Day Spas in Oak Hills

Schafer Studios' namesake and owner, Alan Schafer, knows the ins and outs of hair care. This comes from more than 20 years of crafting stylish looks and a knack for talking strands down from particularly bad hair days. He’s joined by aesthetician Mary Simpson, who counts actresses Halle Berry and Melanie Griffith as previous clients. No star credentials are required, however, to book her for a facial, wax, or tinting service.

From the street, Spa Sassé is barely distinguishable from the other little black awnings and narrow storefronts. But step inside, and the narrow storefront opens up into a 5,000-square-foot refuge from the downtown bustle.

Guests are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early for their appointment, giving them ample time to slip into fluffy robes and slippers and sip complimentary juice or tea before being ushered into a private treatment room. Here, aestheticians strive to ensure a soothing experience by treating skin with the utmost delicacy. They nourish it with natural ingredients such as honey, cacao, and Dead Sea salts, and, during laser hair removal, they wield the SoftLight laser, whose beams are gentle enough to zap hair from faces without damaging pores. After most treatments, they invite clients to lie back and rinse off beneath a soothing Vichy shower.

For Regina Ibrahim, body pampering has been in her life since she can remember. As someone who has enjoyed a wide range of spa treatments, she wanted to share her relaxing experiences in a more intimate fashion than shouting them through a bullhorn in public parks. She opened The Wax Skin Spa to give aestheticians an opportunity to run their own spa business, and to give her male and female clientele a place to soothe their minds and bodies. Using products from the Sothys French skincare line, the spa rejuvenates skin with a collection of facials and body treatments that target signs of aging, acne, dehydration, and dullness

Hannah hails from Los Angels, and Leigh from New York. Together, the experienced aestheticians bring their hometowns' best cosmetic products and nearly two decades of beauty-industry experience to their Portland space, LA/NY Skin. Tucked inside Prima Salon, the beauty haven surrounds clients in warm and comforting elegance. Walls drenched in mocha hues are offset by sparkly accents, including dangly beaded chandeliers and posters of Vanilla Ice. Within this softly lit oasis, the duo dispenses a range of beauty and skin services, from tanning to facials.

Using an organic and paraben-free solution, they customize airbrush tans to suit each client’s skin tone and desired level of bronze, hiding cellulite, freckles, and age spots in the process. At the makeup bar, they enhance features with Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics and pump up flutterers with mink lash extensions or waterproof lash dipping that lasts up to six weeks. A range of chemical peels, facials, and microdermabrasion treatments rejuvenate face and body, and the team enlists both hard and soft waxes to wisp away hair from brows, bikini areas, and heads after they lose a bet.

The Spa at Pure Salon is powered by the certified skills of massage therapist Nikki Sanders and aesthetician Rachel Sauls. After earning their stripes working at high-end spas throughout the Raleigh area, the duo settled down and opened its own luxury oasis. In addition to a certification in LaStone therapy, Nikki claims expertise in an array of massage modalities, including deep-tissue techniques and prenatal massage. Rachel's multifaceted knowledge of skincare has led her to discover and employ upscale Osmosis skincare products, which enhance facial treatments with DNA repair technology. The pair conspires to reward its most loyal clients, granting discounts to regular customers or to those who guess the correct number of freckles that have visited the spa over the years.