Beauty & Spas in Alaska

The staff at Alaska Nails, a professional nail salon and school, paints digits in dapper shades while pampering limbs with a variety of spa services. Clients and comrades can perch on multiple pedicure chairs or in-house high wires as technicians brush coats of polish onto outstretched phalanges. Add-ons such as long-lasting Shellac, hand and foot massages, and paraffin dips soothe appendages as patrons repose near the salon's hanging tapestries. Adept artists can also scribe custom nail designs onto tips, ranging from glossy bow ties to accurate topographical maps of the moon. Alaska Nails is open seven days a week until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.

The beauty experts at Plethora of Design glamorize nails with comprehensive mani-pedis. The 75-minute treatment begins with a cuticle treatment, which softens nail beds with soothing elixirs and heartwarming pictures of puppies dressed as flowers. Next, technicians buff and shape careworn talons before swaddling hands with steaming towels to open pores. After feet lounge in a mini hot tub, technicians load them with moisturizers and loosen muscles with a gentle massage. The renovations culminate with a glimmering coat of polish on fingers and toes. For an additional cost, guests may upgrade manicures to include a paraffin-wax hand dip ($7) and Shellac polish ($8).

The licensed, board-certified doctors at Alaska Vein Care vanquish spider veins and enlarged, bulging varicose veins with FDA-approved treatments. Injections of a sclerosing agent seal the interior lining of spider veins, diminishing their appearance by blocking blood flow. Treatments for varicose veins include EVLT treatments to restore normal circulation, micro-phlebectomy procedures to remove looped veins, and sclerotherapy, which closes vein walls.

Healthier and more beautiful skin is what Alaskans have come to expect from Fortson Dermatology & Skin Care Center. That’s because the Fortson Center is recognized as Alaska’s leading resource for skin --- for dermatology, skin rejuvenation and cosmetic skin services.

Kristen and Seth Wood first experienced the therapeutic benefits of acupuncture as patients, although it wasn’t long before they established expertise behind the fine, sterile needles. After studying the medical art form, they opened their own studio, Snow Blossom Acupuncture, in order to help share acupuncture’s empowering effects. Now joined by a naturopathic physician, a certified rolfer, and a licensed massage therapist, Kristen and Seth are able to increase their clients’ levels of well-being holistically through a blend of Chinese medicine and Western therapies.

Community-acupuncture sessions allow patients to remain fully clothed and relax in a group-treatment setting, although private treatment rooms are also available for more in-depth sessions. Cupping, moxibustion heat therapy, and Chinese herbs rely on historical techniques for relieving pain and bolstering constitutions. For more spa-like sessions, the therapists can also use classic Swedish massage to soothe overstressed muscles and aromatherapy oils to revitalize fading scratch ’n’ sniff stickers.

Ever since The Alaska Club opened its first location in 1986, they've been striving to serve their members by adding amenities, classes, and opening new locations. Though each location’s offerings vary, they supplement their well-stocked fleets of cardio machines and strength equipment with cycling studios, climbing walls, basketball courts, swimming pools, and play centers for the kids. The club also offers spa services including hydromassage beds, tanning, and saunas.

Group fitness classes include yoga, step aerobics, and Pilates, and personal trainers stand at the ready to help clients focus on fitness goals. The clubs also offer swim lessons and summer camps for kids, setting in stone their commitment to making The Alaska Club a place for the whole family, not the half-formed family, which needs at least seven more years to gestate in the laboratory incubator.