Take It Easy at the Back Bay’s Release Well-Being Center

The new spa will offer products from skincare brands Palermo and Kos Paris. / Photo by Joe St. Pierre / Styling by Madison Trapkin / Florals curated by Ephemirus Floral Design

In 2000, Linda Townsend was wrangling a toddler with another kiddo on the way. So when the exhausted working mom took a trip with her sister and sister-in-law to Canyon Ranch in Arizona, she decided to go all in. “I did exercise and cooking classes, a nutrition session, and a workshop on positive mantras,” she recalls. “It was transformative. My main takeaway was that I needed to take care of myself.”

And so began Townsend’s decades-long pursuit to learn all she could about wellness and healing. Becoming a yoga instructor and then an executive life coach, Townsend’s ultimate goal was to give more people access to holistic health and wellness opportunities in one location.

She realized that dream when she opened Release Well-Being Center in Westborough seven years ago. There, her method of blending ancient remedies with modern healing therapies continues to attract a robust community of wellness enthusiasts, who flock to the center for skin care, dietary guidance, fitness classes, massages, and energy work. And this spring, Townsend is bringing her wellness expertise to an even bigger audience with the opening of a second Release outpost, this one in the Back Bay’s swanky Heritage on the Garden complex.

Release offers plenty of opportunities to find a sense of calm, including this cozy spot by the fireplace. / Photo by Joe St. Pierre

While clients will find the same signature spa treatments as in Westborough, the new Release location, situated in the 9,000-square-foot former Exhale spa space, will also feature some unique offerings. That includes contrast therapy, an experience that focuses on a series of repeated immersions in hot and cold environments. For this, the build-out required the installation of two infrared saunas, a traditional sauna, and two cold plunge pools. “Going from extreme hot—the sauna—to extreme cold—the plunge pool—puts your body into a state of euphoria, causing you to produce extra dopamine,” says Townsend, noting that the treatment is thought to boost immunity and reduce inflammation.

Also on-site are eucalyptus steam rooms and an aromatherapy relaxation room, as well as alternative healing services such as cupping and reflexology. A retail boutique showcases products from three skin-care lines: Venn, Kos Paris, and Palermo.

While the Westborough location is known for its fitness classes, Townsend opted not to include that component in Boston, given the variety of options already available throughout the city. She did, however, want her Back Bay outpost to have some kind of community-building experience—to that end, Townsend created a 45-minute facilitated group contrast-therapy session in which a guide takes guests through the hot and cold plunges interspersed with meditation and breath work. “I think it will catch on,” she says, noting that memberships are available for those who want to make spa-going a lifestyle. In the meantime, standalone experiences and day passes are also offered, so you can try it out for yourself.

An artfully arranged display of the center’s skincare products. / Photo by Joe St. Pierre

First published in the print edition of the May 2024 issue, with the headline “Take It Easy.”