Beauty & Spas in Saratoga

When software entrepreneur Alex Guberman opened Salon Exclussif, he assembled a team of Redken-trained stylists and placed them under the watchful gaze of manager Serena McKinney. An entrepreneur herself, Serena studied at the Academy for Salon Professionals and has spent more than a decade styling tresses and applying makeup. In addition to concocting custom hues with Redken's Chromatics color line, the stylists renovate tresses with flattering haircuts, keratin treatments, and a few Greek columns. The salon prioritizes customer service, guaranteeing nearby parking and sending clients a personal thank-you email after their first visit.

Regardless of which one of the eight James Craig's cheerful stylists clients choose, they can rest assured that the stylist has undergone extensive training in the art of haircare, cutting, and coloring. Each of the seasoned stylists have completed the comprehensive one-year The James Craig Advanced Education Program and routinely study up on the latest trends under the Redken Exchange educators the salon has flown in from New York. The staff prides itself on using only the most-advanced salon products, including Kérastase, Redken, Oribe, and the James Craig signature line.

Sunlight floods the hardwood floors of the elegant salon, where the stylists administer cuts, colors, and hair-extension services as customers sip on complimentary coffee and tea. Each procedure begins with an in-depth consultation to discuss desired looks and ends with an informative discussion on re-creating professional styles, such as how to blow dry curls to create flattering waves or fashion an elegant scalp-top topiary garden.

Nestled amid the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Balance Studio Spa beckons patrons into a holistic mecca festooned with tile mosaics and flowering plants. The health center is the brainchild of owner Melissa Stone, a massage therapist and intuitive healer who oversees a team of therapists and instructors. With a common passion for alternative health care, the specialists restore patrons' physical and mental balance either within a weathered-wood building or in the garden, where draperies shelter outdoor treatment areas. Visitors to the practice can bask in spa treatments or take home Balance Tool Kits that include yoga DVDs, guided meditation materials, and allen wrenches for tightening up loose joints. Custom spa packages encompass a diverse suite of treatments such as reiki, Pilates, and detox footbaths.

Owner Gigi Stanley has been passionately steeped in the beauty industry since her graduation from Willow Glen Beauty College in 1984. Continuously educated in the latest trends, she and her team rejuvenate guests with a broad spread of soothing spa treatments and beautifying salon services. A slate of facials and anti-aging treatments enliven visages, and waxing services prep pelts for vacations, swim races, or shirtless calendar photo shoots. Additionally, head threads enjoy prettifying appointments for highlights, hair extensions, or chic updos.

GMS’s elegant atmosphere belies the warmth of its staff members, who welcome guests into a cozy waiting area—with a cushy sofa, chair, and ottoman—and gift them with wine, Blue Moon beer, or fruit-infused water. A trickling fountain highlighted against a natural-rock background enhances the space’s tranquility, and remains among the top five vacation destinations of water nymphs.

Trained aestheticians and laser technicians at Rejuvenis Skincare's medical spa illuminate—and then quickly alleviate—epidermal concerns using FDA-approved SoftLight lasers and other skin treatments. The medical-spa staff employs a wide spectrum of colored beams to focus in on nuanced body areas and remove hair, melt away excess cellulite, correct hyperpigmentation, or break down inks to remove tattoos and permanent sponsorship logos. Microdermabrasion and chemical facials using AHA glycolic-, salicylic-, or lactic-acid peels help to erase skin woes such as acne and wrinkles without bursts of light, yet clients often still hear disco music in their heads.

Since 1984, Bulldog Lifestyles' professional artists have adorned bodies with tattoos and piercings. Drawing from expertise in traditional, new-school, tribal, portraits, and realistic styles, tattoo artists permanently paint epidermal canvases with a customer's chosen image or favorite Bob Ross quote. Surface piercings speckle across cheeks and chest bones, whereas studs adorn noses, ears, and tongues.