Wahiawa, HI Spa and Massage

It’s not just the soft glow of candlelight, the array of floral sprays, or even the pampering spa treatments that keep clients coming back to Laka Skin Care & Spa. They come for the salon’s holistic treatments, backed by the science of Nobel Prize–winning research. The salon’s staff is trained in everything from facial reflexology to the salon’s three signature facials—all of which use 24-karat gold to brighten and cleanse skin.

What really sets the spa’s treatments apart are the optional add-ons. The house brand of aromatherapy, 21 Drops, infuses facials and massages with healing essential oils to entertain noses. Heated amethyst mats detoxify both body and mind while clients relax on them.

Steamy saunas and cool pools share space with an in-house salon, massage parlor, and nail studio at Herbal Spa Sauna & Salon, which has separate facilites for men and women. The journey through saunas and baths is ordered strategically for optimal effect, beginning with a hot-tub dip to calm muscles and relax minds. After a sojourn in the steam sauna opens pores and releases tension, the dry sauna heats cores with controlled 210-degree coals to ease muscles and a bath cools down bodies before limber limbs meditate in a jade room. A Himalayan salt sauna uses heat to release the minerals found in salt to benefit respiratory systems, reduce stress, and improve skin health.

Over at the salon, aestheticians work out any lingering stresses with body scrubs, massages, and pedicures that outfit toes with bright colors before their next trip into pitch-black shoe caves. Staffers stock locker rooms with complimentary robes, ice water, and shower products to ensure pleasant transitions to and from the tranquil retreat.

Gentle music breezes past the salmon walls at Sophisticated Facial & Nail Spa, where black, leather massage chairs rest on natural-wood floors. Nail technicians with a keen eye for artistry paint fingernails with such specialty designs as zebra print, flowers, butterflies, and near-perfect replicas of toenails. Dermalogica products nourish visages during a half-dozen different 90-minute facials, which range from an oil-and-acne treatment that uses high-frequency currents to kill bacteria to an anti-aging facial powered by hydroxyl-acid exfoliation. Private treatment rooms also host waxing procedures that leave skin smooth and hairless for longer than razors, tweezers, or stern lectures do.

Pure Elements Salon & Spa uses all-natural Aveda products on clients from head to toe. The company also follows through with Aveda's green mission to beautify without harming the earth. The skilled staff members peruse Aveda's robust selection of eco-consciously harvested serums, shampoos, and lotions as they prepare for a range of spa services that includes hair, skin, massage, makeup, and nail treatments for both men and women. Nail technicians exfoliate feet with an all-natural sea-salt scrub before polishing toes. Massage therapists use natural elements during the hydra-stone massage, which, as its name suggests, incorporates both water and hot stones to make muscles as loose as a procrastination club’s meeting times. Aestheticians slough dulling dead skin cells from the face with microdermabrasion, facials, and glycolic peels. Clients can mix and match a combination of Pure Elements’ services to build extra-long spa packages or bridal packages to spiff up ladies on their big days.

At Oasis Club and Spa for Women, the dual energizing effects of exercise and relaxation meet under the same roof. Ladies of any age can seek out camaraderie and encouragement as they burn calories in outdoor boot-camp programs, Pro Fit semiprivate personal-training sessions, and group classes that include Zumba, yoga, and circuit training. Even when prepping for solo workouts, guests can benefit from the warm staff's instructions on how to use their stock of HumanSport functional-training equipment from Star Trac.

Spa visits needn't be a solitary affair, either. Friends can find serenity simultaneously with party packages for girls' nights and outings for couples, brightening their complexions with Dermalogica skincare products and gabbing about the latest in cucumber-based eyewear. The spa tries to incorporate all-natural ingredients into treatments such as Bronze Biologic spray tans, Nufree botanical hair removal, and hot-stone massages.

Put your body in the hands of a holistic healing expert. For $54, today's Groupon gets you an hour-long massage or reflexology session with Rachel Avalon (normally $90). Take away your aches and pains with any one of Avalon's massages, including Swedish, deep tissue, and massage specifically targeted for infants, teenager, or pregnant women. This Groupon is also good for a 60-minute session of reflexology. Commonly referred to as "acupuncture without needles," reflexology relieves stress through foot squeezing and, optionally, lobe tugging.