Parkway, CA Spa and Massage

Alainn Tu is stocked with a staff of friendly and experienced stylists and aestheticians, and the salon and spa's commitment to eco-friendly business practices shows a worldview beyond the keratin fences of customer's toenails. Customers can get smoother than a freshly buffed professional bowler with waxing options, including brow ($18–$35), lip ($7), and chin ($10–$15) treatments, or increase the drama of their eye accessories by tinting their lashes ($25) or brows ($15). For skin showing signs of stress, forget direct injections of soothing elevator music and instead opt for the 60-minute 302 Signature regeneration treatment ($75), which includes cleansing, extractions (as necessary), and an enzyme mask. The quickie break-time treatment ($50), men's signature treatment ($75), or flash treatments replenish the skin better than repeatedly dipping frontispieces into bowls of punch.

From styling celebrity hair to revitalizing complexions with relaxing facials, the team at Willo Aveda, an Aveda concept salon, aims to fill local mirrors with visions of beauty. Stylists of five different experience levels wash and rinse hair before breathing new life into languishing strands with a tailored cut and blow-dry. Alternatively, hair artisans can deploy Aveda's 97%–99% naturally derived formulas to refresh hair with a single-process color or nourish locks with conditioning plant oils that leave hair shinier than a freshly licked ring pop. Aestheticians address hyperpigmentation or acne with skin-specific facials, and nail techs can upgrade the signature manicure with durable Shellac gel polish that lasts up to two weeks.

Twelve-year-old Maria Biundo lifts her little sister onto the top of a hamper in their parents' bathroom. She leans in, bringing her face close to the 8-year-old tot's, as she begins to work—sweeping blush across cheeks, shadow over eyelids, and a vibrant hue on lips. After the transformation is complete, Maria steps back to observe her sister's beautified features, and a broad smile spreads across both their faces. The right makeup, she realizes, can make one feel good inside and out. Today, Maria—now a licensed aesthetician—designs the services at Escape & Unwind Salon Spa to emphasize beauty's uplifting effects. She brings homemade chocolate-chip cookies into work each day, pressing them upon clients between facials, massages, manicures, and waxing and makeup services. She also insists that her team undergoes training with reps from skincare and makeup lines such as Jan Marini, Moroccanoil, and DermaQuest to ensure they're using the latest beauty techniques. For maximum pampering, she even hires a professional chef to cater services for bridal parties and other groups with light, healthy food.

To Dana Conrado, skincare is a universal language. Her nearly two-decades-long career has encompassed international training in both London and Canada, as well as a stint spent doing freelance make-up for a Japanese company. Along the way, she picked up certifications in multiple services—acne and rosacea treatments, microdermabrasion, and RejuvaLight therapy, to name a few—and established rapport with many dermatologists and plastic surgeons while undergoing training in medical-grade skincare and chemical peels.

Upon opening Cezanne Skin Group in 1996, she became one of the first on the West Coast to offer sugaring, a kind of hair removal that uses natural and organic ingredients in place of hot wax strips or repurposed bumper stickers. Together with aesthetician Amanda Ward, Dana transforms appearances and enhances relaxation through massage services, body wraps, and facials, often blending in high-quality restoratives from brands such as Dermalogica and Pevonia Botanica.

A burbling waterfall wall and live palm fronds welcome clients to the earth-toned oasis of Elk Grove Massage29. Before beginning any session, the spa’s licensed therapists consult with clients to determine the best massage for their needs; it could be Swedish strokes to slake general stress or hot stones to melt away tension and determine which extremities are really just frozen burritos. The therapists also specialize in hot-pack massage, which uses grain-filled pouches that are heated to 170–180 degrees in order to release tension and increase flexibility.

Massage therapist Sherri Battle began her education stateside, but her pursuit of authentic Thai-massage techniques eventually led her to the modality’s birthplace—either Thailand or the maternity ward. While abroad, Sherri studied under two bodywork masters, one specialiazing in a type of deep-tissue work known as “nerve touch,” and the other well-versed in northern Thai methods. Sherri eventually loaded her new knowledge into her suitcase, perhaps with miniature shampoo and soap, and returned home to found Sher-Thai Massage. The signature treatment Sherri now uses was pioneered in the third or second century BC by a physician and rumored confidant of Buddha. Based on a matrix of sen lines, which conduct energy throughout the body, the technique releases built-up energy that can cause pain and disease with a blend of acupressure, gentle stretching, and assisted yoga maneuvers. She sometimes augments her treatments with steamed herb packs or a reflexology massage, which only targets the reflex points that connect to the entire body.