Beauty & Spas in Merced

After a day at most salons, you might look better for a few weeks; after an hour at Permanent Beauty, you might look better for several years. That's because the center specializes in permanent-makeup applications, during which skin artists apply long-lasting, mineral-based pigment to eyes, lips, and brows. The pigments are designed to fade gradually over time so clients can change makeup styles and shades as they age, change their hair color, or disintegrate into their component Transformers. Ever conscious of sanitation, the technicians use brand-new materials and equipment on each client. The end result is that clients achieve the dramatic glances, full lips, and expressive brows they’ve always desired but couldn’t obtain without betraying Mr. Potato Head’s trust.

Located within Studio Fifth Avenue Salon, Skin by Brynne has tended to faces and skin for 18 years. They offer a wide range of facial and waxing services that include diamond microdermabrasion, brow and bikini waxing, and enzyme peels. Technicians use high-quality products from brands such as Dermalogica, Repêchage, and A Natural Difference.

Massage therapist Sierra Sutherland draws on her knowledge in three modalities—Swedish, hot stone, and prenatal—to vary her strokes and techniques to best suit her clients’ individual needs. Small candles give off a soft glow that permeates her office, lending a soothing warmth to the air as she plies muscles to relieve anxieties and improve circulation. Gathered in a wicker basket beside Sierra’s massage table, smooth pebbles glisten in the dim light. When she isn’t untying knots with long, flowing strokes or preempting the cries of infants, Sierra employs these pebbles in hot-stone massages that melt away tensions nesting in lower muscle layers.

Aesthetician Karie Follis trains her attention on clients’ complexions as she rejuvenates skin, applies makeup, and grooms brows. Though her beauty services run the gamut, Follis specializes in permanent makeup. With natural-looking pigments and sterile equipment, she outlines facial features and scribbles mustaches on amateur detectives. Faces By Karie resides within Polished & Pampered Spa & Boutique in Clovis' Old Town neighborhood.

The eponymous owner of Clarisa’s Golden Touch specializes in gilding body builders. She wields a professional spray-tanning wand during each treatment, carefully misting the skin to accentuate each patron’s body and skin tone. Whether patrons want full or partial color, Clarisa creates a comfortable environment with in-studio and on-the-go services. She provides thorough instructions for achieving competition color, suggesting that patrons depilate and exfoliate their entire body in advance of the application. By following these steps and also declining double-dog dares to streak through the car wash, patrons achieve tans that last up to ten days.