Beauty & Spas in West Raleigh

Posh The Salon's band of nail artisans revamps fingers and toes with meticulous mani-pedi services enhanced by the luster of gel-based Shellac nail polish. Clients settle into a comfy chair in a private room and proffer their tattered talons to the salon's veteran manicurists who snip, trip, and buff their way through basic 75-minute mani-pedis and 45-minute pedicures. A coat of Shellac gel-based polish extends the mani-pedi pampering, dressing nails in durable, bright colors that can last for up to 14 days without chipping, cracking, or disappearing in a puff of smoke. Idle hands and feet can pass the time by wrapping themselves around cups of teas, coffee, beer, and wine; slipping on a cozy spa robe; or navigating the salon’s complimentary WiFi.

Alter Ego's talented technicians primp and polish customers' fingers. The 40-minute Shellac manicure provides the durability and zero dry time of gel nails with the ease of application and smooth, slick finish of traditional polish. Once applied, the wet Shellac polish takes a trip underneath the special UV lamp, hardening into a chip-defying, ultra-shiny finish and eliminating smudges from purse rummaging and plugging differential equations into a graphing calculator. The finish can last up to two weeks without degrading, and is removed easily with no harm to the natural nails, unlike acrylic removal, which uses tiny, club-wielding trolls to bash away unsightly remnants.

Owner Melissa Smith, a licensed aesthetician, opened the space with the intent to tranquilly restore a sense of balance comparable to that of clearing four lines simultaneously in Tetris. A massage with master back patter Shere Caricini ($45 for 30 minutes) can improve sleep, reduce stress, and decrease blood pressure. For those who never outgrew the thrill of homemade volcano building, the ash mask ($40) can help brighten the temperamental under-eye area, decrease crow's-feet, and banish puffiness. Elite also offers a full menu of chemical peels, facials, and laser hair removal.

Salon One21 & Colorbar specializes in hair coloring, taking pride in its one-of-a-kind color bar, which takes advantage of the building's legacy as an old-timey pharmacy, complete with soda counter. This salon-saloon set-up promotes greater interaction between the client and stylist during the hair-coloring process, ensuring that the client's desired results are achieved. Salon One21 & Colorbar exclusively uses L’Oréal Professionnel hair color to encourage healthy shine, healthy hair health, and monogamy. Color treatments include single-process color (starting at $50), partial highlights (starting at $75), and men's highlights or tips (starting at $40). The salon's menu of services also includes cuts (women starting at $40, men at $25, children at $15), perms (starting at $75), thermal straightening and Keratin smoothing treatments (starting at $200), waxing (starting at $10), and makeup application (starting at $25).

The Ion Magnum treatment hooks clients up to a safe, muscle-manufacturing machine that boosts stamina and core strength without strenuous workout routines such as piano presses and medicine ball shot put. During each session (a $99 value), clients lay comfortably on a bed as a Velcro-like belt is strapped around a chosen target area (biceps, thighs, etc.). Pacemaker technology then targets buffness-building nerves that send cunning current to motor neurons in the brain, fooling them into believing that the body is enduring a vigorous fat-burning "workout." This massage-like treatment can help patrons achieve many of their physical goals, from losing a couple of inches from their waists or gaining a competitive advantage in forehead-flexing competitions.

Treatments must be used on the same area and must be scheduled 6-8 weeks apart. For a list of the treatment areas, click here.