Beauty & Spas in Ladner

Hand-cut Swarovski crystal chandeliers and a trio of skylights spill luminance across Beaute Legere Boutique’s white walls and exposed air ducts. From the minimalist front waiting area to the rear pedicure stations nestled behind gauzy curtains, the salon exudes European elegance, a theme that extends to its menu of services. Stylists spanning three levels of experience—stylist, senior stylist, and principal stylist—execute a full range of texturizing, colour, and styling services with professional products from Bumble and bumble, Goldwell, and Moroccanoil. An exclusive provider of Gratiae organic skincare products, the salon also specializes in anti-aging facials, organic nail care, and body treatments that relieve muscles from the physical stresses of commuting by conga line.

Given the name, it should come as no surprise that the beauty experts at Skin2 Laser Aesthetics Centre rely on high-tech equipment to deliver treatments that rejuvenate tired skin. They wield lasers of various strengths to treat aging skin on the face and body, reduce celluite, blast away excess hair, minimize the appearance of age spots and wrinkles, and teach a lesson to rebellious planets. Their professional Dermaceutic SwissTEC cleansers, serums, and balms care for complexions without parabens or petroleum.

Paris Cliniqe Slimming & Beauty Boutique's medical staffers overcome patients' weight-loss challenges and reveal youthful, smooth skin with advanced, minimally invasive therapies. Among the arsenal of high-tech equipment are cosmetic injections and FDA-cleared lasers that can route hair and acne or whittle shapely contours into an evil nemesis. New mothers and brides-to-be also get special attention via packages for face and body.

Since Oakridge Laser & Skin Care Clinic's service menu leans so heavily on advanced medical procedures—think laser vein removal and even intense-pulsed-light skin rejuvenation—it's a good thing the centre is run by Dr. Shihab and Dr. Cooke, two physicians with impressive backgrounds. Dr. Shihab has concentrated on laser technology for more than 12 years, and he shares his knowledge with students at the Laser and CosMedic Academy, which he founded. Dr. Cooke's tenure as a general surgeon reaches back to 1982, though in recent years he's concentrated more on mastering vein sclerotherapy and treatments using SmartLipo, or lipo machines who have successfully defended their dissertations on Ulysses.

The clinic is also home to a spa side, where staffers relieve muscle tension with five kinds of massage, groom hands with peppermint-sugar scrubs, and cleanse faces with cosmeceutical skincare products from Clayton Shagal, Jane Iredale, and Intaglio Skin Care.

Shelley J. Smith is at the helm of Pearl Teeth Whitening Spa's team of dental hygienists, who specialize in gentle and even bleaching. Shelley found that whitening strips and trays conform poorly to the teeth and, like a drunken house painter, leave some spots whiter than others. The imprecise systems also tend to irritate the gums. Instead, Shelley and the team use a small brush to apply the whitening gel, avoiding gums while restoring every enamel crevice to a white that match's the dental spa's immaculate decor.

It's possible to walk out of Trix Spa with a completely different look than the one you had when you walked in. That's because the spa offers everything from makeup and updos to threading and waxing. Nail technicians trim and shape nails before applying polish, glitter, or 3-D flower appliques, and henna artists cover skin with intricate designs and maps to the grocery store in case clients run out of lactose-free butter substitute. For a break from the beautification, clients can try a Thai massage, which relieves muscle tension using not only soothing massage strokes but also guided stretching.