Escondido Beauty and Salons

Anousheh Motamedi began styling hair in Germany and France, prepping models' mops for Europe's glitzy runway shows, according to 92131 magazine. After arriving in the US, she set up shop with her accomplice Nadi Dadsetan, but her focus soon became distinctly local. Finding that the city's beauty-school graduates lacked a solid hands-on foundation, the two snapped up the most promising San Diego stylists, instituting on-the-job training to hone their skills. Today that local focus remains, with the studio acting as a community in itself and regularly throwing its support behind charities and local women's' shelters.

Inside the salon, Motamedi and Dadsetan work alongside their 11 associates as they beautify bodies from the head down. Shimmering metal dividers entice the eye with irregular oval holes while eclectic chandeliers hang from above the styling stations where experts snip hair into new 'dos. Color and deep-conditioning treatments leave each strand looking its best, complementing new beauty brought out by facials, nail care, and hair removal. Bridal packages can also primp wedding parties with updos and cosmetics to ensure brides look their best and bridesmaids don't leave makeup on the cake when they dive in face first.

The name Hollywood Glamour hints at spa technician Tania’s experience sprucing the faces of stars from the silver screen in both American and Bollywood productions. She and her fellow certified technicians share industry secrets during services such as organic cellulite reduction and the Cleopatras 24 K Gold facial, which patches real gold leaf over the face in a manner reminiscent of the world’s first trophy wives, who took their positions literally. Opulent products from the organic Éminence line, Dr. Jeff, and Dermalogica bolster each facial session that takes place in private treatment rooms. The spa’s hair sector bolsters tresses with the length and lushness of extensions, and electrolysis vanquishes unwanted strands from the body, including strands hoarded by the bellybutton.

Brittney Rhodes snips, shapes, colors, and extends locks with a mixture of precise skill and chemical alchemy, blending her own custom colors to match her clients’ existing shades or new, lush extensions. A minimum of glue and chemicals holds the elongated strands in place, allowing real locks to continue to grow naturally on their way to becoming full, mature balls of yarn. Despite her mastery of delicate procedures, many of Brittney’s clients on Yelp say her most remarkable skill is her ample sense of humor.

When Dr. Barry Katzman opened West Coast Eye Care & Med Spa, he envisioned the space as a small practice that would help locals better enjoy the city’s famous sunsets and beaches. With his expertise—he’s participated in hundreds of studies for advanced treatments—the business quickly took on enough customers to sustain seven offices, a staff of a dozen doctors, and its own language, which outsiders describe as Latin spoken in pig Latin. After outfitting eyes with prescriptions and preventive care, staffers can help them navigate an optical boutique stocked with more than 10,000 designer frames by Dior, Bvlgari, and Tom Ford. Regular performances of more advanced surgeries, such as LASIK, cataract laser procedures, and eyelid lifts, made the staff intrigued about similar aesthetic procedures. As a result, they opened a med spa, where they tighten and brighten skin with injections, rejuvenating laser treatments, and even plastic surgery.

During the past five years, Dr. Phillip Milgram has used the FDA-approved PinPointe FootLaser to address the nail concerns of more than 2,200 patients. A team of NIH-funded scientists and medical professionals spent two decades developing the technology used in the laser, which carefully eradicates fungus without damaging the nail or surrounding skin. After each of the approximately 30-minute procedures, patients can immediately resume normal activities and expect their nails to grow back clear or with a french tip.

It’s no surprise that Surface Esthetics has swept the Best Facial category on the San Diego A-List for four years in a row. Each and every medical-grade facial in this cozy studio begins with a lengthy, personalized consultation. The spa’s aestheticians pour over new client’s pores for a good 30 minutes before unleashing their arsenal of diamond-tipped microdermabrasion wands and custom masks to combat acne, aging, and unfunny skin. They quell hormonal breakouts during pregnancy with specialized skincare regimes, and refresh and sooth male skin irritated by shaving.

Aside from their award-winning facials, the Surface Esthetics staff shows off their artistic skills with eyebrow shaping, and swiftly waxes away fuzz from the face or bikini area. Custom cellulite-reducing body wraps enlist essential oils and aromatherapeutic creams to stimulate collagen and firm skin, and fruit enzymes exfoliate the body from head-to-toe, readying it for a the spa’s sunless-tanning solution or record-breaking speed on the slip 'n' slide.