Salons in Tacoma

Aesthetician Asha Teeter's fascination with beauty began when she waxed her cousin's eyebrows—at the tender age of 14. Her mother had a strict rule against wearing makeup, which Asha cleverly circumvented by learning techniques such as waxing, tweezing, and eyebrow shaping. After graduating from school, she gained some hands-on experience at the elbow of a 20-year skincare veteran, who helped her take her first steps into the world of professional beauty.

Asha’s years of experience—both professional and extracurricular—seem to have paid off. She now works within the relaxing confines of Kyva Beginnings Wellness Spa, beautifying her clients’ skin with a menu of European facials, pumpkin peels, and waxing services. The same spirit of innovation that empowered her as a teenager has led her to explore more advanced treatments as a professional. Her far-infrared sauna treatments aim to detoxify the body and burn calories, and her ionic footbaths draw out toxins and relax soles after record-breaking dance-a-thons.

Each of Seattle Sun Tan's 39 locations spans between 2,000 and 4,000 square feet of space dedicated solely to the art of un-sunbathing. Washington-state tanners strut down immaculate hallways dotted with framed original paintings and contemporary artwork before settling into private rooms where they may acquire their desired shade while enjoying the sounds of their own music or prerecorded subliminal messages piped in through the iPod dock perched near each bed. The Smart Tan–certified staff guides clients in selecting which of the five levels of UV bed best fits their tanning needs and whether they desire a short tan time, prefer to stand up or lie down, or wish to bask beneath high-pressure face lamps. Shop shelves offer home tanners quality products from Australian Gold and Swedish Beauty, whereas spray-tanning options from VersaSpa and SunFX both impart a natural-looking faux glow that takes mere minutes to apply and lasts for days.

The bodily benefactors at Three Cedars Day Spa protect guests from the harsh outside world with a coterie of calming services for the skin, face, and body. Licensed aestheticians denude unwanted hair with beams of pulsed light or oversee daylong pampering packages that include European facials and a choice of seaweed or mud wraps. Massage practitioners offer a choice of five styles, including their signature massage, which includes steamed and scented towels, deep-tissue strokes, and wafting smells of citrus. Guests warm themselves by a working fireplace clad in an optional robe and slippers before enjoying their choice of facial or waxing services. A kids-free zone, Three Cedars Day Spa politely asks parents to leave little ones at home, lest they disrupt the serenity or get into arguments with the Teddy Ruxpin checking IDs at the door.

Since putting the finishing touches on the hairdo of their first customer more than 10 years ago, Attitudes Salon’s crew of talented stylists has worked diligently to foster a welcoming atmosphere while offering a slew of fashionable services. So dedicated is the team to both keeping their skills honed and remaining abreast of current trends that it regularly engages in training courses. Specializing in snipping chic styles, the stylists meet with each client for a pre-cut consultation to come up with a style that will flatter their features and express their personality. Throughout the day, the salon remains abuzz with staffers highlighting hair, waxing brows, and restoring radiance to fingers that have mistaken paint buckets for soap dispensers.

Lady Broussard Skincare nurtures patrons with treatments that blend traditional beauty rituals, such as European facials and microdermabrasion, with holistic therapies, such as stress-busting reflexology. Complimentary refreshments relax clients as beauty professionals revitalize skin with custom masks and exfoliating glycolic peels or christen the body with a pink-champagne scrub before painting on its new nautical name. Products from PCA, Bioelements, and the spa's own proprietary line power many of the skin-focused services, which are complemented by additional aesthetic enhancements, such as mink eyelash extensions and waxing for both face and body.

The bubblegum-pink exterior of Picasso Salon & Day Spa houses a team of stylists, aestheticians, and licensed massage therapists overseen by Sonia Kim Scheer, a beauty-industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience. Stylists and colorists at different levels of experience—including director, master, senior, and archduke—consult with clients before reshaping their hairdo. Aestheticians also soften skin with Dermalogica products during four types of facials and three types of chemical peels. A sea-salt scrub or European rose mud wrap can help relax bodies as a technician washes off the nourishing ingredients in the spa's Vichy shower.