Inver Grove Heights, MN Beauty and Salons

At her eponymous medical laser spa—which has attracted media attention from Great Day SA and KABB Fox 29’s Daytime @ 9—Dr. Elizabeth McRae draws on 20 years of experience to enhance exteriors with noninvasive procedures. Starting with the face, she and her team of nurses rejuvenate complexions with treatments ranging in intensity from a classic European facial to intense-pulsed-light therapy. Visages that have begun to sag or accrue wrinkles from years of staring at a Rubik’s cube are smoothed with Botox or dermal fillers such as Juvéderm. Clients maintain their looks at home with beauty products from brands such as Obagi and SkinCeuticals.

In addition to pampering faces, Dr. McRae caters to entire bodies with Zerona laser body-slimming treatments and laser hair removal. She also uses minimally invasive ultrasonic liposuction to suction out liquefied fat and stockpiled cotton candy.

As a partner of ResearchMDs, a family practice and research facility, RMDs Aesthetics & Med Spa adds a clinical component to relaxing spa services. The physician-supervised team balances complexions with cleansing facials that employ prescription-grade products, such as the SkinMedica line. Technicians fine-tune laser treatments to treat stretch marks, scars, or dimples developed from drinking unsweetened lemonade. A licensed massage therapist addresses stress and soreness with seven different modalities, including neuromuscular-therapy sessions focused on releasing nerve pressure at trigger points.

Dr. Scott Jenkins supervises the medical staffers at Spa MD Consultants as they work to bring out each client's healthy skin with custom treatments. Like epidermis-obsessed alchemists, the staff of aestheticians tweaks each facial and GlyMed chemical peel to suit individual skin types and meet clients' treatment goals. This philosophy means that, like a pumpkin carved to resemble your face, the spa’s medical staff can create a brand-new canvas free of acne or signs of aging. For more intensive results, the technicians can combat wrinkles with cosmetic injections such as Botox and Juvéderm.

Leigh Adams may have 20 years of experience in the world of nail artistry, but her reputation isn't built upon longevity alone. She also has the credentials to back it up, including certifications from CND dubbing her a master sculptor of Brisa gel and a master painter of shellac, color, and effects. From simple, lightly buffed manicures to extra-pampering pedicures with seasonally inspired lotions and scrubs, Leigh's repertoire is as flexible as her shellac manicures are strong, and her services can even be tailored to suit men, teens, and the giant foam fingers of sports enthusiasts.

Wine-colored walls punctuated by natural wood accents warm the interior of Style Nails, where light from tall windows illuminate a line of plush pedicure chairs. Nail technicians carefully lacquer digits in OPI polish, which can come in an array of prismatic shades, before lending toes pizazz with designs that feature geometric shapes, dazzling colors, or portraits of Rip Taylor. Meanwhile, gel manicures add strength and a high-shine finish with help from a specially formulated light that leaves nails instantly dry and resistant to chips for up to two weeks.

Because the existence of so many types of tanning equipment can sometimes make tanning intimidating, Perfect Tan’s staffers are always on hand to help clients establish a tanning regimen based on their skin type and tanning goals. By asking a few simple questions, the staff can help clients choose from three levels of tanning beds and a UV-free, sunless Mystic spray-tan booth that leaves bodies evenly bronzed in about 20 minutes. Their tan plan determined, clients recline in lie-down beds from Ovation, Encore, Solart, and Bravo, or they stand in a 2M standup tanning booth so they can keep balancing stacks of dinner plates on their heads.