Not far from the stresses that embody Kent State’s campus, a quiet spa sits downtown. Songs of the Sidhe Day Spa rests easy on a ground floor window, but guests must make a trip upstairs to meet the owner, Kristin Driscoll.

As mostly a one-woman show, Driscoll only caters to women. Services range from body wraps and facials to hair removal and massotherapy.

Her specialty seems to be the 80-minute massage/facial combo, which we sampled.

Upon walking up the steep brown stairs and entering Driscoll’s homey oasis away from West College Avenue, the humming of a fish tank is an immediate relaxer.

Driscoll greeted us with a warm smile, and it was obvious we were in her territory. With only 55 minutes to work on each of us, she quickly explained her 25-year history in the spa industry.

In 1978, Driscoll began her training in reflexology and massotherapy. Over the years, she expanded her certification and opened her first day spa, Journey Massotherapy, on Water Street.

She opened Songs of Sidhe Day Spa in 1998 to escape the drama and stress that comes with owning a large spa. We’re glad she did.

During our visit, we learned that Driscoll only offers services she knows she can do well. She doesn’t do anything halfway to appease the masses with latest trends.

We found her to be a very personable and sincere woman looking to provide the best for each client’s needs. This became apparent when she offered a massage chair to each of us while the other was in her appointment.

The massages were what we expected and left us feeling stress free and relaxed, at least for the weekend. Getting any sort of tension released is rare for college students, so this was surely a treat.

The facials left our pores visibly smaller and skin smooth. As facial first-timers, we admit we were slightly skeptical of getting a slab of green gunk on our faces with cucumbers on top.

To our surprise, it was delightful. After a quick look under the light, she knew the target problem areas on our faces and customized the facial to our specific needs. All in all, she knew what she was doing.

On our way out the door, Driscoll wished us a good weekend and reminded us avoid excessive exfoliation.

In a near blissful comatose state, we made our way back into the crazed streets of College Avenue and the unrelenting college environment.

You can contact Courtney Kerrigan and Kelley Stokolsa at [email protected] and [email protected].