The best reason to schedule a massage or a facial? It’s been too long since the last one. “Everyone comes for different reasons,” says Rasa Spa owner Rachel Hogancamp. A client in physical pain or struggling with stress might seek a massage to untangle some of it. Anticipation of a life milestone like a birthday, a wedding, or childbirth might inspire the gift of a spa session, or an exploration of self-care.

“It feels like a safe and comfortable place,” says esthetician Leana Love-Fabian, who’s worked at Rasa for a dozen years. “And in the world, there’s not a lot of safe and comfortable [places]. People need that more than they know! You get so used to being in chaos, you don’t know what calm feels like.”

The comfortable feeling here is enhanced by ambiance, design, and philosophy. In the low light, the walls’ golds, terracottas, and dark reds are soothing. The scents are herbal and clean, a balance of pleasant, calming aromas—nothing allergenic. Rachel, a licensed massage therapist who also taught for many years at the now-closed Finger Lakes School of Massage, had a long-held dream of opening a spa. When the Cayuga Health System opened a wellness center at 310 Taughannock Boulevard in 2006, gathering physicians’ offices, physical therapy, health, and rehabilitative services under one roof, they reached out to Rachel with the opportunity to open a day spa on the building’s second floor. Rachel named the enterprise Rasa, a multi-faceted Sanskrit word which means, among other things, essence.

Although the second floor is rectangular, most of the treatment rooms are irregular, organic shapes whose angles “drove the contractors crazy,” Rachel notes with a smile. The handcrafted furniture, the custom tiles, and the handmade pottery sinks in the changing areas were commissioned from local artists. Space was also reserved for a “duet” room where a couple or a pair of friends might enjoy a treatment together. There’s a sauna, a “community room” sometimes used for yoga classes or quiet relaxation, and a “tranquility room” where clients may enjoy the simple pleasures of a post-massage nap, meditate in a shadowed alcove, or relax with a cup of tea while looking below at the flowing waters of Cayuga Lake’s inlet.

“I’ve worked at other spas, and none of them had the same warm and inviting feel,” says Dex White, a licensed massage therapist who’s worked at Rasa from its opening. The welcome is apparent when a client arrives for a regularly scheduled appointment and mentions having had a minor car accident. She’s offered a cup of tea and other relaxation options before her session, and it’s clear the caring is real.

Rasa offers a mix of massage modalities, including Swedish, deep-tissue, myofascial (working with connective tissue), athletic, oncology, Thai, hot stones, pregnancy/post pregnancy, lymphatic drainage, and energy work. Skin care includes facials, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, scrubs, waxing, and special hand and foot treatments. A second Ithaca location at the Library Place complex downtown offers nail care along with the other services. Treatments are customized based on clients’ wishes and goals.

“The idea is, when you’re in the room with your therapist, the two of you will talk and decide what will meet your needs,” says Dex. Most sessions last sixty to ninety minutes and may be booked at rasaspa.com or (607) 273-1740.

The body-mind connection may become clear to client and therapist during massage or other treatments. Dex recalls a client with severe mid-back pain. The client had seen a physician who found a herniated disk but couldn’t tie this to a specific injury nor completely correlate the finding with the unusual area of pain. “Odd,” Dex remembers telling the client, noticing the pain was at the level of the client’s heart. The client suddenly made the connection between the physical pain and the emotional pain of a relationship in upheaval. Once the relationship issues reached a happy resolution, the back pain did too, affirming Dex’s long-held belief in a strong mind/body correlation.

“I have clients who maybe came the first time because someone bought them a gift certificate. They say, ‘Wow, that was really great!’ And maybe six months later they come back.”

One who did was Jasmine Hill, who came with a friend to get a massage. “As soon as I came in, I thought I’d love to work in a place like this, it’s such a lovely environment,” she says. Within a few months she returned—to work in guest services. She’s one of about sixty employees, and says, “Everyone I work with is genuinely sweet.”

“A lot of clients have come to realize that by scheduling regular massages they feel better in their bodies overall,” Dex says. “That nagging issue doesn’t become so bad when it’s regularly addressed. There’s something about the way massage invites you into your body that allows you to experience your body in a different way.” In fact, it’s not unusual for a client to remark after a treatment, “I feel like I’m in a different body.”

Long-time client Wren Anjali visits about once a month because “I want to stay as young as I can. Massage helps me be more healthy in mind and body. It lifts me up emotionally and it really helps my immune system and outlook on life.” Wren has also brought visiting friends to Rasa because, “I always think it’s a good thing to share!”

Rasa has expanded its footprint with additional treatment rooms, and last year took over and upgraded the building’s café. This year Rachel hopes to open a school to train more massage therapists.

“She really pours a lot of love into Rasa and has affected thousands upon thousands of people in a positive way,” Leana says.

“I love this community,” Rachel says. “It’s nice to offer something positive, to see clients come in and then feel a whole lot better when they leave. It’s good to find a little bit of peace in a world that can be unsettling.”