Terrytown, LA Beauty and Salons

Clients smile whiter and brighter as they emerge from the offices of Solar Teeth Whitening New Orleans, which specializes in whitening treatments that can be performed during a single lunch break. During their signature 30- or 40-minute sessions, technicians slather teeth in a specially formulated gel that activates beneath an array of LED lights. This light-and-gel combination works to boost whiteness 8–12 shades and blast away discoloration caused by excessive coffee, cigarette, or crayon consumption. Clients can also purchase whitening kits to use in the privacy of their own homes or snag an annual membership that keeps smiles bright throughout the year with one whitening session per month.

Torrie Jakes, owner of Jakes Aesthetics, dropped her legal career to pursue her passion for skincare and cosmetics. Performing laser hair removal, microdermabrasion, and chemical peels as well as other skincare treatments, she stays true to her goal of helping her clients attain glowing, youthful skin.

In Louisiana, all aestheticians endure at least 750 grueling hours of cosmetology schooling before they can obtain a license. Difficult scientific classes aren’t part of the required curriculum, but they were essential for Elite Skin Suite’s Lessie. After obtaining her cosmetology license back in 1978, the aesthetician became completely enamored with skin. So she headed to Tulane College and enrolled in classes such as genetics, mutation, and cellular biology, all in hopes of truly understanding the ins and outs of her favorite organ.

So far, her schooling has served Lessie well. For more than 30 years, she has helped clients of all ages maintain healthy skin with treatments tailored to their individual needs. Every service at Elite Skin Suite begins with a complimentary assessment, which gives Lessie the knowledge she needs to administer any one of a dozen or so of the facial treatments in her repertoire, including glycolic-acid peels, LED therapy, and detoxifying acne facials. And though most spas and licking puppies tend to focus on the face, Lessie focuses her aesthetic eye on the whole body with cellulite wraps, coconut-infused hydration treatments, and waxing.

As a partner of ResearchMDs, a family practice and research facility, RMDs Aesthetics & Med Spa adds a clinical component to relaxing spa services. The physician-supervised team balances complexions with cleansing facials that employ prescription-grade products, such as the SkinMedica line. Technicians fine-tune laser treatments to treat stretch marks, scars, or dimples developed from drinking unsweetened lemonade. A licensed massage therapist addresses stress and soreness with seven different modalities, including neuromuscular-therapy sessions focused on releasing nerve pressure at trigger points.

To ensure that each skincare, massage, makeup, or hair-removal service is as enriching as possible, the staff at Pure Aesthetics Boutique Day Spa cares for clients using primarily organic skincare products. Exfoliating facials scuff away dead skin to reveal underlying superhero masks and younger-looking complexions, and a lineup of waxing services de-fuzz corporeal locales from brows to legs. Because the spa's main focus is customer satisfaction, the team even accommodates appointments outside of normal hours.