Beauty & Spas in Stockbridge

At Unique Faces Make-Up Studio, founder Yolanda “China” Smith and her staff adhere to a simple motto: "It’s our job to make you look unique and it’s your job to be unique.” Unique is also a fitting word to describe this business, which refuses to limit itself to a single customer demographic. Proudly proclaiming her business "the home of the $20 makeover,” Smith also boasts a resumé that includes past work for noted photographers, recording artists such as Gorilla Zoe and Chingy, and high-profile companies including Elite Model Management. Whether her crew is providing on-location makeup for fashion shows or weddings or hosting Lil Diva spa parties in their pink-and-purple-walled studio, they ensure every face gets the celebrity treatment it deserves regardless of its budget or number of degrees from Kevin Bacon.

The therapists at Spacific Healing help their clients discover new levels of relaxation through detoxifying body treatments and soothing skin services. Every massage therapist on staff has at least five years of experience and the specialized skills to knead tension from expectant mothers, senior citizens, and circus strongmen. Colonics, ear candling, and biocleanse footbaths pull impurities from within the body, and the infrared sauna and Alpha 2010 pod relieve aches and boost circulation. Aestheticians pamper pores with facials and microdermabrasion treatments, as well as full body masks, wraps, and polishes.

Just past the entrance to Nails By ME hangs an impossible-to-miss portrait of Marilyn Monroe—a mark of enduring style and beauty mirrored by the nail boutique's diverse menu of services. Administering more than just simple trims, the aestheticians hone in on fingers and cover them in luxurious finishes such as Minx Nails, an alternative to polish that results in a solid, chip-resistant coating. And when they’re not attending to individual clients, the nail techs transform into party planners, welcoming bachelorette parties and other groups with decorations, glasses of wine, mani-pedis, and classic rounds of pin the acrylic nail on the index finger.

The holistic practitioners of Affusions Therapeutic Body Spa model their treatments on Ayurveda, a set of health and well-being principles from ancient India. The staff develops integrative therapies to promote healing that take advantage of natural remedies in place of pharmaceuticals. The center's pain-management treatment for lower-back pain blends deep-tissue massage and stretching of the gluteus muscles with detoxifying seaweed therapy and acupressure massage. This approach typifies Affusions’ services, which range from spa therapies to custom massages. Specialty services such as ionic foot baths and sessions in the Steamy Wonder can help clients lose weight, shed toxins, and peel off old body paint.

Master cosmetologist and salon owner Manisha Mehta takes pride in delivering a sweeping range of beauty and grooming services infused with luxurious touches. Full-length facials incorporate rich ingredients such as 24-karat gold or chocolate, and facial peels immerse visages in fruit and vegetable medleys without the need for surreptitious head dunks into a punch bowl. Issuing from Mehta's fervent interest in the healing and restorative powers of herbs, most full facials are accompanied by a custom aromatherapy blend. Alongside eyelash extensions and waxing are ancient Eastern grooming services, such as eyebrow threading, ear candling, mummification, and henna designs for hands and feet. Dark wood and leather furnishings, deep-maroon walls, and gilt-framed mirrors and paintings lend the space a feeling of an urban retreat.