Beauty & Spas in Philadelphia

Inside a 12,000-square-foot facility brimming with therapeutic waters and polished marble, visitors in bathing suits reap the time-honored health benefits of Russian and Turkish baths. The spa's 190-degree Russian bath invites bodies to recline on three tiers of pinewood benches and billows steam when guests pour water or toss old ice sculptures onto river rocks. The high-humidity Turkish bath, built from red brick and granite, refreshes bodies in conjunction with a cooling shower. Plunges into a 47- to 55-degree cold pool stimulate internal systems, and stints in private hydrotherapy massage tubs work deep layers of muscle with 132 jets of water.

Beyond the traditional treatments, visitors can have massage therapists knead muscles into a relaxed state, gild their bodies in a vertical tanning bed, or recline and sunbathe in an outdoor courtyard. Inside the onsite restaurant, chefs prepare Russian and American specialties, such as platters of lox and red caviar, lamb shish kebabs, and new york steaks. Juices freshly squeezed from fruit hydrate bodies, and a lounge with pool tables gives visitors a place to relax and use pool cues for something other than poking a drowsy bear.

Both laser hair removal and chemical peels are swift and precise, requiring little recovery time or ardous preparation. Physician Body Solutions' experienced and highly trained technicians can treat patients with a variety of skin and hair types, but results may vary depending on your skin tone and the character of your hair. These professional laser-whispers will be happy to consult with you on how many treatments it will take to achieve the results you are looking for.

The owners of Spa Bavu take their business' name from a Swahili word meaning "inner strength and power". This idea permeates the atmosphere of their small, private spa, where African décor mingles with internationally inspired treatments. Therapists combat aches with six massage modalities, using the long, gliding strokes of the Swedish technique or the heated basalt rocks that ply muscles during hot-stone massages. To exfoliate skin and melt tension, they perform body treatments— aromatic steam baths, Israeli mineral mud and warm French seaweed wraps, and chocolate-infused scrubs. They also help clients ease off stuck Halloween masks with six facials using lavender and green tea blends and oil-balancing formulas.

Home to Jeylan Mansoury, MD, and her skilled staff, Jardin Medical Spa helps foster healthy-looking skin with a bevy of noninvasive treatments. During the IPL facial, pulsating light from a Prolite II hand piece helps buff out blemishes, such as age spots and redness. Patients may require multiple treatments and hugs for optimal results. For facial maintenance multitasking, the VI peel helps smoothen furrowed areas and help to vanquish sun spots and uneven skin tones. Alternatively, aestheticians can help snap droopy skin back into place by bombarding the dermis with the Pelleve treatment's FDA-approved heated radio waves, which aim to contract collagen in the dermis and pave over wrinkles on the surface.

Salon Norman-Dee's beauty services put the aesthetic back in anesthetic by letting you close your eyes and bliss out in a stress-free sanctuary while surgical stylists operate on you from head to toe, skipping only the gall bladder, because it's already sexier than it has any right to be. The salon's seasoned scissors-snippers can manage and mold any mop with a cut and style ($40+), coax manes into an anti-grav updo ($65+), or trim bangs ($10+) back into shape after a long winter of stress-eating. Prices increase for services booked with a senior stylist. Otherwise, skip taming in favor of total termination with waxing services such as an eyebrow shaping ($14) or a Brazilian bikini wax ($50) to prevent samba-related thigh burns. Non-hair-related beauty rescues include nail treatments such as the rejuvenating spa manicure ($24+) or pedicure ($45+).

Managed by board-certified physician Anu Konakanchi, MD, and master aesthetician Marijana Smajic, Serenity Aesthetic Center works to prettify guests through a variety of noninvasive treatments. An initial consultation introduces client and specialist before the latter prescribes a custom treatment plan. The center has a variety of services at its disposal, including medical-grade chemical peels, laser vein therapy, and yelling sessions that scare blemishes right off the skin.