“When you leave work, really leave,” says Thomas Stamm, owner and General Manager of The Peninsula House, an award-winning vacation resort in the Dominican Republic. “Learn to break away,” he urges.

Tarik Yousef, owner of T.Y. Fine Furniture in Columbus, Ohio, agrees. Yousef’s two-year-old shop sells custom-made furniture made with wood native to the Buckeye State as well as organic mattresses for adults and babies and top-of-the-line massage shiatsu massage chairs. “In general, people are stressed because their lives are so hectic, both at work and at home. I opened my store as a way to introduce people to the health benefits of organic and natural materials,” he says.

Among the shop’s best-sellers is the Inada DreamWave Massage Chair, considered to be among the most luxurious and soothing massage chairs on the market. The DreamWave delivers a whole body massage to the lucky person sitting on it based on a full-body scan performed by its shiatsu point detection technology. That detection technology ensures the chair massages its inhabitant at just the right pressure points, promising maximum relaxation and enjoyment.

“I’ve had people wander into the shop, sit in that chair, and I don’t see them for a while. I’ve had countless guests tell me they haven’t felt as relaxed in a while as they did when receiving that massage,” says Yousef.

Yousef himself was a harried engineer before changing career paths to open his store. He says one of the reasons he did so was that he felt incredibly stressed at work, and he wanted a different direction for his life. “Although owning my own store has its stresses, no doubt, I like being my own boss and knowing what I sell is designed to help my customers relax,” he says.

Another way to relax is to enjoy some fun in the sun. Sure, Florida, California and the Carolinas are popular vacation destinations, but why not check out someplace new? Stamm’s Peninsula House, which he opened in 2007, has found favor among top business figures in a variety of professions such as law, hedge fund management and real estate developers, to name a few. According to Stamm, a majority of his guests are American (primarily the East Coast), while Dominicans and Europeans comprise most of the others, while his guests generally range in age from 35 to 65.

Stamm says his resort is gaining popularity because its unique décor and architecture mesh so eloquently with the tranquility of the grounds surrounding his compound. “Everything is set up to minimize stress and create an escape from reality. The service is present but unobtrusive, menus are personalized and we attend to concierge-type requests, too. In addition, the property is adults-only so as to minimize noise and distractions,” he says.

Stamm also suggests that participating in sports and following a healthy nutrition plan are two more ways to inject positivity in one’s life. And, he says, “don’t forget to have fun!”

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Tami Kamin Meyer is an Ohio attorney and writer.