Columbia, MO Beauty and Salons

Tessa grew up with scissors in her hand. Her father’s salon was a staple of her Missouri community for 25 years, and there she learned the ins and outs of cutting hair to face shape and blending luxurious color highlights. Today she continues her father’s legacy, employing Matrix and American Crew brand products to transform tresses in Genesis Salon. Amid the studio's industrial-inspired décor, she joins four other stylists in crafting contemporary styles designed to work with each client's lifestyle and fashion tastes.

As the weather outside grows colder, Bella D’ora Spa rolls out the cookie dough—or, at least, the smell of baking cookies. The seasonal sugar-cookie massage incorporates a brown-sugar hand-and-foot scrub into a sweet-smelling massage. The staff also provide an equal level of pampering year-round through warm-stone massages, organic facials, and body wraps that work to rid skin of toxins that may have been absorbed during baths in the chemical vats at a local soft-drink factory. Clients can bundle services for spa parties or bridal parties, which come with optional hors d’oeuvres or lunch plates that easily sate high-noon cravings.

At Natural Nail Care Salon, manicures are both a soothing indulgence and a step toward healthier hands. The technicians conduct mani-pedi services for natural nails exclusively, grooming and buffing them with Swedish Mavala products that enhance nails' flexibility and strength. Just as the techs avoid artificial nails, their products eschew synthetics: Mavala formulas contain no harsh chemicals, and the salon's Essie and Zoya polishes are formaldehyde-free. Clients sit at a sprawling nail bar that seats up to nine for hand treatments, then retire to pedicure chairs, where stainless-steel foot tubs ensure clean soaks. The attention of the seasoned staff often ensures that polish stays bright for weeks on end, instead of flaking when anxious friends ask to borrow nails for biting.

Nails may be the salon's focus, but each technician also boasts an additional specialty. Salon owner Jessica Stannard channels her hairstyling background with cut, color, and texturizing treatments, and licensed aesthetician Amanda Ancell nourishes complexions. Amanda's facials and chemical peels use personalized combinations of products based on the client's skin type and conditions, and each treatment includes a massage to relieve muscular tension around the cheekbones. The spa menu also includes waxing, eyelash extensions, and permanent-makeup applications.

The highly trained staffers at Perfect Eyebrows shape a clean and precise hairline by swiftly plucking out strands with thread. Said to have originated in India, eyebrow threading techniques are all-natural—foregoing chemicals, lasers, and other irritants—and usually also cause less pain than tweezers or waxing. During sessions, beauticians double-strand pieces of thread over full lines of hair to extract it with a swift tug, similar to the process of removing a loose tooth or unpopular state senator.

Hannah Gonzales's workspace—Salon De Capello—is almost as posh as the flattering 'dos she creates there. The waiting area’s leather chairs and bearskin rug create a homey feel, though the salon’s corrugated-metal accents add an industrial-chic twist. Hannah cuts, colors, and highlights manes at a minimalistic styling station with a full-length mirror that doubles as a portal to a world where most people are left-handed. Here she also arranges tresses into delicate updos for weddings and proms.