The Best Massage Therapists in New York - Curbed

[Yasmin Gagné]

Gracia Imboden, Ricari Studios, WSA, 161 Water St., 23rd fl., Ste. 2304; ricaristudios.com

All of the massages Gracia Imboden performs incorporate Icoone, a machine resembling Spider-Man’s Doctor Octopus; it has three dangling tentacles with plastic cups that suction the skin as they glide across the body in a high-tech version of lymphatic-drainage massage. The treatment, which increases blood flow and removes excess fluid, leads to less puffiness. Lisa Watts, a lawyer, started seeing Imboden after tearing a calf muscle. “I had been prescribed exercises, but Imboden’s treatment felt like it was actually healing my leg. It was really helpful in getting my circulation going,” she says. Since recovering, she sees Imboden once a month to help with soreness from marathon training and travel. Designer Kara Council likes to make an appointment after a long flight, too. “Her massages give me a feeling of lightness, but the aesthetic improvements” — a slimmer, more toned look — “are also amazing,” she says. (From $175.)