Waimalu, HI Beauty and Salons

Traditional Chinese medicine and Western beauty practices join forces at Advanced Medi-Spa Hawaii. Practitioner Cindy Chang draws on her experience as a licensed acupuncturist and cosmetologist to deliver face-lifts—which rely on fine needles instead of scalpels—and skin-clearing treatments that use intense pulsed light and herbs. A few zaps from a cold laser help erase age spots, freckles, and birthmarks, and the radio-frequency energy emitted by the Lamprobe machine banishes skin tags, clogged pores, and the other blemishes caused by not living in a car wash.

Dr. Russell H. Masunaga keeps patients’ mouths in optimal health while ensuring a comfortable, virtually pain-free experience through the use of laser technology. With lasers, Dr. Masunaga can often avoid the use of anesthetics when removing tooth decay in a quicker, more precise manner than standard drilling procedures. He also fills cavities with tooth-colored composites for a unified, natural-looking smile. With office hours available Monday–Saturday, Dr. Masunaga makes scheduling a visit more accessible, as well.

Salon C is a full-service salon that updates clients’ looks while bestowing them with personalized attention and complimentary beverages. The experienced and well-rounded staff—composed of Paul Mitchell educators and graduates of the Aveda Institute—keeps their skills current through continual education. Ever on the hunt for the most flattering looks, they begin each service with a thorough consultation that evaluates clients’ eye color, skin tone, and DNA.

On the spa side of the treatment menu, aestheticians use Dermologica skincare products to foster younger-looking facades, while waxing techs create hair-free surfaces. Makeup artists forge temporary or permanent enhancements, and nail techs add another dimension to fingers and toes with 3-D nail art.

ViVi Salon & Spa aims for luxury. Whether snipping strands, waxing stubble, or gussying up nails, the techs and stylists reach straight past the bottom- and middle-of-the-line products for their topside superiors. Nail techs—all with at least five years of experience—apply eye-catching shades of OPI and China Glaze polish to nails, or massage feet as clients relax atop plush pedicure chairs and their accompanying whirling footbaths. During pedicures, they lavish feet with products such as La Palm, Gabel's Cosmetics, and Gena, exfoliating along the way with an organic pomegranate sugar scrub. Patrons while away the hours as hot-stone massages and facials dissolve tension more effectively than a clown parachuting into the middle of a duel.

Dr. Dennis Nagata draws upon more than 30 years of experience—including training at USC and a teaching gig at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies—to build healthy, beautiful smiles. Along with fellow dentist Dr. Wesley Sato and a staff of caring assistants, he furbishes teeth using tools such as Zoom! whitening gel, Invisalign aligners, and dental implants. To remove mercury sources from the mouth, the dentists can replace amalgam fillings with composite fillings or inlays made of hard materials such as gold, ceramics, or calculus proofs. They can also address jaw pain, headaches, and other symptoms of TMJ using digital jaw-tracking instruments and neuromuscular treatments such as low-frequency TENS.

For Salon Blanc co-owner Alan Vuong, hair is more than something to tuck behind an ear or sweep over a shoulder—it's an artistic medium that inspires creativity and pride. The salon's website even asserts that "hair is an expression of the moment we live in." Nothing could hold truer for Vuong and his team, who are continually educating themselves on the latest cutting and coloring techniques and products. They displayed these to full effect when they journeyed to California for the 2011 International Salon and Spa Expo—one of the largest professional beauty events on the West Coast—a trip chronicled on Living Local.

Vuong's trendsetting artistic vision earned him the title of Honolulu magazine's Editors' Pick for Best Hairstylist in 2009, and according to that publication, "he even has clients flying in from Japan and Guam to get the Vuong vibe." He and his crew rely on the Kérastase and Shu Uemura lines for haircare, and also offer services such as bridal packages, makeup, and waxing.

It should come as no surprise that Vuong is as concerned with the salon aesthetic as he is with his clients' satisfaction. His blank-canvas hair philosophy is much like the look of the Ala Moana Beach–facing salon itself; in fact, he compared the space to an artist's studio in a feature in American Salon magazine. The minimalist, white-on-white interior is accentuated by black leather chairs and feathery chandeliers that are lighter and more elegant than a performance of Swan Lake on the international space station.