Missouri City, TX Spa and Massage

Whether she’s covering them with full-body drapings that keep their modesty intact or deploying her signature red-velvet-cupcake-scented body lotion, Sonya Bernhardt knows that comfort often comes down to the smallest details. The big ones are pretty important too, of course; during bodywork services, Sonya uses gentle Swedish massage techniques to make her clients' stress fade away while increasing their flexibility. Her well-honed sports-massage skills help athletes recover from injury, whether it came during tough competition, workouts, or duels with referees. Other modalities in her repertoire include scalp massages and pampering sessions powered by a very light touch and therapeutic essential oils. To assist her clients at home, she also curated an online video library called Your Stretch, which gives instructions on how to find relief from sitting at a computer or sleeping on top of a desk all day.

A & W Massage Therapy’s experienced therapists envision a world in which massage therapy is thought of not as a luxury but as an affordable, necessary aspect of daily stress maintenance. To that end, the team works to facilitate aesthetic and emotional harmony with customized spa services that include not only massages but body scrubs, wraps, and exfoliating facials as well. Their flagship massages dissipate everyday stressors and toxins with modalities that range from Swedish and deep tissue to specialized techniques such as pregnancy and hot stone. Sugar body scrubs play the role of dessert to each massage’s relaxing main course, imbuing skin with sweet or spicy flavors such as mocha and brown sugar. Signature facials similarly draw on inspiration from the culinary world, flushing away dirt with extracts from chocolate and cinnamon before concluding with an exfoliating whipped-cream pie in the kisser.

Since seeking his fortune as a makeup artist with Chanel in the early 1980s, Steven Merrill's talents have taken him across the country and around the globe—even sending him to work with an award-winning makeup team for Parisian prêt-à-porter shows. Today, Steven focuses his efforts on his private studio, where he plies his trade as a skilled aesthetician and hairstylist for clients in search of services ranging from makeovers and facials to haircuts. A lush garden ambiance creates a calming environment manned by staffers who make sure not to double-book appointments or assign arbitrary nicknames to clients. The studio’s beauticians transform appearances, armed with an assortment of products by Redken, Cinema Secrets, Colorescience, and Clinicians Complex.

Though the staff at A Flawless Face performs mostly nonsurgical procedures, plastic surgeon Dr. Fred Aguilar helms the operation. He's triple board-certified—by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and the American Board of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery—and boasts 28 years of experience in plastic surgery. He and his staff use pharmaceutical, medical-grade serums with compounds derived from soy during various services designed for young, aging, rough, and sensitive skin. In one type of acne treatment, a charcoal clay mask seeps into pores, dissolving the bacteria and leftover barbecue sauce that cause blemishes. Anti-aging services include vitamin A and regeneration treatments, both of which incorporate nutrients that lift and plump skin.

Angel Day Spa and Salon, recently renamed and remodeled by new leadership, guides clients to beauty with the aid of stylists, nail techs, and aestheticians who perform transforming salon and spa services. Stylists accentuate natural hues with highlights and clip or extend locks lengthened by years of neglect or shortened from trying to nuzzle with a ceiling fan. A large selection of Shellac polishes latch tight to nails for weeks, whereas clinging eyebrow or bikini-line fuzz clears out after succumbing to wax's grasp. Patrons can also opt for an aromatherapy massage to soothe muscles and senses without hours spent soaking in a bathtub or hotwiring a neighbor's jacuzzi.

What started as a beauty shop operating out of Aisha Khalid's home has now, 20 years later, blossomed into 10 full-service, women-only salons. The aestheticians at Aisha's Salon & Spa were some of the first to bring threading to the faces of Houston ladies, whisking away unruly brows, chin fuzz, and emperor-tamarin mustaches with a thin cotton filament. For body depilation, they turn to traditional waxing, and body polishes and facials leave skin rejuvenated and smooth. Stylists trim, straighten, and color tresses, and makeup artists apply finishing touches with traditional or airbrush products.