Beauty & Spas in Carrollwood Village

Hearing the words "carve and slice" in the same sentence as the words “beauty treatment” probably brings to mind painful plastic surgery, but at TranZitions Hair Salon, it's actually a service for your curls. Ouidad-certified stylists perform the carve-and-slice technique to cut down on the unwanted volume that causes a "pyramid look" while still defining and plumping up your ringlets. It's one of a select few Ouidad procedures at the salon, which also employs products from Paul Mitchell, Goldwell, Kenra, Redken, and other high-profile brands. The hair mavens administer treatments that range from custom highlights and complex updos to a 15-minute bang trim, a far chicer way to keep your hair out of your eyes than installing an awning on your glasses.

Besides their cuts and color applications, the staff also performs waxing, makeup, and nail services, which can include extras such as an aromatherapy hand massage. Additionally, skincare specialists exfoliate complexions with facials and microdermabrasion.

The staff at Colonic & Spa help to expel the toxins that aggregate in, and stubbornly cling to, bodily systems. During colon-hydrotherapy treatments, which take place in a private room, the client reclines on a comfortable, FDA-approved LIBBE machine as a pencil-size tube flushes the colon with warm, filtered water. The solution ushers out dietary debris and toxins, and a ventilation system ensures an odor-free experience. Clients who prefer to multitask are invited to read, work on crossword puzzles, or use a speech-recognition system to write a romance novel.

The spa is also home to massage therapists, who tailor sessions to address clients' specific ailments. Treatments may rely on the expansive and ebbing strokes of Swedish massage to boost detoxification, the more intense pressures of deep-tissue work to release chronic pain, or the lesser-known high-five modality to generate a sense of camaraderie and coolness.

While Massage services are available, including Swedish and relaxation modalities, Lady Grace Beauty Spa offers many other services as well. A loop of thread and deft fingertips are all that's required for the threading process, a hair-removal technique that removes even minute hairs without irritating the skin. Parul, owner of Lady Grace Beauty Spa, creates clean, flattering brow-lines using the method. In addition to hair removal, Lady Grace also offers a full range of spa services that beautify the skin and soothe the muscles below it. Dermalogica facials combat skin issues such as acne, wrinkles, or Sharpie tattoos, and henna body art or eyelash-tinting treatments turn up the dial on natural beauty.

Efe, Exhale in Beauty Spa's principle aesthetician, sought training with PCA Skin and Image Skincare products to inform her development of corrective custom treatments. The Fortis College graduate's thirst for this kind of knowledge seems unquenchable, given that in her three-year career she has completed continuing-education programs in rejuvenation with diamond-tipped wands, ultrasound waves, and chemical formulas. Medical-grade facial peels, such as Jessner's peels, are a specialty, as are body wraps that purify every inch of skin with herbal blends and soothing paraffin wax. As a complement to skincare, Efe deftly shapes eyebrows and tints eyelashes to add facial dimension or draw attention to your proof-of-concept cyborg eye.

Led by Dr. Richard Castellano and Dr. Randall Weyrich—renowned facial plastic surgeons who have performed thousands of face-lifts—the cosmetic professionals at Image Lift encourage clients to explore their options before making a treatment decision. To that end, the doctors offer weekly seminars, free consultations, and a series of medically themed choose-your-own-adventure novels to prospective clients in order to answer any questions they may have regarding procedures such as Botox, laser resurfacing, and ultrasonic skin tightening. When he isn't freshening faces in the office or spending time with his family, Dr. Castellano and Dr. Weyrich spends their spare time raising awareness for local and national causes.