Beauty & Spas in Charleston

Upon entering the salon, newbies receive a tour of Tanning Oasis's relaxing environs, where a fleet of modern UV tanning beds and VersaSpa spray-tan booths forges bronzed bods. VersaSpa booths spritz clients with three different solutions to leave skin golden and hydrated without exposing it to UV rays. Physiques receive a triplet of treatments from a movable nozzle, which first distributes a skin primer to prep cells before setting limbs aglow with a bronzer and finally injecting each pore with a moisturizing formula. Level 1, 2, and 3 beds employ varying quantities of bulbs to darken skin in 10–15 minutes, whereas Level 4 beds cloak corpuses in a uniform sheen in about 60 seconds. Tanning Oasis's friendly staffers happily answer questions about tanning goals, skincare products, and how the themes of Macbeth relate to the current political climate.

A map can lead to any number of places, but most wouldn't think a glowing complexion would be one of them. By performing in-depth face mapping before all facials, aestheticians at The Skin Cell are able to determine the requirements of every inch of the skin to maximize the treatment's effectiveness and recommend regimens to perform at home. Helmed by skin therapist Cherri Ross Thompson, The Skin Cell's specialists harness Dermalogica products during customized facial treatments that help fight signs of aging, clear acne, or correct frowns that have alarmingly turned upside down. Faces aren't the only areas that find relief, though: the spa's Migun thermal massage bed merges infrared rays, heat therapy, and massage heads made from qi-kindling jade to stimulate blood flow and encourage overall relaxation.

Skin Help Studio owner Micki Collett got into the spa industry the hard way. After getting into a serious motorcycle accident, she gradually recovered with the help of physical therapy, yoga, and massage. Inspired by how effectively the massage therapy reduced her scar tissue, she earned a massage license of her own, which she's used to treat professional athletes, heal injuries, and relax stressed-out clients.

Just as a firsthand experience with massage moved her to become a therapist, her own emerging skin concerns inspired her to become an aesthetician. In 2012 she opened Skin Help Studio, where she performs facials with natural, fragrance-free Rhonda Allison products. There she also kneads muscles with eight massage techniques and waxes away hair from the face, legs, and French and Brazilian bikini regions. Ever the traveler—she's lived in Houston and Costa Rica and studied massage in Salt Lake City—Micki attends annual Las Vegas conferences and local industry get-togethers, which help her stay current on advances in the skincare industry and in whatever industry is responsible for making cool booth stuff.

Specializing in laser-based procedures, Tri-County Laser Center turns its multipurpose, concentrated light beam against a wide range of cosmetic and anti-aging issues. Its skin-rejuvenation treatments use intense pulsed light to eradicate blemishes beneath the skin's surface and reverse sun damage, which happens to the sun after it fights the earth. Staffers also render a refirme skin-tightening service to improve the look of sagging jowls. The hallmark of their treatments is laser tattoo removal, which uses blasts of the light to break down pigment safely and noninvasively. They also wield their laser to purge spider veins across the body without using painful injections.

LaShea Simpson revitalizes clients with custom aesthetic and massage-therapy sessions. Her massage skills run the gamut from traditional Swedish and prenatal treatments to pressure-point massages that relax scalps with Ayurvedic oils. Along with muscles, LaShea soothes skin with a variety of facials that mollify sensitive skin more effectively than plugging each pore with a pacifier. Her services also include spa standards such as reflexology, eyelash extensions, waxing, and peels.