Beauty & Spas in Desert Hot Springs

Like a professor knowledgeable on tulip mania, alien black oil, and a myriad of seemingly esoteric subjects, Massage Envy's certified body therapists ably converse with the gamut of muscle ailments. They'll unravel tense coils of accumulated inner stress through a perfectly catered treatment for individual clients' needs. Swedish massages offer gentle rubbing for muscular soothing and improved circulation, whereas reflexology focuses on a patient's crawling paddles, delivering relief to hands and feet to extend goodwill throughout the entire body. A prenatal massage is ideal for expecting mothers who could use a little relief from carrying another person inside them, and a sports massage provides tension relief and injury prevention for an athlete's body.

Once your one-hour appointment at Apple Dental Center is confirmed, feel free to smash the flashbulb on your camera and feed your snake's heat lamp to your snake, as your warm, glowing smile will soon provide more than enough luminescence. Each teeth-whitening treatment is designed to lighten the shades of your smile without affecting the overall strength of your teeth. Before getting down to sparkling business, a periodontal detective will evaluate your chompers to determine the most effective in-office whitening method; Apple Dental Center offers high-end options such as Britesmile and Zoom! in addition to laser whitening.

The stylists, skin soothers, massage therapists, and nail and makeup artists at Lavish Salon and Day Spa have seen their fair share of media buzz. So has owner, master stylist, and senior Goldwell hair-color educator Samantha Murguia, whose color-correction skills found themselves under the spotlight on ModernSalon.com. In 2010, OCFamily.com editor Susan Belknapp blogged that not only was her Brazilian Blowout with Murguia "a relaxing, fast-moving treatment," but also that she found the result to be "fantastic." Murguia and her team have also been featured multiple times in Inland Empire Magazine and, in 2011, graced CBS’s list of LA’s Best Blow-Drys.

Perhaps the high praise is a result of the expertise with which Murguia's crew performs their services. Or perhaps it’s the fact that they keep a close eye on the latest youthful trends. The staff includes a teen blogger who has her finger on the pulse of the beauty industry, and the salon has been accepting donations of gently used dresses, shoes, and accessories to help girls attend the prom in style. They have even offered teen makeup tutorials that explain how to complement natural facial features and use a smartphone’s blush-administering app.

Tan By the Sea in Carlsbad and Deep Tan & Spa in Encinitas keep skin bronzed seven days a week, regardless of the season. To deliver the sun-kissed look of Apollo's cheekbones, the facilities offer tanning beds—which range in intensity from the introductory Sunrise 3500 to the lamp-riddled European high-pressure TurboPower 25000s—as well as VersaSpa chambers that provide summer-worthy façades without the stern gaze of UV rays, misting clients from head to chakra with clear or bronzing solution in as little as 60 seconds. Decorating the salons are swimsuits, sandals by Havaianas, and products by Designer Skin, Hempz, and Australian Gold. In addition to tanning specialists, the spas' teams include aestheticians as well as technicians who can brighten pearly whites with dental-grade treatments.

The licensed aesthetician at Skin by Stevie specialized in manual, electrical, and chemical facials during her professional studies at the Salon Success Academy before earning her license from the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Peels and facials ensure clients maintain a youthful glow despite a barrage of free radicals and airborne Splenda, whereas body wraps smooth out body topography. Other aesthetic services include teeth whitening, waxing, and makeup application.

Inspired by the glamor of Hollywood, owner of Best At Beauty Enhancement (B.A.B.E.) KC Chavez strives to make each customer feel like a celebrity during customized skincare, waxing, and nail services. She combats blemishes, signs of aging, and paparazzi red eye with nine types of facials, nourishing skin with the nontoxic, botanical extracts and pure essential oils found in the paraben- and fragrance-free Bioelements line. Chavez uses formaldehyde-free CND Shellac polish to keep nails from chipping or oxidizing for up to two weeks.