The Body Spa and Cryo uses award winning massage therapy and more to boost mental, physical health | Brand Ave. Studios

Massage therapists are trained to help patients manage and relieve physical pain. But what happens when clients have emotional pain, too? Curious? Read on then check out thebodyspaonline.com to learn more or to book an appointment to experience it yourself.

This is a concept that Tara Mechaley has traveled the world to explore.

Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Peru, Africa, Hawaii and more: wherever Mechaley has studied, she found diverse cultures sharing physical (healing-safe) touch as a common practice for both ailments.

“Touch is the oldest known medicine,” said Mechaley, owner of The Body Spa and Cryo located in Rapid City, South Dakota. “It’s the basis of so many medical and healing practices around the world. The healing touch — having someone who is there specifically to take care of you — is a very powerful tool.”

Mechaley and her staff educate their clients on how pain, stress and mental health are all closely connected and how lack of treatment can cause issues to compound, affecting quality of life and creating larger issues.

“Depression is considered a mental illness,” said Mechaley. “The physical touch of massage may alleviate some of that heaviness and restore feelings of connectivity to one’s body again instead of remaining lost in distant thoughts.”

Massage is regarded as having measurable therapeutic benefits. One study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience found that on average massage increases levels of serotonin by 28% and dopamine by 31% and decreases cortisol levels by 31%, which could explain why people who receive massage report a decrease in depression and anxiety. Another study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that massage therapy is significantly associated with alleviating depressive symptoms.

But massage helps with more than just depression. Patients struggling with fatigue, fibromyalgia and inflammation, chronic pain or autoimmune diseases also can benefit from The Body Spa and Cryo’s holistic approach.

“Not beauty. Not wellness. Lifestyle as part of a whole health regimen. Our therapists have access to tools that help give our clients the means to be able to continue the lifestyle they enjoy.”

All therapists are trained to employ a variety of tools and tactics to help guests feel their best, yet they are still encouraged to bring their own specific skill sets to the practice. No two guests are the same, so practitioners assess needs wholly and individually before recommending treatments to complement those needs.

The Body Spa and Cryo employs five additionally trained massage therapists as well as other professionally trained staff to deliver a number of other treatments including whole body red light (cold laser) therapy, whole body cryotherapy, targeted Cryo for animals and human pain management, Cryo slimming, infrared sauna and more.

“I’m always growing, evolving, looking to bring something new to Rapid City that will help our community,” Mechaley said.

The Body Spa and Cryo helps the community in other ways as well.

“We donate to our community and other organizations that are making a difference in wellness. And we always try to keep prices reasonable so those who need our services can afford them,” she said.

Mechaley and her team also donate their services when able to the Sacred Mountain Retreat Center in Deadwood, South Dakota. This center helps injured veterans, first responders and immediate family members of a fallen service member, known as Gold Star families, heal from trauma and depression through exposure to nature, alternative healing methods and communication.

All sessions are customized, and The Body Spa and Cryo practitioners are happy to work in tandem with doctors to make sure patients are getting the best possible care. 

“My number one rule is that when a client walks out of the spa, they know that someone cares about them,” said Mechaley. “It’s a ripple effect. If you help a person, and they can then learn to take care of themselves, they’re going to be able to help others as well.”

For more information, to buy gift certificates or to book an appointment, visit thebodyspaonline.com. You may also call the spa at 605-391-1678 with any questions.