Estelle, LA Beauty and Salons

Peppermint and pure sugar cane are on the menu, but they're not for eating. The peppermint fragrances a warm footbath, and the pure sugar cane acts as scrub for lips or tongues with no self-control. These indulgent ingredients appear in various services at Serenity Day Spa and Gifts, where guests can spend up to a full day relaxing and beautifying with spa packages that combine mani-pedis, facials, and massages. Body-contouring wraps detoxify while they tighten and tone skin, and specially designed facials address the common skincare concerns of men, women, and teens.

The expert technicians at SUITE Boutique use a high-energy laser that will safely pass through epidermises of all types to directly target follicles, effectively removing unwanted locks. Unlike giant lasers used to sear one's initials onto the moon, these friendly beams are comfortable, fast, and sized appropriately for human use. Customers are invited to choose one area for lazing from the following: chin ($900), upper lip ($900), both underarms ($1,800), and bikini line ($1,200). You can also upgrade by applying the Groupon's value to one of three higher-priced services—including the back ($2,400 up to $3,300, including shoulders), legs ($4,200+ for full legs)‚ and a Brazilian ($2,700)—and paying the difference. Once you've chosen a body region, you must use all six treatments for that area.

After honing her skills on the East Coast at the academies of Vidal Sassoon, Goldwell, Bumble and bumble, and Redken, master stylist Brenda McField found herself pulled south, to New Orleans. In addition to rejoining her husband’s family, Brenda wanted to help rebuild the city after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, just two years after the hurricane tore through the city, she opened Mariposa Salon & Spa, a Paul Mitchell Focus salon. Since then, Brenda and her team of hair artists have styled locks for the glossy pages of New Orleans Bride magazine and CUE magazine, as well as the runways of a Guess fashion show and a Chloe Dao fashion show.

Mariposa's bilingual stylists also craft sophisticated looks for clients walking down sidewalks instead of runways. Celeb-inspired styles let clients ask for The Beyoncé and walk out with sleek, smooth, and straight locks, or The Gisele, which translates to the loose, beachy waves usually only achieved by supermodels living in sandcastles. The stylists also battle the New Orleans humidity with blow-drying techniques and GKhair hair straightening. Mariposa’s nail artists brighten fingertips with chip-resistant Shellac polish, and aestheticians craft custom facials and wax away body hair with tea-tree cream wax.

The dedicated team of stylists at The Arthur Hutton Salon shears locks into impressionable cuts and shifts shades with vivid color treatments. In addition to snipping blunt bobs and deftly razoring crew cuts, practiced hands weave braids, employ Simply Smooth keratin treatments to subdue frizz and curls, and enliven tresses with feather extensions that will convince the robins in your backyard to let you join their innermost circle. The salon also stocks hair products from brands such as Redken, Joico, and Nioxin so patrons can maintain their manes at home.

Torrie Jakes, owner of Jakes Aesthetics, dropped her legal career to pursue her passion for skincare and cosmetics. Performing laser hair removal, microdermabrasion, and chemical peels as well as other skincare treatments, she stays true to her goal of helping her clients attain glowing, youthful skin.

Salon Maia owner Melissa Maia and makeup artist Kelly LeBlanc specialize in making brides' wedding-day visions a reality. The duo performs on-location, preceremony transformations and has collaborated on bridal showcases for New Orleans Bride magazine. Within the magazine's pages, Maia and Leblanc have offered tips for brides-to-be, such as trying out a variety of lipstick colors, deep-conditioning hair six weeks before the wedding, and securing updos with a hairspray that is specifically designed to repel rice.

Within the art-covered, bright blue and white walls of the salon itself, Maia and her team of stylists nourish clients' hair with high-quality products. They use the Pureology and Redken lines to cleanse, condition, and color, and the sought-after Agadir Argan oil spray treatment to repair and protect damaged strands.