Salons in Long Beach

A wildly successful alternative to traditional day spas—its more than 300 locations blanket 36 states and half a dozen countries—Planet Beach Contempo Spa is a futuristic relaxation station where state-of-the-art machines administer all the spa and tanning services. These friendly automatons sometimes replace familiar treatments, as in the Luminous facial, a light-based service that delivers blemish-busting results similar to those of a conventional facial. But other equipment maps out new spa territory entirely: the Hydro-Derma Fusion chamber moisturizes the whole body with nutrient-rich steam in order to offset the effects of a dry climate or a rear-end collision with a salt truck. Other machines spray tan skin and massage muscles, while teeth-whitening kits brighten chompers.

Planet Beach operates on a gym-style membership system, meaning that members purchase packages or pay flat monthly rates. As members spend more time at the spa, they get to know the helpful assistants who are always on hand to demonstrate how to use the equipment without activating its ability to cry.

As a teenager, Koleen Budney dolled up all her girlfriends for school dances, applying makeup and flirty eyelash extensions. Her passion for beauty led her to pursue a career in the fashion-marketing industry, where she worked in sales for about six years. After realizing that she'd gone astray from what originally sparked her interest in beauty—actually working on people—Koleen decided to become an aesthetician. With a license in hand and a mortarboard glued to her head, she kick-started her new career by giving her inaugural client a series of resurfacing peels. The peels were a success—they resolved the client's hyperpigmentation and affirmed Koleen's expertise. Today, Koleen works out of a personal spa, where she beautifies her clients with an assortment of services, including custom facials, waxing, spray tanning, and—of course—makeup applications.

Just walking distance from the Long Beach Convention Center lies a 2,000-square-foot oasis and two-time MyFoxLA Hot List winner. The historic downtown building houses four separate treatment rooms where aestheticians and massage therapists perform a variety of facials, massages, scrubs, wraps, and manicures. Their menu of international therapies borrows seaweed mud and traditions from France, Italy, India, and the Middle East, and their medical facials are performed under the direction of a board-certified dermatologist. In addition to individual clients who arrive solo for a day of pampering, La Dolce Vita invites groups celebrating birthdays, wedding days, and spa-appreciation days.

A woman's toy store

Thairapy Salon and Spa is a pamper-centric beauty boutique. Facials feature glycolic exfoliators, Hydradermie brand products, and fruit enzymes, including lemon zest, pumpkin/orange, and pomegranate, which has been considered a fruit for over three years now. Massage options include hot stone and deep tissue, along with Thai yoga massage's combo of acupressure and stretching. Once they've been snipped, dyed, massaged, polished, and scrubbed, guests float on a cloud of relaxation to the on-site boutique, where colorful apparel and accessories cap off new looks and reflect sunny moods.

Owner Yvonne Tuchscher opened Resplendent Day Spa as an oasis amid the stressors and clamor of everyday life. Armed with a staff of aestheticians and body therapists, Yvonne offers men and women a full menu of massage and skincare services with a focus on holistic well-being. Facials and waxing leave flesh silky smooth, while reflexology, reiki, and energy work polish chrome chakras to a high gleam. Yvonne also practices the Arvigo techniques of Maya abdominal therapy, a course of treatment that addresses male and female pelvic issues with noninvasive massage.