South San Francisco, CA Beauty and Salons

Each member of Orchids Beauty Salon’s team stays abreast of the advancements and trends in their aesthetic specialties, ensuring clients receive the latest in pampering from head to toe. Stylists problem solve for each head of hair, restoring proteins and smoothing down strands with Keratin and Brazilian Brushing treatments, snipping overgrown cuts into shape, or remaking a client’s image with a fresh new style. The salon’s arsenal of aestheticians include Brazilian bikini specialists, who wage an all-out war on hair, invading bikini zone follicles with a deluge of warm wax before zipping the area clean with the precision of a German train schedule in as little as 15 to 30 minutes. Clients suffering aches and pains find solace in the salon’s eclectic selection of massage modalities that range from the smooth strokes of Swedish massage to the affectionate nuzzles from pet rocks found in hot stone therapy.

Since he dyed his first head of hair in his native Brazil, owner and master colorist Odilon Vasconcelos has spent almost 30 years styling hair in France, Spain, Argentina, and the U.S. He prides himself on imbuing Ele-Ela—Portuguese for "him and her"— with "elegant yet unpretentious surroundings." To round out this carefully tended environment, Vasconcelos has recruited an expert team of stylists, including Jesse Nino, who has garnered extensive experience working in the fashion industries of both New York and Los Angeles. Odilon, Jesse, and the team use Brazilian Blowout, Phyto Organics, and American Crew products to deck out humans and supposed humans with a fresh look. Visitors can also get gussied up with manicures, pedicures, and waxing.

Siblings and board-certified surgeons Dr. Lisa Kang and Dr. David Kang share more than the same parents; they work together at Serenity MedSpa, where they both specialize in aesthetic procedures. Beneath shelves of Botox, Latisse, and glo minerals products, Clear + Brilliant laser systems hum. Like R2-D2’s high-school reunion, the rooms are crowded with high-tech machines, including Smartlipo, Cellulaze, Liposonix and Ulthera.

At Hair by Ali, the meticulously trained, eponymous stylist outfits each client with a custom coif that suits individual age, features, and lifestyle. During his nearly 20 years of experience in the hairstyling industry and extensive training in upscale salons in Chicago and Dallas, Ali has mastered Brazilian keratin and Japanese Yuko hair-straightening treatments, gained specialized training in handling curly locks, and learned to calm frazzled ’dos with only a whisper. In addition to enhancing each patron's eye and skin color with signature highlights and color services, Ali strives to crop manes with high-quality cuts that maintain their original design and beauty as they grow and leave for college.

After graduating with honors from the University of Miami's medical school in 1975, Dr. Michael Stephen Norris pursued a specialty in plastic surgery to help his patients improve their looks. Before treatments he gets to know the individual goals of the patient and thoroughly explains their options to them—along with the risks and benefits involved. By keeping his patients informed and empowered, Dr. Norris has gained a loyal following of repeat customers who trust him with their every unwanted wrinkle, bulge, or third ear.

Episode Salon & Spa’s experienced stylists transform mops with quality cuts, coloring, and straightening treatments. Upon entering the salon’s casual confines, guests are greeted with the cheerful sounds of snipping scissors as expert hands update hairdos with contemporary styles. Stylists can also alter hues with full and partial highlights or use 100% human-hair extensions to add length without sprinkling heads with Miracle-Gro. Episode carries dozens of high-end salon lines for every type of hair, from supplies for smooth and fine strands to products designed to de-frizz follicles and soften petrified curls.