Beauty & Spas in Anchorage

As an ob-gyn, Dr. Linda Wrigley had listened to numerous female patients inquire about aesthetic treatments. But her personal interest in the field stemmed from a trip to the Bahamas, where sun exposure caused a common skin condition known as melasma, or "mask of pregnancy." After exploring her options, Dr. Wrigley decided to share the technological advancements she had researched with her clients. She now owns and directs Alaska Body Aesthetics, using the intense pulsed light of Palomar's StarLux system to remove hair and target skin lesions. Assisted by licensed aestheticians Kate Williams and Meilyn Urling, Dr. Wrigley performs Fraxel fractional-laser treatments to address scars and wrinkles pixel by pixel, which is also the best way to analyze the beauty secrets hidden in a movie star's complexion.

The doctor also combats signs of aging with Botox and dermal fillers, and she helps patients enhance their body image with skin-contouring treatments and weight-loss programs. She and her team clear complexions with products such as SkinCeuticals and Obagi Medical.

Glaze's studio immediately asserts itself as a zone for the bold and modern. Light-blue and lime-green accents are juxtaposed against the industrial aesthetic of an exposed floor for a stark contrast. This setting, however, belies the aestheticians' preference for nature. The pipe-free Sanijet pedicure baths, inspired by the stone paths strewn throughout Asia, deliver a reflexology massage to soaking feet by stimulating specific pressure points on the underside of each foot. This attention to detail pervades everything on Glaze's service menu, which spans nailcare, facials, massages, and waxing. Aestheticians rely on a stock that contains many eco-friendly products, such as the Aveda skincare line and the formaldehyde- and DBP-free nail polishes of butter London. They also maintain a meticulously clean studio, sanitizing instruments in the same kind of high-temperature autoclaves found in hospitals, the dentist’s office, and the homes of professional taxidermists.

Advanced-practice nurse Leeanne Mercier specializes in keeping women healthy, but she also focuses on their personal comfort. After 20 years of providing preventative healthcare to the indigenous women of the arctic, Mercier opened her own clinic for women's health in 2004. She now owns All About You Medical Spa, where she takes an individualized approach to beauty and wellness. Aestheticians put patients at ease with advanced training in services such as cosmetic injectables, skin-tightening derma-roller treatments, and nonsurgical liposuction sessions.

In the turquoise-walled Thai room, Asian-inspired art and lush tapestries create a cozy, welcoming backdrop for women's wellness exams. The reception area is no less comforting—a cushy red sofa sprawls beside a wood-framed fireplace, whose flame-fed light mingles with rays from the sparkling chandelier overhead. The massage room also features a fireplace, along with a painting depicting a window-like view into an exotic landscape.

According to a 2009 feature in the Anchorage Daily News, In Style Nail Spa’s nail technicians, Tam Phan and his wife, Michelle, focus on comfort and sanitation while they pretty up hands and feet. Their emphasis on safety is evident during each appointment—they only adhere nontoxic nail enhancements to fingers and toes and redirect polish fumes away from the manicure tables with a specialized ventilator.

Their services cover gels, acrylics, and China Silk nails in addition to pampering add-ons, such as paraffin and exfoliating scrubs. They coat nails in traditional polishes from OPI and Orly or in Shellac polish, which guards against chips for up to two weeks no matter how much you massage your coworkers. During treatments, guests can sip on coffee, tea, or water.

As a native Alaskan, the owner of Embody understands the physical toll that the area’s harsh winters and surplus of outdoor activities can take on muscles. The massage center’s services take into account this Alaskan way of life, and its certified therapists cater to their neighbors' pain-relief needs with therapeutic bodywork that targets muscles ailing from cold weather or the heavy burden of layered sweaters. Candles, plants, and rock fountains surround the plush beds in the treatment rooms, where therapists ply muscles with soothing massages that ease medical injuries and quiet stress. Essential oils and footbaths can be added on to any treatment; if you crave further relaxation, take home some of Embody’s collection of locally made teas, lotions, and bath salts.

It all began with a quest to find makeup without harmful ingredients that would also look good on camera. COR Cosmetics owner Amber Brophy-Mock worked diligently with chemists to create a 100% vegan mineral foundation composed of only four ingredients and free of irritants such as talc, carmine, bismuth oxychloride, and bottled Fran Drescher sound bites. The makeup and skincare expert has given interviews to numerous media publications and wrote a beauty column for the Anchorage Style Guide. She and her team of makeup artists have assembled an impressive portfolio of work while enhancing faces at weddings, fashion shows, and on the celebrity-studded sets of television shows and movies.

Patrons can find the skin-friendly products online or get an in-person application within the bright fuchsia and purple walls of the Wax, Lash & Cosmetics Boutique. At the spa, Brophy-Mock's staff of licensed aestheticians perform facials with products ranging from clinical PCA Skin peels to 100% Pure's organic and vegan formulas. They also offer organic waxing services and eyelash extensions with certified experts.