About held
held was created from a simple idea: your time at the spa shouldn’t feel rushed.
A customized spa experience that listens to your needs.
Traditional spa environments can be fast-paced, with appointments moving from one room to the next and every additional need becoming another add-on. held was created to offer something different. A slower, more intentional experience where you have my full attention, your treatment is actually customized to you, and you never feel like you’re being nickel and dimed for what your body or skin needs that day.
Every treatment at held is approached with the understanding that no two people, bodies, or skin are exactly alike. Your facial isn’t chosen from a menu of upgrades based on what you’re willing to add on. Your massage isn’t a routine I repeat from one guest to the next.
I use my experience, education, intuition, and what I’m noticing in the moment to decide what will serve you best.
Body ritual.
For massage, that means listening to your body.
I’m paying attention to how your tissues respond, whether they want more or less pressure, where I need to linger, and when it’s time to move on. Sometimes I find the places you didn’t even realize were holding tension. To me, that attentiveness is what massage should be about.
Skin Ritual
Skincare is approached with the same flexibility.
There isn’t one right way to care for your skin. For some people, a slower, simpler routine with fewer products feels best. Others want a more involved approach and are comfortable pursuing faster or more noticeable results. Neither is inherently better. The best skincare is the kind that makes sense for you and that you can actually stay consistent with.
At its heart, held is for the woman who gives a lot of herself to the people around her and understands the importance of regularly filling her own cup, too.
She wants somewhere she can return to consistently, somewhere she doesn’t have to make the decisions or hold everything together. She wants to relax, let go, and trust that she is in good hands.
The name held came from thinking deeply about what I wanted this business to represent.
More than anything, I want my guests to leave feeling like they were genuinely cared for and given the space to let go.
That is what held is here to offer:
thoughtful, unrushed care for your body and skin, with the experience and attention to make each visit feel like it was
made for you.
Hi, I’m Whitney.
Your esthetician, then a massage therapist
I’ve been drawn to beauty and wellness for as long as I can remember. In middle school, I used to drive past a massage school and think, “That seems interesting.” Years later, I went to FIDM and studied Beauty Industry Merchandising and Marketing, thinking I might find my place behind the scenes of the industry. But after getting a taste of that world, I realized I wanted to be much more hands on.
So I became a cosmetologist, then an esthetician, then a massage therapist. In a way, I’ve come full circle to what I was probably meant to do in the first place.
After almost 10 years in the industry, I’ve learned that there is a lot you simply cannot learn in school. I like to say that I’ve developed eyes in my hands and feet. I can feel what’s happening in the skin and tissues and use that information to know how to respond. That’s something that only comes with years of paying attention.
I’m naturally quiet and observant, and that carries into the way I work. During a consultation, I’m listening to what you tell me, but I’m also paying attention to how you tell me. Are you wound up? Wired? Low energy? Is there a little sadness underneath your words? Those things matter to me because they change how I approach your treatment that day.
“My favorite part of any treatment is finding that sweet spot when your body tells me, ‘yes, that’s it. The right place, the right pressure, the right pace.’ When everything starts to flow and I can feel you letting go, it honestly feels a little like magic”
x.o. Whitney Montella
I’m also a bit of a nerd about my apothecary from Wilder North Botanicals.
I love herbs, plants, and learning about all the ways they can be used in skincare. There is always something new to discover, which is one of the things I love most about this industry. I don’t believe beauty and wellness have to follow one formula, either. There are so many ways to approach caring for your skin and body, and I think the best practitioner is someone who knows how to meet the person in front of them.
Outside of held, I’m a full time mom to two beautiful girls and a wife. I love being outside, watching sunsets, baking sourdough bread, spending time with my husband, finding good food, and taking any opportunity we can get to hike, camp, try something new, or see somewhere we haven’t been before. I have one life to live, and I’m gonna see what I can get away with.
Book your Ritual
Step into relaxation and reconnect with your body and mind.
Body ritual. Skin Ritual