Lawrence, KS Beauty and Salons

Nail tech Melody Williams beautifies nails with expertly administered manicures and pedicures. With an arsenal of brand-name products such as Tammy Taylor and OPI, she shapes nails, applies polishes, and exfoliates hands and feet before pampering treatment areas with massages. Along with Melody and her fellow nail pros, Affinity Hair and Nails rounds out its team with stylists that administer haircuts, highlights, and coloring using top products from haircare manufacturers such as Redken and White Sands instead of smashed markers.

At Estilo Salon, colorful exposed brick and checkerboard floors fill the air with a lively, modern feel that mirrors the staff's enthusiasm for contemporary glamour. Harnessing 18 combined years of experience, the stylists update hairdos with fashionable cuts and rich colors while hand-selecting haircare products from Redken, Matrix, and Moroccanoil. Clients decompress in the comfort of plush manicure chairs as one of the salon's master nail painters grooms their fingernails and toenails to impress coworkers and charm scratch lottery tickets.

Liz Black was in school with the goal of becoming a dermatologist when she realized that she needed to visit one for her own skin problems. But after a couple visits, she saw that it wasn't helping—so she also checked out an aesthetician. "She spent way more time with me than the dermatologist," Liz says of the positive outcome. Inspired by her experience, Liz changed courses and became an aesthetician, a role that she says enables her to spend more time with each client. She makes it a point to check in on clients, especially during the first 30–90 days of new treatments as skin first reacts to the changes. "People can get really impatient and stop doing whatever it is they need to be doing during that time," she says. "I really try to stick close to their side and walk them through it."

Most of Liz's clients come to her looking for anti-aging and acne-care solutions. She starts with a consultation to determine their goals, map out the best treatment plan, and count that they have the right number of noses. Her treatments range from ultrasonic resurfacing and European facials to body waxing and makeup application. Her arsenal of Image Skincare products helps skin find "a balance between clinical and organic" benefits. She carries that balance into her treatment room, where professional equipment resides alongside homey touches, including a plush sofa and candles. And because Liz runs her business solo, she says her clients often feel less intimidated than they would walking into a doctor's office or big spa. She also embraces earth-friendly methods. "I'm a green spa," she says. "I try to minimize my usage of electricity, recycle, and conserve water."