Boston - October 07, 2005

Soak It Up

Urban Oasis

The doorbell. The dog. The boss. The commute. Gas prices. Global warming. The current state of the world — let alone your hair.

It’s enough to send you screaming into a Calgon commercial. Or at least to the modern-day equivalent: Urban Oasis, the spanking new spa specializing in hydrotherapy (a fancy name for water-centric relaxation).

The first of its kind in Boston, the 2,000-square-foot spot has three hot tub rooms (two tubs wood, one fiberglass) decked with showers and a changing area. There’s a staff of six massage therapists, all trained to administer relaxing rubdowns from Swedish to neuromuscular. And the decor? A soothing fusion of Japanese design with feng shui.

Massage appointments range from a 15-minute quickie chair massage to 90-minute sessions, and hydrotherapy reservations are available in 30-, 45-, and 60-minute blocks that will leave you without a single care in the world.

Except how to find the time to get back there.

Urban Oasis, 243 Hampshire Street, Inman Square, Cambridge (617-491-0176 or urbanoasiscambridge.com).