The Love Institute, San Francisco

The Love Institute founder and renowned massage-industry expert Meagan Holub has helped some pretty discriminating clientele to relax and unwind. From Forbes CEOs and professional athletes to rock stars and royalty, her therapeutic massages have melted away the stress that is inherent in any A lister's life. According to Holub's blog, gift certificates for one of her massages were given away in VIP gift bags at the 2012 MusiCares event honoring Paul McCartney, so they made their way into the hands of celebrity musicians, such as the Foo Fighters, Katy Perry, and Coldplay.

But Holub talks massage with as many down-to-earth, everyday people as she does famous folks, thanks to a compassionate streak she's demonstrated since childhood. As a young girl and teenager, she rescued stray animals, volunteered at Easter Seals camp, became a physical-therapy assistant, and served as an aide for a person with paraplegia. Today her passion for helping others translates into The Love Institute's services, including group massage classes and private massage lessons that teach individuals and couples to execute the same techniques so sought after by Hollywood stars. Holub and her team of certified massage therapists also instruct employees at workplace events, where they demonstrate stress-relief techniques, which come in handy the next time the boss requires mandatory overtime to help her solve the Sunday crossword.