5 Local Spots for Hemp and CBD Oil Massages — Plus Where to Score Your Own
Massages with CBD oil, plus topical treatments you can buy and try at home.
Photograph by Jauhien Sasnou
Thanks to many touted healing properties, cannabis-plant-derived CBD oil treatments and hemp oils are the wellness world’s latest obsession. (To be clear: Yes, they’re legal; no, you won’t get high.)
Here are five local treatments that come with an extra dose of chill:
1. Nurture Spa
Your shoulders will relax the second you walk into Nurture’s new 10,000-square-foot space; the restored historic building has lots of natural light and a new pink-hued salt room. Ask for Nutiva hemp oil when you get the 60-minute Raindrop Therapy treatment, which includes both targeted massage for body alignment and essential oils for flushing toxins. $125; 31 West Ferry Street, New Hope.
2. Six Fishes Healing Arts
You’d never know that a Chinese medicine and acupuncture mecca lies behind the doors of this stately brick rowhouse. (There’s even a giant Chinese herb dispensary and practitioners who write customized scripts.) Founder Cara Frank says the CBD oil therapeutic massage here can help with everything from reducing stress to calming muscle spasms. Starting at $115; 750 South 15th Street, Grad Hospital.
3. 3000BC Chestnut Hill
Last April 20th (get it?), this stalwart spa launched a limited-time special hemp massage. It proved so popular that it’s now a regular thing. Request that 3000BC’s proprietary skin-softening hemp and jojoba oil mixture be worked into any massage they offer. Starting at $95; 8439 Germantown Avenue, Chestnut Hill.
4. Sanctuary on Second
This no-frills (but cozy) Queen Village spa lets you pick how deep you want to go with multiple CBD oil massage add-on options. If you like a tingling sensation, try the “Level 2” oil, which is mixed with menthol for an extra-power muscle relief tincture; for something milder, opt for peppermint-infused “Level 1.” If you’re really hurting, book the 20-minute tension-relieving hot body wrap first. Starts at $113; 752 South 2nd Street, Queen Village.
5. Spa Terme Di Aroma
This go-to spa may be aiming for ancient European flair — think earth tones, hand-painted murals and lots of fauna—but it’s also all about alternative wellness, so aromatherapy and oils are incorporated into most of what they do. For the ultimate quick fix, try the 30-minute neck and shoulder massage; muscles get an extra dose of loosening when the CBD oil is added in. $75; 32 North 3rd Street, Old City.
And here’s where to score your own CBD stash:
CBD, which is short for “cannabidiol,” is a natural substance that’s thought to reduce inflammation and anxiety, soothe joints, and ease arthritis pain (no prescription required!).
Rescue Spa (1601 Walnut Street, Rittenhouse) carries CBD-infused beauty products from Ambika Herbals that range from salves to bath milks.
Penn Herb (601 North 2nd Street, Northern Liberties) has toning-and-tightening cannabis-infused body butter from Mitchell’s Medicinals.
Weavers Way Next Door (8426 Germantown Avenue, Chestnut Hill) offers CBD oil and hemp-infused honey sticks for your morning tea.
Essene Market (719 South 4th Street, Queen Village) stocks salves and scrubs from DaCrema Botanicals (a Plymouth Meeting company) and even CBD chocolate bars for those with a sweet tooth.
Published as “Beauty’s Brand-New Buzz” in the July 2018 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
