From the Sea to Saline: Cindy Akans Brings Salt Springs Massage Home

Cindy Akans, a Saline High School graduate, brings her global massage experience back home. She opens Salt Springs Massage in downtown Saline, offering a range of therapeutic services for wellness and relaxation.

After years of travel, adventure, and building a massage business, Cindy Akans has returned to her hometown of Saline, where her journey has come full circle with the purchase of a massage business, rechristening it as Salt Springs Massage.

Located at 75 E. Henry St., Salt Springs Massage is the latest chapter in a location that has offered massage services for over 20 years. Akans officially opened her doors in January 2025, continuing the legacy while infusing it with her own experiences and vision.

Akans’ path to Salt Springs Massage was anything but conventional. “I was on a sailboat sabbatical for three years, and did massage at various marinas and on people’s boats until returning to Michigan again,” she explained. Her travels took her from Tennessee down the river systems to Mobile Bay, around the Florida coast, and to the Bahamas for two winters.

After her time at sea, Akans worked as a massage therapist at Grand Traverse Resort, the Garden Spa in Traverse City, and Bloom Wellness in Ann Arbor. She also ran her own mobile massage business, Cindy’s Mobile Massage, during the COVID-19 pandemic, which evolved into a brick-and-mortar business. With her adventures and mobile business behind her, She is glad to be back in her hometown.

“My mother’s always lived in Saline, so I was excited for the opportunity to come back to Saline and be closer to my mom,” Akans said. She graduated from Saline High School and, after years away, said, “It feels wonderful to be back in Saline, my hometown, my roots. I feel my roots every day in this town, and I’m really proud of the town, and proud to say I’m a resident of this town, proud to be a business owner in this town.”

At Salt Springs Massage, the Akans team has a combined 50 years of experience, including Brooke Bailey, with 30 years, and Rachel Malcom, with over 5 years. The team offers a variety of massage and bodywork therapies, including Swedish, Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular, Myofascial, Sports, Craniosacral, Hydrotherapy, and Reflexology. Massage therapy has been shown to reduce stress, improve circulation, relieve muscle tension, and promote overall well-being, and Akans is proud to bring these benefits to her clients.

“Between the three of us, we draw from such a wide background and training and experience that we go well beyond therapeutic massage because of the other talents that we can bring in for whole wellness,” she adds.

Salt Springs Massage offers appointments seven days a week, including some evenings. Learn more or book an appointment at www.saltspringsmassage.com.