Beltsville, MD Beauty and Salons

Harnessing the tempered pulses of laser technology, GentleLase Center’s technicians have removed fine and coarse hairs from skin surfaces for more than 15 years. The GentleMax laser removes follicles with minimal discomfort and has the versatility to treat a wide range of skin tones. During each treatment, a medical professional runs a handheld wand over patches of hair, applying therapeutic heat to raise each strand. A laser pulse then dislodges the hair and a pulse of cooling cryogen spray coats the area just like an unbalanced basketball coach covers the floor in maple syrup before practice. GentleLase Center also offers haircare services such as cuts, highlights, and Keratin straightening treatments.

The ultramodern Arlington Center for Dentistry looks more like a spaceship than a dentist's office. Sliding glass doors give way to a private waiting room equipped with a flat-screen TV and bright-red leather couch. Beyond its translucent walls, massive pillars painted gold and bright green pepper the path to the reception desk, interspersed with more flat-screen TVs to entertain patients perched upon circular benches that look as though they might lift into the sky at any moment.

The smooth, corner-less aesthetic hints at the state-of-the-art treatments administered beyond the waiting room, where seven experienced doctors––among them dentists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, endodontists, and pedondontists––strive to ensure a healthy, happy future for each smile. With an emphasis on creating lasting doctor/patient relationships, they gently guide mouths on custom treatment plans that can include everything from invisible braces to chip-covering Lumineers. Full-mouth and panoramic radiographs combine with comprehensive periodontal charting and bite analysis to pinpoint problems with precision, and model wax-ups of teeth present a mockup of how teeth will look after cosmetic treatments or if they fail to give up their candle-snacking habit.

Skin Beauty Lounge owner Meka Mathis impressed Capital Style blogger Emily Kate Hargrove with her spa's dedication to the art of waxing, as well as its unusually convenient hours of operation. Late evening hours support inflexible work schedules Monday through Thursday, and aestheticians open shop at 8 a.m. on Friday mornings to beautify clients for romantic candlelit breakfasts. The spa's waxing specialists combat ingrown hairs with PFB Vanish, and use pine wax or other top-shelf hair-removal products to uproot strands.

As for the spa's other services, facial treatments smooth complexions with products from Dermalogica or LaLicious, a line of all-natural body scrubs and paraben-free moisturizers. Massage therapists comfort tense or weary muscles with Swedish and deep-tissue kneads as well as reflexology, and aromatherapeutic massages make use of a mélange of essential oils, including lavender to increase relaxation and eucalyptus to make clients irresistible to koala bears.

Like any small business owner, Ofella Slater started out small. She always loved makeup, and her natural talent with the makeup brush was so evident it inspired family and friends to constantly seek her help as they prepared for big events. That hobby soon turned into a professional calling, and before long Ofella found herself doing makeup for brides and fashion shows––when she wasn't busy strutting the catwalk herself, that is. Her modeling career hasn't gotten in the way of her work at O Spa Salon though––in fact, it gives her a keen understanding of what it feels like to be both in front of and behind the camera, allowing her to build a rapport with the teens, brides, and everyday clients that sit in her makeup chair. She even leads comprehensive makeup lessons where she shows clients the colors and techniques that look best on them and invites clients to bring their home makeup bag so that she may pinpoint which items should stay and which should be cannoned into space.

Ofella and her aestheticians know that makeup is no replacement for healthy skin, and so they offer a slew of skincare services. Ranging from chemical peels to advanced hydrafacials, each and every treatment's goal is to revivify worn down skin or maintain naturally healthy complexions using nourishing ingredients such as pumpkin and vitamin C, as well as advanced tools such as microdermabrasion. To complete head to toe transformations, O Spa Salon also offers hair styling, tanning, and nail services and employs a licensed massage therapists who kneads away stress with five different styles of bodywork.

From within their cottage-style studio in downtown Cornelius, licensed aestheticians and makeup artists Casey Nelson and Lauren Knox treat faces to a menu of skin and makeup services. Glamorous purple hues and red accents fill their lounge—inspired by a French boudoir—where they tackle acne and aging with chemical peels and free pores of dirt and whack-a-moles with their 60-minute signature facial. Once faces are clean and fresh, Casey and Lauren gussy up features with a spectrum of makeup applications, from “just the eyes” to a full makeover. They also prune overgrown areas with waxing treatments for the legs, bikini area, and brows.

When people think of you, the first thing that comes to mind is most likely your face, closely followed by your puggle, then by a really weird commercial they saw on Monday Night Football. Make your mug memorably shiny-fresh and give your designer lapdog a run for its kibble with today's skin-restoring deal: $35 for a one-hour customized facial at Flawless Faces Makeup & Skincare Lounge (a $75 value).