Face & Skin Care in Atlanta

Touches of high-contrast décor create a chic boutique atmosphere at Platinum Currents, where aestheticians perform noninvasive treatments that produce Botox-like effects. As a preferred reseller of Image Skincare products, aestheticians use the line's IPeel chemical peels and paraben-free skincare regimes to restore faces' youthful luster. Each service comes with a complimentary zone-specific skin consultation, ensuring that all treatments have gentle, restorative effects on dry, oily, or paintball-smeared skin types.

Medical aesthetics specialist Lisa Mangrum brings almost 20 years of experience and an arsenal of advanced technology to her med spa. Peels, photofacials, and microdermabrasions work together to refresh complexions, and a quartet of carefully calibrated lasers lets staff adapt hair-removal treatments to different skin and hair types. Injectables, such as Botox, aim to smooth out facial contours, and permanent makeup leaves mugs photo-ready, even when doused in Gatorade after a spelling-bee win.

At SensAbility in the Atlanta School of Massage, supervised student aestheticians bolster fading façades with natural and organic products by Lotus Moon, which contain botanicals and marine extracts. During the gentle massagings of the signature facial, apprentice aestheticians overhaul complexions with a deep pore cleansing to remove dirt, oil, and stray gummy bears. After analyzing individual skin characteristics, pelt practitioners smooth layers of organic cleansers across cranial turf, toning and exfoliating faces to achieve a radiant complexion. Extractions, a treatment mask, and a soothing hand and arm massage complete the pore-refining pamperfest, leaving faces as smooth as a buttered-up ice sculpture. Fresh faces can also request a complimentary makeup application at the time of booking.

Guided by the hands of Teresa McComb, a licensed aesthetician and skincare instructor with more than 25 years of experience, the skilled staff at Aesthetic Resources enhances exteriors with skin and body treatments that target built-up impurities. During the body-smoothie exfoliating polish, technicians sweep skin with a dry brush to apprehend dead skin cells and stimulate circulation, giving the brush to clients afterward so they can use it for at-home maintenance or shag-carpet delousing. Aestheticians then address internal issues with an herbal cellulite detoxifier wrap, cloaking the arms, legs, and torso with material that emits infrared heat. The treatment can burn up to 900 calories, ease muscle pain, and spur metabolism for up to 36 hours after the treatment. For the pneumatic massage, prostrate patrons slip into a suit lined with chambers that are then inflated by a suckerfish set on reverse. The resulting pressure on muscles and tissue dispels built-up fluids, toxins, and cellulite.

To call The Body Shop a mere skin and body care store is to miss half of what makes it special. Late founder Dame Anita Roddick was a pioneer for ethical business practices; upon opening her first store in Brighton, England, in 1976, she developed company values such as "Defend Human Rights" and "Protect The Planet." She somehow balanced principles and profit, partnering in global campaigns with UNICEF, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and the United Nations, all while ultimately expanding her brand into 2,500 locations in over 60 international markets. After her death in 2007, then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said, “She campaigned for green issues for many years before it became fashionable to do so and inspired millions to the cause by bringing sustainable products to a mass market. . . . She was an inspiration.”

Indeed, the Body Shop exhibits an eco-friendliness and social consciousness that's hard to come by in a company of its size. Its products have been fair-trade since 1987, and its Against Animal Testing movement led to an EU-wide ban of animal testing of cosmetics. The products are made from ingredients harvested from around the world: shea butter from Ghana goes into body scrubs and butters, and Indian artisans craft wooden massagers and tote bags that are screenprinted by hand. But all that isn't to say the company's production practices overshadow its final products. Skincare treatments such as the brand’s iconic body butters, facial products, and gift collections often appear in Allure, Marie Claire, Lucky, Seventeen and other national publications.

The two sisters who opened Aroma Soul Skin Boutique & Brow Bar in 2010 had more than simply beautifying clients on their minds. Instead, the duo envisioned a staff of knowledgeable therapists who could restore health to skin and nails, and teach clients how to keep up those results at home. Today, the sisters have assembled their team of aesthetic miracle workers who begin each treatment with a consultation to assess clients’ beauty goals and make informed recommendations to help their clients maintain healthy skin between treatments. Once aestheticians design their plans of action, they can begin affixing faux eyelashes, applying makeup, or waxing unwanted hair instead of just hoping it magically falls out. They also protect nails with moisturizers and coats of polish during warm lavender manicures, and cleanse, brighten, or hydrate skin with a wide range of facials and peels.