Mountain Brook, AL Spa and Massage

Like a child in a chocolate store, Sarah Ali couldn't choose just one vocation. While earning her master's degree in counseling psychology, she practiced makeup artistry at a cosmetics store and performed portrait photography on the side. She finally decided to attend a makeup academy, and soon opened a wellness and beauty center known as The Transformation Studio. This led her to start her own beauty line, which she dubbed Chamak, a Hindi word that means "glow," which both paid homage to her South Asian roots and celebrated each woman's sparkling personality. As Chamak's product selection expanded, so did Sarah's interests, and she soon decided to incorporate her love of cooking and baking into the mix. After a stint at Ecole Chocolat to earn her chocolatier certification, Chamak Chocolates was born.

Whether in names borrowed from Indian folklore or spices and herbs touted by Ayurvedic medicine, each luscious treat that emerges from Chamak Chocolates' kitchen bears a symbol of South Asian culture. Sarah crafts all of the truffles, bon bons, and chocolate bars in small batches with zero preservatives, and even consults an organic wellness expert to create a line of healing, sugar-free treats designed to mend a host of health problems. True to her roots, the chocolatier also ventures out to create traditional Indian mithai, a sugar- and milk-based dessert customarily eaten for momentous events, such as the birth of a baby or when that baby gets its first callback for a baby-formula ad. For other celebrations, Chamak Chocolate hosts chocolate-making parties, chocolate-centric lunches, and makeup-and-chocolate events.

At Cielo Salon and Day Spa, classically inspired artwork and marble walls set the scene for services designed to impart timeless beauty. Yet the styles exiting the salon are anything but old-fashioned. Armed with J Beverly Hills haircare products, stylists––some of whom have more than 20 years of experience––employ the latest cutting, straightening, and lengthening techniques to shape manes and mix hair colors that hold true even when subjected to the sun's polygraph test. Luxurious drapes separate the main salon area from the pedicure station, where toes can change out of old polish in complete privacy, as well as a warren of private treatment rooms where aestheticians strip away unwanted body hair and lift away complexion-clogging debris with facials peels rich in vitamin C and lactic and glycolic acids.

A glowing complexion. A vivid new hair color. A set of neatly shaped eyebrows. The beauticians at La Paz Day Spa & Salon create all of these and much more at a welcoming studio highlighted by Aztec-inspired decor. Aestheticians perform nine different facials while stylists revive hair with color treatments and cuts. Inside La Paz's private treatment rooms, waxing technicians remove hair from the body, leaving skin smoother than a buttered saxophone.

Mode Organic Salon's multitalented staff transforms visitors into beacons for compliments with its beauty-boosting expertise and arsenal of organic products enriched with natural ingredients. The salon’s hairstylists refresh locks with DermOrganic shampoos empowered by argan oil from trees and resurrect graying hairs with coloring products free of commonly used harsh substances, such as ammonia, resorcinol, and lead-based house paint. The facility’s aestheticians keep skin in fine fettle with Éminence Organic Skin Care salves and bedazzle digits with polishes from CND Shellac. Also, massage therapists need little more than their hands to oust aches with reflexology and therapeutic massage techniques.

Mode Organic Salon's commitment to organic practices extends beyond its services: even its complimentary beverages and buildings are eco-friendly. The Redmond location on the Microsoft Commons campus earned a LEED Silver rating for the studio's green construction. Mode Organic Salon’s strong emphasis on organic standards also helped earn it a spot on Seattle magazine's Best of the Decade list.

Sylk Spa & Salon's stylists, aestheticians, and therapists literally pamper guests from head to toenail with all-natural and environmentally friendly products, including Surface haircare, Skin Fitness Therapy, and SpaRitual polishes. Women, men, and children stop by for an assortment of beautifying services, ranging from haircuts to whole-body scrubs to massage therapy. Dark cabinets, copper-hued walls, and a flickering fireplace create an atmosphere as peaceful as a dove-producing magician.

A board-certified family-medicine physician, Dr. Elizabeth Campbell Korcz's medical experience has taught her that a more holistic approach is called for when treating patients. While working toward graduating first in her class at the Morehouse School of Medicine, she studied under a Taiwanese physician learning acupuncture and took advantage of opportunities to explore natural and herbal medical techniques. Now she owns and manages Hoover Alt MD, where she teams up with a talented ensemble of nurses, personal trainers, and other specialists to dispense comprehensive care that recognizes the connection between mind, body, and spirit.

Her staff follows step with her holistic approach, treating patients with traditional services, such as internal medicine and pediatric care, as well as alternative practices, such as yoga, sensory stimulation, and hypnosis. In addition to health concerns, the team assuages aesthetic woes with dermal fillers such as Juvederm, Botox, and Dysport. And by using organic Eminence and Obagi products, they proffer treatments that not only care for patients but also Mother Nature.