Salons in Knik-Fairview

At Tan Alaska, four different levels of tanning beds wait ready to bronze the skin of patient tanners. Specialized tanning lotions aid in this process, some with ingredients of caffeine, or hemp. Meanwhile, spray tans eschew the sun for quick, easy tanning, while hot tubs await, water bubbling, for relaxing jaunts away from the harsh colds of winter.

Sole proprietor and experienced nail aficionado Angie Montanez serves as the brains and steady hands behind Get Nailed at Wavelengths. Inside the spa-studio, soothing earth tones surround clients while Angie gets to work on preening hands and feet, using products from OPI and Cuccio to soothe skin and prepare fingers for the pointing portion of local beauty pageants.

Cutting Crew's aestheticians and stylists tap into their bountiful reserves of beautifying knowledge to outfit clients with attention-grabbing radiance. A one-hour microdermabrasion spa facial alleviates faces of dead skin cells, which may lead to skin looking younger and customers being carded while trying to get into PG-13 movies. A set of mini lash extensions lures admiring looks from onlookers and eliminates the need for customers to dip their lashes in neighborhood tar pits. For thicker lashes, this Groupon can be applied toward the cost of a full set (an additional $75). Cutting Crew applies professional salon products specified to each individual's needs, including brands such as Redken, Nioxin, and Pureology.

Intricately painted floral patterns bloom out from individual styling stations and reach for the Cutting Crew Salon's warm toffee-hued walls. At one of these stations waits Tammy Shaw, who sculpts locks into stylish layers and adds highlights with color products by Redken and Matrix. The salon's menu is diverse, ranging from invigorating Bioelements facials and lash extensions to decorative mani-pedis. Clients may also remove unwanted hair with a private waxing session, or request a specialty makeup session as prep for an upcoming birthday or Blue Man Group performance.

Cura Novo proprietor Natha Thompson beautifies faces and bodies in tranquil, private settings at both D'Vons Salon & Day Spa in Eagle River and Envy Salon Studio in Wasilla. Using all-natural Cosmedix products, she can work to correct brown spots and other skin complaints or perform soothing relaxation facials. She can also add lash extensions one by one to enhance eyes, or keep their skin surfaces smooth via waxing treatments.

Technicians at Studio 49 Artistic Salon & Spa swiftly confiscate unwanted fuzz using waxes customized to hair type. Cirepil wax blankets soft hair on the face, giving a firm hug to each fine strand before swiping it away like a mother bear protecting its cubs from partially hydrogenated oils. Technicians also call in Cirepil wax when tackling coarse hair on the underarms and bikini line for easier mop removal and smooth, healthy skin. Extensive waxing for Brazilians and Man-Zillians leaves nether regions completely bare, reducing drag for more realistic performance art about spawning salmon.

The best way to describe Pamper Me Spa is a strategic color eruption. Between pink and neon yellow-checkered floor tiles and a vibrant fuchsia ceiling, the walls display an enormous abstract cityscape, with sponge-painted skyscrapers and a blue twilight backdrop. Amid these glitzy accents, skilled stylists bedeck tresses with bold color highlights and customize haircuts to clients’ preferences and lifestyles. The salon also offers private rooms for soothing massages and waxing services as well as a free play center for children and the Muppets who follow them, awaiting the right moment to burst into song.