Beauty & Spas in Carnot-Moon

Though their tanning bed's bulbs are designed to last for up to 800 hours, the staff at The Equator replaces them after only 500–700 hours of use to ensure optimal UVB output. This is just one example of their dedication to providing the best possible tanning experience—another is the way in which they meticulously clean each tanning bed before and after each session. Aside from traditional UV tanning and sunless Mystic Tan offerings, they shrink unwanted bodily bulges with curve-contouring infrared-heat wraps. Infrared light goes to work, heating the subcutaneous layer of skin to sweep away unnecessary cellular deposits. Treatments burn through up to 1,400 calories an hour, dwarfing the results of other activities such as marathon running's 1,186 calories or marathon staring contest's two calories.

To Constantina Hahn, hospitality is as important as the luxurious treatments and pristine facilities that won her studio a day spa Silver award from the Beaver County Times. Inside the homey spa, clients are greeted with complimentary coffee or tea and then led past rows of antique framed mirrors that reflect hairstylists and customers chatting like old friends. To make heads feel well-cared for, organic hair-coloring products––certified cruelty-free and vegan by PETA-customize hues, and Brazilian blowouts form a smoothing sheath around strands fried by chemical treatments or jealous short order cooks. Dermalogica skincare products also cater to individual needs and concerns as they are blended into tailored, age-defying treatments, and nail, waxing, massage, and tanning services ensure no limb, hair, tendon, or talon is left untended.

The stylists at Identity cut, condition, and color the hair of women, men, and children using products from Aquage, Kenra Professional, and Matrix Professional Haircare & Color. The studio also houses a team of aestheticians who groom nails and wax unwanted hair. Appointed with ornately patterned furnishings and recent issues of hairstyling and Highlights magazines, the waiting area lets guests lounge before and after their appointments.

Returning back east after working under Robert Cromeans—the global artistic director of Paul Mitchell—in his California salon and traveling hair shows, Sergio Pampena succeeded his father as the owner and driving force behind Sergio’s Style. Sergio works closely with the junior- and senior-level stylists who call his Paul Mitchell Focus Salon home, including three who spend their spare time as national educators for Paul Mitchell. His stylists begin cuts and colorings by ushering clients to the wash house, an alcove situated behind a towering wall of falling water where muscles relish a head and neck massage as soft music trills from speakers and well-hidden carousels. While stylists work, clients can watch their hair color getting mixed at the floor’s color bar or affix eyes on a wall-mounted flat-screen television. Though Sergio’s stylists are chiefly concerned with haircare, a menu of waxing, spray-tanning, and makeup services are available to complement fresh cuts.

At Bella Faccia Skin Care, pampering begins even before customers meet with a staff member. Those waiting in the lobby for a nourishing facial or exfoliating body scrub can sit down in a mechanical massage chair, where motorized arms uproot stress from its hiding place. The nearby coffee bar—also stocked with spring water, tea, and juice—houses single-serving Keurig machines that brew java from the small cups that grow on coffee plants. Of course, these conveniences are only a prelude to the pampering each client receives when enjoying a fruit and vitamin peel or eyebrow wax given by one of the experienced staff aestheticians.

A visit to Pretty Hair Salon is a feast for your rods and cones. Not only is the salon itself done up in bright colors, but so are the clients walking out of it, thanks to the eye-popping shades that lie in wait at the salon's color bar. While color treatments are a specialty, Pretty Hair Salon's team has also made a name for itself among a group of people better known for preferring white: brides. Bridal parties often head to the salon for styling, makeup, and spray-tan application. The salon's staffers also style brides' hair and nails at hotels, reception halls, or gas stations with 200-person dining rooms.