It is now 24 hours later and my toes still hurt – she’s cut the nails so short, that half of my toes are now “exposed”… Even though she was very apologetic and I don’t think really meant for it to be so unpleasant, it was an overall a horrible experience – which I will now have to pay more money to fix!! Whenever my toenails are back…
Despite the blood on the floor, etc. she didn’t even offer me a discount – just gave a small massage ball as a consolation present… And I was too stressed and in pain to make a fuss and just felt like getting away from there.
Anyway, horrible experience, never again – and I hope my post could help someone avoid the same ordeal.
Best wishes and keep your feet safely tucked into your shoes when in Frankfurt!
Katja
Katja,
Thanks for sharing your story about Be Relax in Frankfort. I am so sorry you had such a painful pedicure experience! My very first pedicure ever was a gift certificate and I had a similar experience here in the U.S. After the pain of the pedicure I wondered by anyone would ever want to get pedicures. Then a year later I had a pedicure from a massage therapist that also does nails ad pedicures. it was wonderful! It’s so important to work with nail technicians and massage therapists we can trust. And I agree a discount was in order. At the same time, I urge you to write the owners/managers of Be Relax because they may have no idea their nail tech is hurting people. And they may have other nail techs that are more skilled and would have given you a better experience. I always appreciate it when clients tell me about both the negative and positive experiences with my staff. The managers may also want to retrain or even fire that nail tech rather than have other clients go through your experience.
I hope your toes heal soon and you next pedicure is heavenly!
Sue
Wow Great blog! You have seriously covered alot of massage bars in airports across the country! This is good to know while travelling! Who doesn’t need a massage right? I personally prefer table massage but if there’s none Ill settle for a chair massage. Its better than nothing! Massage does a body good! Anyone can benefit from massages! 🙂
HI Melissa,
Thank you for reading and commenting. To each his or her own! I actually prefer chair massage most of the time as a massage therapist and as a massage recipient. Most of my daily tension is in my neck and shoulders, which is also true of many clients. As a massage therapist I find it is easier to access neck and shoulder muscles when the client is in a chair. As a massage recipient, I prefer chair massage because ti is easier on my back to sit than lay down and I get a better beck and shoulder massage in the chair! For leg work, of course, table massage works best.
Sue
Dear All,
Can someone give me an idea about the rate of departure/transit passengers who use the massage chairs at airports?
Hi Carl,
Thank you for reading and commenting on our blog! I do not know the rate of passengers that use chair massage or massage chairs at airports. You may want to contact companies that actually provide chair massage or service massage chairs at airports. We do not, but we do enjoy getting chair massage at airports! Thank you for reaching out!
Sue Shekut, LMT, CLP