Piedmont, CA Spa and Massage

Project Zen aims to provide a serene sanctuary where clients can complement Western medicinal regimes with Eastern healing practices that coordinate internal harmony with preventative massage services. Stepping inside the spa, clients will notice its rich red tapestries and bright gold pillows, which exude an opulence matched only by drinking red wine out of a solid gold sippy cup. Project Zen, like its sister spa in Thailand, pampers patrons and aims to improve their overall wellness with treatments such as Japanese shiatsu, a brand of acupressure involving languid thumb, palm, knee, and feet strokes. In addition, an in-house line of bath and body products blended from extracts of Thai herbs and flowers are used during deep-tissue and Swedish massages.

In nine rooms, low- to high-pressure UV tanning beds spill tunes from built-in radios and CD players and build base tans with waves of warm light. Clients can find UV-free shading in the Magic and Airbrush spray room, where a mechanical booth or tanning technician applies a tanning solution that gradually darkens over time. The appearance of cellulite diminishes under the twin rollers and controlled suction of an Endermologie machine, which shoos away cellulite to decrease dimples and even out skin texture. Infrared body wraps detoxify bodies while softening both skin and fears of being trapped in a sleeping bag.

For more than 30 years, Always Tan Skin and Body's skilled staff of male and female techs has been devising its ever-changing menu of advanced spa treatments to restore stressed clients. The spa gets it name from a lineup of UVA-centric tanning beds that gently bronze bodies in 12- to 20-minute sessions, but the staff of aestheticians and massage therapists runs a full-service spa. Luxuriously heated massage tables cradle clients' cloth-draped bodies as certified massage therapists summon knots from the deepest layers of the muscular system with a variety of massage styles, including shiatsu and cranial sacral.

Though they specialize in therapeutic massages, the dexterous therapists easily adjust their kneading to accommodate their clients' injuries, soreness, or migratory pancreases. Microdermabrasion sessions and customized facials backed by skincare brands such as DermaQuest, Image Skincare, and Le Mieux revive blemished or dull complexions. Clients can take a breather amid the spa's quiet lounge, lined with black leather chairs and vibrant, lily-pad-themed paintings, while indulging in hot herbal teas and filtered mineral spring water harvested from the room's personal Niagara Falls-sized waterfall.

At Sapphire Nails & Tanning Salon, aestheticians enhance inborn aesthetics with nail, waxing, massage, facial, and tanning services. The team brandishes a rainbow of nail polishes, such as long-lasting OPI Axxium gel, and breathable artificial Signature Nails, which shield growing keratins from nicks brought on by gloves insulated with steel wool. Massage chairs knead backs while nail technicians exfoliate legs and feet plunge into the floral pedicure's bath of rosemary essential oil and floating rose petals. Facials incorporate the soothing strokes of massage, and tanning beds infuse flawless complexions with a glow brighter than the sun's naïve adolescent outlook as classical music trills softly between mint-green walls.

Stylist Joelle Campbell has a wanderer's spirit and the wide-ranging experience to match. During her initial apprenticeship in Portland, she roamed through some of America's great style houses, taking in training at notable locales ranging from Redken's 5th Avenue salon and Bumble and bumble's Uptown headquarters in New York to Suki's in Vancouver. Opening her own salon in Portland didn't halt her desire for for continued education; after a 10-year stint that led her behind the scenes at Rome International Hair Show, Joelle moved to San Francisco, where she honed her skills as a colorist. Now the principle stylist behind Haute Hair Studio, she still keeps one eye on international trends. When she isn't busy trimming up fashion-forward 'dos, adding flattering color, or easing frizz with Brazilian blowouts, Joelle still finds time to showcase her work on a wider stage; for the past two years, she and her team have prepped models for their runway moments at Vera Wang's annual Ritz-Carleton fashion show.

During his time as a certified massage therapist, Carey "Kari" Hassinger has developed his own style. He works deep into muscles, using Thai yoga’s stretching techniques and deep-tissue’s intense pressure to release tension and restore the body's balance and range of motion. Working out of both San Francisco and San Mateo, Kari treats one or two people at a time. His couples massages are interactive and involve teaching duos how to massage each other at home or massage the people in front of them at the symphony. Kari also travels to homes to perform outcall massage services.