Beauty & Spas in Oakley

At an early age, aesthetician Tammy Davis began to soak in beauty knowledge as she watched her mother and aunts style hair and listened to her grandmother’s sage advice about skincare. The passion she developed from those early encounters brought her to eventually study at beauty school, and for the last 17 years she's practiced her craft as a licensed cosmetologist and aesthetician. In recent years, Tammy began focusing on her current specialty: body waxing. In her studio, she applies her artful skills to the waxing needs of both women and men, also providing special treatments for clients who are prone to ingrown hairs.

Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Rex Moulton-Barrett and his staff of hair whisperers use Sciton laser beams to smooth bewhiskered skins. In three sessions of small-area laser hair removal (a $107/treatment value), the laser's pulsating light heats the inside of hair follicles until their own melanin destroys them, much as lion tamers are destroyed by their own love of practical jokes. Small areas eligible for liberation from follicle tyranny include the chin, eyebrows and forehead, underarms, sideburns, back of the neck, upper lip, and standard bikini line.

A wildly successful alternative to traditional day spas—its more than 250 locations blanket 36 states and eight countries—Planet Beach 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 whiten teeth, spray tan skin, and massage muscles.

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.

The colors within the interior of Designer Cuts are bold and inspiring: flame orange paired with mustard yellow and stark blacks and whites. But the decor pales in comparison to the radiant colors on the heads of those leaving the salon with a new do. The stylists offer a wide variety of services, ranging from hair-coloring services, cuts, and styling to eyelash extensions and brow sculpting.

Owner Carol Carey regularly travels to London, Paris, and Milan to snatch up the latest in beauty trends and techniques which she quickly totes back to her salon, a chic beauty haven boasting a lengthy menu of hair, skin, and nail services. Bound by a strong culture of creativity, the dedicated staff of experienced stylists, manicurists, aestheticians, and massage therapists consult with clients to determine their aesthetic needs. They then carefully and skillfully execute the requested service, from anti-aging facials to hydrating manicures.

A reflection of Manhattan-style lofts can be seen in the spacious salon’s exposed-brick walls, high-vaulted ceilings, and suspended hair dryers, each an element that Carey fell in love with while studying hair coloring in New York. The contemporary retreat also boasts a row of European-style shampoo bowls, which give stylists 360 degree access to suds up manes with shampoo and Perrier, while advanced hair dryers blow-out heat from three angles for a faster processing time.

Women leave Millie's Fitness transformed. That's due to its commitment to empowering women with life-changing habits and a motivating community. It offers fitness classes such as Zumba and belly dancing that focus on cardio endurance through lively dance moves. For the stubborn areas that can't be toned through dance exercise, Millie's Fitness also offers Lipo-Light treatments that use low-level light energy to rupture fat cells and reduce buildup on areas such as the hips and waist.