TWO LOCAL BUSINESSES WILL SET YOU IN MOTION
STORY BY Rachael Guadagni
As we head into the winter months, staying in shape – both physically and mentally – becomes a heightened challenge. Columbia has plenty of businesses designed to make it easier.
The Face Place has been helping Howard County residents shape up from the inside out for nearly four decades, offering such services as nutritional counseling, skin care and some crazy fun fitness options. New kid on the block Nava Health and Vitality Center mixes a generous dose of science into its holistic, East-West approach to well-being and contributes to the region’s status as the state capital of health and harmony.
Whether you are searching for a way to improve your health, deal with a chronic condition, or simply to relax and manage the stress in your life, Howard County’s wellness industry has got you covered.
Long a source of beautiful parks, recreation services, sports programs and spas, the Columbia area enjoys a healthful attitude and uncommon affinity for anything geared towards physical and mental improvement. County employees are offered the Wellness Works program that provides health information, preventive screening and community-based support for overall health and well-being, Bollman Bridge Elementary School opened the first school-based wellness center last December, and the Maryland University of Integrated Health (formerly the Tai Sophia Institute) continues to use science and integrative holistic methods to educate and inform future practitioners. Independent wellness businesses abound, and if you’re in need of a little TLC, The Face Place and Nava are at the ready with some of the best treatments and highly personalized care available.
Stephanie Lightfoot of The Face Place explains the ease and accessibility of her center. “We are an approachable wellness and day spa; very down-to-earth and focused on customer service.” In business for 38 years and with a dedicated staff — some of whom have been there for decades — The Face Place operates with a personal connection to its clients. “Our staff has proven through time that they are committed to us,” said Lightfoot. The variety of services at The Face Place means there’s something for everyone. Massages, facials, waxing, mani-pedis and steam baths are on offer, as well as body treatments and pulse-quickening fitness via belly dancing, hula hooping and zumba. Yoga, acupuncture and nutritional counseling are other popular options.
Patrons can purchase services al la carte or may become members to receive monthly discounts. “You can pay per purchase,” said Lightfoot, “but for frequent visitors the membership option is cheaper.” The upscale, yet comfortable atmosphere make all feel at home, says Lightfoot. “People who weren’t necessarily ‘into wellness’ get into it here.”
Nava Health and Vitality Center employs physicians, nutritionists and certified therapists to provide a holistic, science-based treatment plan that incorporates components of Eastern, Western and alternative healing methods. Larger than The Face Place, the corporate-owned Nava offers a multilevel approach to wellness that relies on the coordinated efforts of a team of whole-health professionals to create a plan custom tailored to the individual. Using the proprietary Nava Method, wellness counselors help clients create a “Customized Vitality Plan (CVP),” according to Nava Senior Marketing Director Ali Landow. This means practitioners can tailor treatments, “so clients feel and perform at optimal levels,” she adds.
Nava combines traditional methods with nontraditional techniques designed to create balance and harmony, says 
Landow. The company can put together a plan for just about any client, she says. “We cater to anyone who is challenged by weight gain, menopause, andropause, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, pain, digestive issues, or a decline in sex drive.” There’s even a plan – the Nava Sport program – for those who want to improve their fitness level. ”
Like The Face Place, Nava offers services both a la carte or through a membership. “A customer does not need to be a member to enjoy the Nava services,” Landow points out. The plan begins with a free consultation, she says. “Customers meet with a certified wellness consultant to discuss the goals they are trying to reach through Nava. After reviewing diagnostics, practitioners create the CVP, she says. Members receive discounted prices and one free monthly service from a list of treatments that includes massage therapy, acupuncture, IV nutritional therapy, nutritional counseling or hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Whether you prefer the easy elegance of a neighborhood day spa like The Face Place, or a larger, team-driven facility like Nava Health and Vitality Center, there are myriad ways to take control of your health and make wellness the new wave of your future.
Visit faceplacespa.com and navacenter. com for more information. *
