Beauty & Spas in Altadena

A longtime staple in the Beverly Hills hairstyling scene, Giuseppe Franco keeps his team of expert stylists and colorists on the cutting edge of hairstyling trends through weekly training sessions. Giuseppe’s dogged pursuit of up-to-date style has attracted a lengthy list of celebrity clientele that includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ashton Kutcher, and Drew Barrymore, among others, and the stylist has been featured on various entertainment TV shows and in popular magazines such as People, Us, and GQ for his hair tips. Recognizing his talents as a public speaker, many salons, cosmetology schools, and White House Correspondents’ Association dinners have featured haircare lectures from Giuseppe.

At Winx Beautique’s newly renovated salon on Sunset Boulevard, certified NovaLash technicians primp peepers with customizable extensions. The insured professionals enhance eye shapes by adorning them with mink-blend lashes of varying thicknesses, lengths, and colors. To create a truly natural appearance, the techs take up to two hours to individually apply the lashes with a specialized adhesive. Because lashes typically last between two and four weeks, they also perform fills and touchups to ensure that lashes continue to look as full and beautiful as a recently-fed butterfly.

Remix Hair’s energetic, bright-red façade may mislead when it comes to what awaits inside: a cool, airy salon where stylists use only botanical Aveda products. Sitting in black leather chairs amid natural wood floors, clients divulge their envisioned looks to stylists, who deftly snip and color to client preferences. Whether clients desire a short-and-stacked cut, long layers, or dip-dyed locks, the team of stylists tackles each challenge for all types of hair, including curly ‘dos. Further secluded from the peaceful salon floor are private treatment rooms where velvety red linens cover white sheets for client and Santa comfort. Wielding the same caliber of plant- and flower-based products, Remix’s aesthetics staff performs soothing facials while nail technicians groom digits or transform them into art pieces.

"You no longer need surgery—or you can at least delay surgery—by using advances in laser technology to erase years off your face and body," says Raisa Howard, a certified nurse practitioner at LA Skin Care Center. Her arsenal of lasers includes the Pearl for resurfacing, the LimeLight for evening out hyperpigmentation, and the Titan for skin tightening and defense against uprisings of Greek gods. Cutera's ProWave laser removes unwanted hair by attacking follicles in their active growth phase, and injectable beauty solutions fill in wrinkles or dissolve fat.

Since 1995, the stylists at Sol Salon have harnessed extensive training to shear and primp shaggy manes into sleek perfection. Conditioning and smoothing treatments with organic Eufora serums rein in flyaways, and custom coloring using Matrix and Davines products helps life-size troll dolls go incognito. Hair whisperers also elongate locks using Extend Tube extensions, which clamp to natural strands via tiny metal tubes for long-lasting length. The salon's high ceilings, plum and orange accents, and creamy leather stylists' chairs embrace clients with a hip and colorful environment.

Hairstyling veterans Suzie Nomoto and Eri Yumita of Hair Studio Lotus merge Japanese styling traditions with American and European innovations to beautify hair, nails, and skin. Nomoto and Yumita studied styling techniques in Japan before training at Vidal Sassoon and Aveda, and now treat American clients to the best extracts from Eastern and Western styling philosophies. Before undergoing a signature service such as Japanese hair straightening—a thermal reconditioning treatment designed to straighten hair for up to six months—the stylists consult with clients to discover their personal styles, make recommendations, and organize daring heists of nearby pet stores. Some styling services include a scalp massage, which coaxes out tension stored in nervous craniums.