Beauty & Spas in Auburn

At Ava Jade Salon & Spa, blue and white accents reminiscent of a frosted cupcake surround clients as they indulge in hair makeovers, skin rejuvenation, and body-coddling treatments. Dermalogica products cleanse pore pastures during custom facials and back treatments, clearing skin of the dirt and oil caked to it after falling asleep in a parking lot without irritants such as lanolin, SD alcohol, mineral oil, and artificial fragrances. In addition, the staff shampoos and styles natural hats with sulfate- and paraben-free products by Unite. After banishing split ends with a precision cut, hair-tamers can add depth to manes with highlights, strengthen locks with deep-conditioning treatments, or disguise patrons from IRS auditors with all-over color.

Aesthetician Marina Ramos was voted Best Facialist in the El Dorado County Readers' Choice awards in Style magazine for 2009 and 2010, and in 2011 was voted Favorite Makeup Artist and earned second place for Favorite Facialist. Her deft touch was first developed at Federico Beauty College, where she persevered to earn her aesthetician's license, in spite of Frankie Avalon's continued insistence that she drop out. Certification in six skincare lines means that she has a battery of techniques from Aveda, Jan Marini, and Bioelements at her disposal, helping her create custom regimens that help skin stay healthy and youthful. Continually educating herself on methods for preserving beauty, she became a certified dermatician for permanent cosmetics to artfully highlight facial features with organic pigment.

When veteran stylist Ella set out to make a “creative alternative to the same old salon humdrum,” she wasn't just talking about innovative hairstyles and gossipy patter. In Ella's Gloss Salon, artwork made by community artists adds a touch of local inspiration to the space’s chic, slate-gray walls. Amid the paintings, Ella and her team call upon their continuous education to concoct on-trend cuts, and the stylists imbue locks with even color or dimension-bending highlights. While they focus on hair services, the Gloss Salon also lifts unwanted fuzz with European wax, and they try to improve the community by donating 10% of all product sales to local nonprofits and charities.

While teaching at the Paul Mitchell Partner School, Breanna Stahl treasured the moments when she could see her students defining their personal aesthetic edge. She wanted to foster a similar environment of growth at her own business and opened Abeille Salon as a venue for adroit stylists to showcase their art. There, chandeliers illuminate cream walls and the lavender mirrors that reflect a bevy of cut and color services. As members of a Paul Mitchell Focus Salon, the staff shapes new 'dos with Paul Mitchell hair products instead of cumbersome bobby-pin scaffolding.

Rows of Roman--style columns intersect the polished hardwood floors at The Look Salon, a full-service beauty haven where shelves of neatly arranged skin products stand opposite the stylists who nimbly wield them. Winner of the Mountain Democrat's Reader's Choice award for best salon of 2012, the salon's talented staff overhauls hair with a combination of keen fashion sense, steady hands, and vibrant colors, crafting new looks that complement facial structure and personal style. Spa experts help clients to overcome skin blemishes and evidence of naps atop waffle irons with nutrient-rich facials, and nail technicians and waxing specialists primp and polish bodily details.

Laline's shelves overflow with aromatic bath and body products made with natural ingredients including salts from the Dead Sea and essential oils from Provence. After getting wrapped in vintage-style packaging, the far-flung ingredients make their way to 60 locations worldwide—with only three in the United States. Creams, lotions, and soaps for women help maintain soft skin, and products for babies blend gentle elements such as chamomile oil, aloe vera, and stork tears. Laline also doles out feminine, bright-pink products for girls, as well as shaving supplements and soaps for men.

White walls and furnishings give the shop's shabby-chic interior a clean, airy vibe. Laline's colorful products pop against white tables and shelves, which nestle beneath delicate crystal chandeliers.