Beauty & Spas in Rancho Santa Margarita

More than a dozen stylists, aestheticians, and nail technicians work within Legends Hairstyling Co. on Santa Margarita Pkwy. Men and women come in to get their hair wrangled and their skin soothed, as do a lot of brides—the wide variety of services under one roof makes Legends a natural spot to gear up for a big day. The salon's inventory of products is nearly as wide, including organic options and lines just for guys' testosterone-soaked scalps.

With locations throughout California, including LA, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Sacramento, San Jose, Inland Empire, Ventura County, and Orange County, the knowledgeable staffers at Planet Beauty stock the store’s shelves with enough top-quality beauty products to outfit a regiment of beauticians. Guided by experience as aestheticians, stylists, and makeup artists, they help guests navigate the roster of premium brands, which includes bad-hair-day-banishing products from Frederic Fekkai and Kérastase. Skincare potions from Peter Thomas Roth clear facial canvases before applications of Smashbox blush brighten cheeks or Divaderme lash extender make eyelashes visible from orbit.

The Spa Gregorie team won Spa Finder’s Reader’s Choice award for Best Day Spa of 2011 for rejuvenating skin with Spa Gregorie's botanically enriched product line and encrusting toes with Swarovski crystals. In addition to brining beauty and relaxation within grasp, each location expands the reach of Western medicine with alternative therapies for pain relief and programs geared toward new mothers and oncology patients. Contributions to the Make a Wish Foundation and multiple cancer research organizations echo this allegiance to health care, and any nonprofit group or charitable organization may use the Del Mar spa's conference room for free. Attentive to both human and environmental health, Spa Gregorie's efforts to reduce waste, energy consumption, and chemical use earned OC Metro's 2011 Green Team award. In 2011, the International SPA Association honored Spa Gregorie's CEO Angela Cortright with the Dedicated Contributor of the Year award. The press release cites her commitment to well-being and public service beyond her three eucalyptus-scented spas and reveals her favorite quote to be Muhammad Ali's maxim, “Service to others is the rent we pay for our room here on Earth.” This attitude has earned the company an avalanche of awards, which document the good works of its expert aestheticians, hair designers, and massage therapists, as well as the saint bernards that dig them out from under piles of laurel wreaths each day.

Helmed by board-certified specialists, Facial Aesthetic Concepts was recently recognized as the Best Place for a Nip and Tuck in the Orange County Register's 2010 Best Of Orange County and enacts glowing dermises with a variety of services. Fit for any skin type, the seasonal signature facial fortifies human fabrics with a blend of deep pore cleansing, steam, exfoliation, and gentle-cycle hydration. Meanwhile, the ultimate one-hour chemical peel exorcises the specters of dead surface cells to help halt acne, rosacea, stage productions of Casper, and sun damage. Safe and effective laser systems penetrate the cheeks in the full-frame photofacial (IPL), which works to stimulate collagen production, mend broken capillaries, and minimize hyperpigmentation.

True to its name, Mr. and Ms. Day Spa serves as a quiet sanctuary for both men and women, where a staff of massage therapists and aestheticians dedicate themselves to the belief that spa services are essential for both mental and physical health. Versed in seven types of massage, therapists employ any combination of modalities while orchestrating custom massages to soothe muscles sore from supporting the body's cast-iron skeleton. The equally versatile skincare technicians use Dermalogica products during facials to restore skin's healthy glow.

Our feet carry the weight of our bodies with every step, which means they also carry all that tension. At Qin Massage, clients can opt for a massage that also focuses on their feet, for up to 40 blissful minutes. The therapists will also combine the foot massage with full-body sessions, during which they switch up their techniques depending on the tension level. Massages are delivered in private candlelit rooms with minimal decor, except for a live plant in the corner that whispers lullabies. The spa is open late, too, until 10:30 at night, perfect for winding down before bedtime.