Best of Utah: Body & Mind 2022 

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• Courtesy Photo
• Stretch Zone is “Best at Pulling Your Leg”

STAFF PICKS

Best Winning Wednesdays
Chantal Papillon, Julie Ray and Lindsay Strain
If you only have one day for your fitness regime, and that day happens to be Wednesday, you're so in luck. Get on over to Cottonwood Heights and sign up for a class offered by any or all of the above instructors. With her soft soothing voice and gentle movements, Chantal Papillon instructs a 10:45 a.m. qi gong class that will have you floating home on air. Longtime fitness instructor Julie Ray teaches a barre class at 6:30 p.m. that challenges every muscle fiber in your being. And the amazing Lindsay Strain brings a Zumba class for all fitness levels at 7:40 p.m. Both Ray and Strain provide lights, action and a soundtrack for their choreographed moves sure to brighten your mood. It's like a night out at a dance club—only you're wearing sweats and comfortable shoes and ... well, not inebriated.
Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center, 7500 S. 2700 East, Cottonwood Heights, 801-943-3190, cottonwoodheights.com

Best Hot Rocks
Sarah Jensen, LMT
Local massage therapist Sarah Jensen keeps finding new ways to "be best" (as former First Lady Melania was wont to say). Not only does Jensen deliver bracing deep-tissue massages that neutralize tight muscles wherever they may hide—she now offers tempting add-ons to go with them. Know this, though: Her heated river stones aren't just for show. They allow Jensen to apply even deeper pressure to areas of concern. And said stones somehow aid blood circulation, relieve tension, boost immunity and, well, just let clients really relax. For Mother's Day, she's offering a coconut body scrub add-on to a massage. She may be an all-business massage therapy pro, but Jensen knows that, sometimes, we need to forgo the "work" of bodywork and let hot stones and salt scrubs do their magic. Jensen's specials and multi-visit packages are also reasonably priced—allowing even pitifully poor print journalists to get their rock on.
Soft Hands Medical Massage, Midvale, 385-549-9366

Best at Pulling Your Leg
Stretch Zone
Sometimes, we're so done in by the weary world, we can't be bothered to take a walk, much less bend down to touch our toes. But the folks at Stretch Zone thought long and hard about human inertia and came up with "assisted stretching." The tables at their studios are decked out with a patented strapping and stabilization system that enables trained staff to gently stretch clients—and they sit back and enjoy the ride. It sounds a mite bit lazy, but a weekly session yields impressive results. Joint tightness is reduced, flexibility is increased, and you may just find you can go back to the gym and not fear pulling a muscle. The specialists are trained to address whatever problem areas you have and will keep you smiling even when the stretches get intense. Your first stretch is on the house.
Locations in Draper, SLC and Fort Union, stretchzone.com

Best Mall Pampering
Dermalogica
Founded by a skin therapist, Dermalogica offers professional-grade skin-care products and services—and both are now available at Murray's Fashion Place Mall. You can start with a complimentary face mapping, analysis and product recommendations. Then book a 30- or 60-minute session with a Dermalogica-trained esthetician and enjoy services such as the Pro-Bright (a high-intensity treatment that brightens and smooths the skin tone), microcurrent, microdermabrasion, peels, LED therapy and more. Look for their spa nook across from Crate and Barrel. And because it's open mall hours (Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday, noon-5 p.m.), you can pamper yourself any day of the week.
Fashion Place Mall, 6191 S. State, Murray, 801-304-3264, dermalogica.com

Best Patch Tests
Douglas Powell, MD
This friendly face at the U's Health Center in Murray is the go-to for treating allergic-contact dermatitis and hives. His goal is to discover the cause of persistent rashes and inflammation that refuse to go away. To that end, he applies tinctures and substances to patients' backs and evaluates their reactions to fragrances, metals, preservatives and more. (When this physician says he's got your back, it's because it's his diagnostic tool.) For one week of your life, you'll feel like a walking science experiment, because ... you are. The process is made more tolerable thanks to the doctor's dashing fashion statements. No matter how itchy that rash is, his bow ties and snazzy socks and overall good humor are something to look forward to.
University of Utah Midvalley Health Center, 243 E. 6100 South, Murray, 801-581-2955, healthcare.utah.edu

Best Keepin' It Real Yoga
Stephanie Williams
Are you avoiding yoga because you think you're too [overweight, out of shape, stiff, uncoordinated—fill in the blank]? The instructor to help you get past your limitations is none other than Stephanie Williams, teaching Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:40 p.m. Ever flexible and adept at her practice, Williams puts students at ease talking about her life as a mom and her day job and her friends. Students barely notice they're on their fifth or sixth downward facing "doggie," as she calls the pose. For more advanced students, she extends each stretch to the furthest limit imaginable, allowing each class member to work at their own level. The final 10 minutes, she has students lie on their backs listening to music—a rest she considers to be the most important part of their practice.
Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center, 7500 S. 2700 East, Cottonwood Heights, 801-943-3190, cottonwoodheights.com

Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled the name of Best Oncologist winner Theresa Werner, MD. Also, the web address for Best Injections winner Hillary Taggart has been updated to modernslc.com.