Beauty & Spas in Palo Alto

The family team at A Youthful Reflection—named one of the region's best day spas by voters of the ABC7 Bay Area A-List—infuses its med spa with an intimate, casual atmosphere for its roster of services. Amid the welcoming environs, registered nurses unholster high-tech laser equipment to diminish acne and scare off unwanted body hair. A resident chiropractor and massage therapists lend their soothing skills to round out the lineup of aesthetic treatments.

American Male Salon is a 2009 Best of Citysearch salon for its unbeatable brain-cover pampering and grooming. Stylists are certified in-house, and their professionalism and expertise are made manifest in each follicle makeover. During your custom haircut, they'll shampoo hair twice and condition it. Then the quality grooming experience truly begins. You'll receive a mini face-and-scalp massage, a warm-towel face wrap, and a moisturizing facial misting that polishes people for the world of hair photography, standing outside on a windy day, or skillfully conducting model railroad trains.

Umbrella Salon stylists understand the important physical presence of hair and how an able 'do gives its bearer confidence and a convenient place to store keepsakes. A crew of creative and experienced stylists wields their tools and dryers with precise diligence, consulting with each client before bringing hair visions to hair fruition. For any head, a chic blow out ($55) makes locks look professionally attended to through new levels of sleek volume and an unforgettably shiny sheen.

Performed by a team of trained aestheticians, the signature manicure begins with a hand cleansing and nail soak in SpaRitual tonic. Insurgent cuticles are then cleansed and treated with a Cuti-Cocktail, which shapes nails into aerodynamic missiles and moisturizes cuticles. The final touch is an expert polish procedure that includes a basecoat, two coats of polish, and a topcoat with optional nail design. The signature pedicure starts similarly; feet are soaked and washed with SpaRitual products that lull this usually ferocious body part into a docile enough state to cleanse and trim the cuticles, dash in a dose of Cuti-Cocktail, shape the nails, moisturize with “Close Your Eyes” lotion, and apply the polish of your choice.

The work of the skillful stylists at Hair International has garnered top praises from the readers of Palo Alto Weekly five years running, earning the salon a spot in the publication's 2012 Hall of Fame. Their scissors and dyes treat locks of every texture and their blow dryers create special looks for weddings and other dressy events. Nail techs pamper paws with spa mani-pedis and depilatory experts shape brows with waxing, threading, and hair-sized mousetraps.