Beauty & Spas in Saint Louis

At Glow Salon & MedSpa, every aesthetician, hairstylist, and nail technician has an additional specialty: customer service. Manager Sandy Suter explains in her Patch video feature that all members of her small team undergo coaching to ensure that they emanate approachable warmth. Whether pampering hands with a sweet-almond and salt treatment or customizing a Redken conditioning regimen, they balance their expertise with intuition for the guest's aesthetic. Their tag line, "Define yourself," speaks to this personalized approach as well as a desire to exponentially increase the size of Webster’s Dictionary.

The cosmetic team radiates a playful attitude as it adds fresh flair to primping rituals. Manicures and pedicures often conclude with nail art, which decorates digits in designs from swimming fish to polka dots, whereas hairstylists delight in adhering feather extensions and applying bold colors. Yet apart from aesthetics, the spa focuses on health—both for individuals and the community. Massage therapists unknot tense muscles and ease aches with Swedish and prenatal modalities, and hairstylists participate in community-bolstering programs, such as Locks of Love and cut-a-thons to benefit St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Hollywood Tan's 12 locations help Midwesterners stay tan year-round—even under their parkas. They accomplish this using equipment such as standup capsules, tanning beds, and Mystic Tan booths, the latter of which bronzes hides using an aloe vera–based spray solution instead of UV rays or a mysterious candy-factory bubblegum that turns obnoxious children tan. Off to the side, lotions stand at attention on shelves, ready to help clients maintain their tan and keep their skin moisturized.

True to its location on the second and third floors of Firehouse Place, All Seasons Salon and Day Spa elevates minds and bodies with nature-inspired spa treatments. Goldwell and Aveda products line the shelves in a reception area whose floral décor vies for attention with the purses, clothes, shoes, and handcrafted Elle Cosmetics peeking out from the designer boutique area next door. Back in the pedicure nook, toes take baths in basins of warm water before shedding their calluses and ferrying their owners to one of the nearby manicure stations, where technicians brush fingernails with vibrant OPI polishes. Soft candle lights flicker against the walls of private aesthetic and massage rooms, while out on the salon floor stylists revivify hair with custom European coloring techniques. During the wedding season, the spa’s team tends to more than 75 bridal parties, painting nails, styling strands, and dipping drab white dresses in their vibrant hair dyes.

Founder Todd Beckman opened the first Tan Company location, then called The St. Louis Tan Company, in 1994 with a pair of average-size sun retreats. After perfecting a superstore concept with multiple levels of tanning beds and an intrepid-reporter alter ego, Beckman's bronzing business now spans 53 locations in 8 states, including 39 locations in the St. Louis area. Todd ensures each salon keeps the same high standards that won the 2010 award for Best Tanning in St. Louis from CityVoter.

A knowledgeable staff maintains each bright, highly sanitized environment and stocks shelves with Australian Gold, Swedish Beauty, and Designer Skin tanning products. The Tan Company also fashions UV-free tans with Mystic Tan standup booths that evenly spritz bodies with a paraben-free DHA solution infused with aloe vera.