Beauty & Spas in Rancho Cucamonga

The stylists, skin soothers, massage therapists, and nail and makeup artists at Lavish Salon and Day Spa have seen their fair share of media buzz. So has owner, master stylist, and senior Goldwell hair-color educator Samantha Murguia, whose color-correction skills found themselves under the spotlight on ModernSalon.com. In 2010, OCFamily.com editor Susan Belknapp blogged that not only was her Brazilian Blowout with Murguia "a relaxing, fast-moving treatment," but also that she found the result to be "fantastic." Murguia and her team have also been featured multiple times in Inland Empire Magazine and, in 2011, graced CBS’s list of LA’s Best Blow-Drys.

Perhaps the high praise is a result of the expertise with which Murguia's crew performs their services. Or perhaps it’s the fact that they keep a close eye on the latest youthful trends. The staff includes a teen blogger who has her finger on the pulse of the beauty industry, and the salon has been accepting donations of gently used dresses, shoes, and accessories to help girls attend the prom in style. They have even offered teen makeup tutorials that explain how to complement natural facial features and use a smartphone’s blush-administering app.

Pretty Foo Foo Salon & Spa, located next to Victoria Gardens, peeks through lush greenery and beckons passersby into its calming oasis, where beauty boosters and relaxation experts pamper visitors with the same emphasis they displayed on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Addition. In a flurry of scissor snips and Bumble and bumble products, Pretty Foo Foo's stylists renovate outmoded coiffures with haircuts, color treatments, and a slew of salon services. The aestheticians also send visitors on the path to epidermal perfection with PCA Skin Solutions' fragrance- and synthetic-free serums that erase blemishes, sunspots, and grocery lists scrawled on the forehead.

At first blush, Millennium Medi Spa seems to suffer from a crisis of identity. On one hand, the med spa relies on the clinical expertise of its physician directors to rejuvenate clients’ skin with advanced treatments. But one can’t help but notice the tranquil, spa-like atmosphere and the profusion of treatments—mani-pedis, massages, hydrating facials—that seem rooted in relaxation more than anything else.

These two personalities converge seamlessly thanks to a staff that splits its focus between results and relaxation. Technicians beautify nails with scrubs, paraffin dips, and glossy coats of polish while aestheticians tighten skin and release toxins with body wraps. Similarly results-based procedures include chemical peels, dermal fillers, and vibradermabrasion treatments that reduce the appearance of fine lines and barnacles stuck to the face.

Tammy Nguyen knows both business and beauty. She is a trained permanent-makeup artist, nail tech, and NovaLash eyelash extensionist who holds a business administration and marketing degree. With her eye for aesthetics and her entrepreneurial know-how, she and her husband have grown their beautifying industry into three different salon-spas, including Millennium Nail and Day Spa.

Named in the 2012 Best of Tallahassee list by Tallahassee Magazine, Millennium Nail and Day Spa creates a tranquil environment amid a spacious facility draped in chic neutral tones and plush, black leather chairs. Beneath decorative archways, guests file into the salon area, where stylists at three levels—ranked by their years of experience and ability to cut hair by summoning razor-billed auks—revamp 'dos with defrizzing Global Keratin treatments and Opti.smooth hot or cold relaxers. From four private treatment rooms, soft music fills the air as aestheticians brighten complexions with Pevonia skincare products and skin-type-specific facials. Meanwhile, massage therapists ease aches and pains using nine modalities enhanced by hot stones and bamboo sticks.

For clients awaiting their appointments, the spa keeps stacks of current magazines on hand and offers complimentary water, coffee, and soda. Those wanting more of a bite to their beverage can wander over to the spa's nail bar, where staff pour glasses of wine and beer for a small fee. Nearby, clients relax beneath an arched ceiling painted to look like the sky as technicians knead hands and feet with caviar and retinol-infused treatments before decorating nails with OPI polishes, Axxium gel, and foil nail art.

Licensed aesthetician Jenny Sampson clears skin of unwanted hair and blackheads and combats paleness with a collection of skin services. Using Rhonda Allison skincare products, she performs custom facials that help remove dead skin cells and sleepover graffiti from the skin’s surface. Her swift hand also swipes unwelcome strands of hair from the body, leaving behind smooth skin to be coated in a sun-kissed bronze from head to toe with airbrush tanning.

Helmed by Dr. Javier Rios, a physician who specializes in cosmetic skin treatments, Magnolia Skincare refurbishes skin with laser technology, microdermabrasion, and injectable treatments. Spider veins flee following sclerotherapy injections, and bursts of Botox and Restylane soften wrinkles without hanging faces on a clothesline. Cutera lasers penetrate below the skin to remove fuzz and reduce fine lines while leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed, and Fraxel lasers combine the effectiveness of ablative laser systems with the gentleness of nonablative machines in order to shrink acne scars and age spots.