Get a massage and teeth cleaning in one stop

When Amie and Benjamin Nemec, co-owners of The Hills Dental Spa, would introduce themselves to people, the natural course of conversation would always turn to occupation.

"When they found out that [Benjamin] was a dentist, they would respond with, 'I hate the dentist,'" Amie said. "We never really understood that. We had always had good experiences with our dentists."

Amie said she and her husband began to think about why people hated going to the dentist and what they could do to change that perception.

The couple opened The Hills Dental Spa, 6836 Bee Caves Road, Ste. 300, in 2002 as a way to treat the whole body, not just the mouth, Amie said.

The dental spa opened with three employees—Benjamin, Amie and a message therapist, Annie—but business was slow at first, Amie said.

The slow times allowed Amie the time to tweak and improve the office that she otherwise would not have had, she said.

The spa has private rooms for dental and spa services, which allows for privacy during treatment, questions and insurance information, Amie said.

"We strive to do paperwork and have discussions away from the front desk," Amie said. "That way we don't overwhelm people as they walk in the door."

Although The Hills offers spa services in addition to dental services, Amie said about 40 percent to 45 percent of patients use both services, and a handful use only the spa services.

"One thing we do is offer a full hour massage to new patients free of charge," Amie said. "If we can get people to look forward to going to the dentist, we have done our job."

Amie said she likes to think out of the box. The dental spa has added a number of employees over the years, including a second dentist, Christina Hobson, and the practice is thinking of expanding.

"Our patients have urged us to look for a second location," Amie said. "Hopefully we can announce something soon."

Spa services

• Chair massage: $1 per minute
• 10-minute jaw massage: $10
• 15-minute hand massage: $15
• 25-minute massaging foot scrub: $30
• 45-minute foot reflexology: $50

Types of massages

• Swedish massage
• Sports massage
• Hot stone therapy
• Pregnancy massage
• Reflexology
• Scalp massage
• TMJ therapy
• Facial massage

Community Involvement

Amie Nemec, co-owner of The Hills Dental Spa, said the business receives many requests for charitable donations but can't donate to all of them.

"We try to stay involved in the community, but this year we wanted to make one large impact instead of a bunch of smaller ones," she said.

The Hills held a four-month campaign in which people were nominated to receive a smile makeover.

"We received 367 nominations and picked out our top five," she said.

Of the top five, the dental spa chose Steve Powell for the makeover, but the story doesn't end there.

"During our 3-D dental scan we noticed a lesion above [Powell's] teeth," she said.

Powell underwent surgery pro bono from a local doctor and will soon undergo the smile makeover from The Hills Dental Spa.

The Hills Dental Spa, 6836 Bee Caves Road, Ste. 300, Austin, 512-347-0044, www.thehillsdentalspa.com