Beauty & Spas in Saint Louis

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.

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.

Preston Salon Spa's namesake founder Steven Preston and his congenial staff of stylists cure drab tresses with comprehensive salon and spa services. During packages, clients kick back for up to two hours, collaborating with beautifiers to mold new 'dos according to personal tastes. Coifs ranging from trendy to traditional materialize as staffers curtail overflowing tendrils and cure styles with a blow dryer. Aveda treatments launch a multipronged attack on noggin maladies, detoxifying scalps and nourishing thirsty strands to produce hair softer and healthier than a nutritionist's grocery list embroidered on silk. Then, professionals uproot fuzzy outliers from lips and brows or subtly highlight natural beauty with a dusting of makeup.