Our 2015 Beauty Black Book Picks

Austin, Texas: Beauty Bars
215 S. Lamar Blvd., 800-790-1563
Price: $85
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Offering natural and organic products in a “green” space (recycled bark covers walls; recycled denim insulation lines the insides), this cosmetics shop–cum–beauty bar strives for an eco-luxe experience. Come in for hour-long makeup lessons with pro Rachel George. For our tester, she began with a helping of Tata Harper’s firming anti-aging serum and eye cream (because no base looks dewy if it’s applied to sandpaper-like skin). George shaped our tester’s brows, then explained how to contour and highlight cheeks with W3LL People’s multipurpose sticks. Our reporter scored “a better understanding of natural skin care” and a glowy daytime look accented by the perfect berry lip.
 

Aspen, Colorado: Massages
315 E. Dean St., 970-920-3300
Regular price: $195 for 60 minutes
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Redecorated last fall with a low-lit, gilded cabin vibe, this much-awarded spa makes a luxe, calming setting for an après-ski rubdown, customized to target each client’s trouble spots. Our tester’s “strong and therapeutic” massage incorporated several techniques (from Swedish to deep-tissue), leaving no tendon untouched. Attention was given to the face (our tester’s favorite moment), scalp (including a Moroccan oil hair treatment), and feet (with a paraffin wrap), so our reporter left with noticeably hydrated skin, which, she says, is “exactly what you need in Aspen’s exceedingly dry climate.” Treatments include access to the spa’s Oxygen Lounge and waterfall pool, so pack a suit and stay a while.
 

Beverly Hills, California: Brows
421 N. Rodeo Dr., Suite 5A, 310-734-7372
Price: $45
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Zen, schmen. The vibe of this new Rodeo Drive spa is rocker chic, with a major bass line pulsing through the black, white, and red walls. The focus is on glamming up brows, lashes, and makeup. And for killer arches, look no further than pro Makilia (Kai) Adams. Fifteen minutes in her chair will fix any asymmetry and, in our tester’s situation, produce a flattering curved shape where flatness once reigned. After a consultation, Adams traces her suggested silhouette with a highlighter pencil (our reporter appreciated this “no surprises” approach). Also unique: She waxes in micro areas, generally using about four strips per brow. This allows Adams more control and elicits fewer tears from you. Our tester loved her fresh, eye-opening shape, plus the free makeup touch-up and tutorial on how to fill in brows at home.

Beverly Hills, California: Nails
421 N. Rodeo Dr., Suite G13, 424-284-8040
Regular price: $170
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Founded by foot and ankle surgeon Bobby Pourziaee, the spa crafts pampering yet highly effective services. The 150-minute Rodeo Manicure and Pedicure, delivered in the soothing, bamboo-filled spa, starts with a recline in a roomy leather chair and a foot soak in a beveled copper basin. After feet and hands have rested in an herbal tea and coconut milk blend to soften, pros apply DMK’s retexturizing enzyme mask (for professional use only), then offer a reflexology session, as well as a foot dip in paraffin wax to leave skin as supple as a newborn baby’s cheeks. A precise polish application, with shiny shades from Butter London and OPI, cap off the perfectly indulgent service.

Beverly Hills, California: Beauty Bars
9278 Civic Center Dr., 310-205-2600
Price: $600
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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When the beautiful and talented Streicher sisters (Jenn is a makeup artist, Kristie is a brow whiz, and Ashley is a hairstylist) aren’t working on editorial shoots, being interviewed for magazines, or attending to clients like Emily Blunt and Taylor Schilling, you can find them at this yearold one-stop beauty shop in Beverly Hills. (Note to locals: There is parking aplenty on the street.) The midcentury-modern space, with concrete floors and touches of gold, melds perfectly with the uncomplicated chic the Streichers bring to their work. Spring for the Full Striiike and visit each sister to get a complete update to your look. On our tester, Kristie crafted her signature full, feathered arches; Jenn realized dewy, sultry skin with burnt-gold shadows and rose lips; and Ashley delighted with a French-braided updo pinned to tousled perfection. The studio sells a selection of the sisters’ fave brands, so you can take home that Bobbi Brown blush or Sachajuan volumizing powder to re-create the looks at home.

Beverly Hills, California: Massages
141 S. Beverly Dr., 310-205-7300
Price: $630 for 60-minute Japanese Experience
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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A little slice of Tokyo in the heart of Beverly Hills, Tomoko Spa offers sublime massages and body treatments in four private suites. Enter the pristine, elegant space and trade your shoes for zori, wooden Japanese slippers, then head to the spotless lounge to get treated to oshi buri (hot towels), brown rice tea, and chocolate-orange truffles. In the couples’ suite with adjacent beds and a hinoki cypress bathtub, the zen begins with a foot bath and reflexology, followed by the Tomoko Couples’ Massage. This signature rubdown incorporates aromatherapy, attention to pressure points, hot stones, and Swedish strokes. After what our tester calls a “delicate, mind-melding face massage from the eye sockets to the jawline,” meant to rebalance internal energy, you and your partner can enjoy a dip in the hinoki tub or take a shower using Terra Pure Organics products.

Mention InStyle when booking to receive 20 percent off the price of the service with the pro mentioned, when applicable. The discount is valid for one visit per person per location in October 2015 and applies to the specific service mentioned in each review.

Boston, Massachusetts: Color
118 Newbury St., Second Floor, 617-262-8118
Regular price: $75–$300
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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If, like our tester, you fear seeing a new colorist “more than going to the dentist,” co-founder and master colorist Eva Mustafai can put your mind at ease in her black-and-white salon that features lots of chrome and leather. Her manner is reassuring and her technique painstaking: She doesn’t lift a brush before sending clients to the sink for a clarifying shampoo to get rid of product buildup. She then paints dye on strands, paying special attention to coat new growth around the hairline, which, she explains, doesn’t take color in the same way as the ends do. Our tester transformed from a reddish brown to a cooler chestnut with subtle gold streaks. While getting there took three stages—a single process to the roots, highlights, and a semipermanent color applied overall to obtain the glossiness Mustafai is known for achieving—our once nervous tester left feeling “like a regular.”

Chicago, Illinois: Brows
67 E. Oak St., Suite 3W, 312-280-1994
Price: $100 for the first appointment
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Owner Cheryl Renella has major red-carpet cred, having groomed the brows of stars like Angelina Jolie and Jeremy Piven. At her small and inviting spa, Renella not only makes over neglected sets (as was the case for our tester) but also doles out helpful tips for managing arches on your own. After cleaning up our tester’s mismatched pair and filling out her “too thin” ends, Renella pointed out the “pluck and no-pluck” zones (tweeze just above eyelids, not above arches) for the thickest-looking results.

Chicago, Illinois: Cuts
621–623 N. State St., 312-253-0707
Price: $50–$125
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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If you’re scrolling through Pinterest, just waiting for inspiration to strike, book a slot at Civello, where stylists are eager to consult with you and create a highly personalized cut. Consider our tester: She met with her pro and detailed her conservative streak—explaining that she didn’t want to lose more than 1 inch of her fine, wavy hair but also needed a solution to control its tendency to mushroom out around the ends. They then sorted through visuals on a laptop. “We talked about my morning routine and styling habits to nail down a shape that would work,” she says. Her stylist was careful to pinpoint the start of split ends before snipping them off with scissors, slicing into ends to finish the clean-up job. Using a flatiron to refine her soft waves, the pro left our tester with her desired length, plus a bouncy (not pouffy) amount of volume.

Cincinnati, Ohio: Color
2600 Woodburn Ave., 513-961-4247
Regular price: $65–$600
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Staffers instantly win you over with a free cocktail at the start of your service. And here, even the drinks have a personalized touch—they’re concocted by the chef at a local pop-up restaurant and include such unexpected creations as “grilled lemonade,” which earns rave reviews. Owner Jessie Hoffman’s work is just as artful; she began our tester’s treatment with a scroll through an iPad for the kind of hue that would successfully boost her too-dark brown. Opting for an almond base with golden-brown highlights and a subtle ombré effect overall, our tester got a tension-zapping scalp massage before Hoffman got busy with ammonia-free Davines products to craft the light-catching look. Also to love? The salon’s smart blow-dry policy: A 10-minute blowout (when heading home for takeout and Netflix) comes with every color treatment; you can pay $15 more for the kind that will wow for a bigger night out.

Dallas, Texas: Brows
4022 Villanova Dr., 214-764-8380
Regular price: $21
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Delightfully whimsical, with a pink interior dotted with white and Lucite accents, this high-energy salon is an all-fun zone where pros happily teach visitors how to brush and fill their own arches. The brand’s Signature Brow Wax includes a three-point mapping technique: To determine the ideal length and arch of your brows, technicians measure the spacing of your eyes and face shape before trimming and waxing. After a soothing dose of aloe, our reporter got her free makeup application, then declared Benefit’s Gimme Brow ($24; benefit cosmetics.com) “my new go-to brow filler.”

Dallas, Texas: Facials
1530 Main St., 214-261-4555
Price: $295
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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It’s easy to forget you’re in bustling downtown Dallas while sipping Champagne in this dimly lit subterranean spa—let alone when you’re enjoying a shoulder massage as part of the two-hour Beauty Time treatment. In addition to a full-body scrub, the customized facial (following a detailed skin analysis) includes a double-cleanse with oil and foam washes, exfoliation, a hydrating mask, and layers of antioxidant serums from ESPA’s own line. Two days after her session, our tester said, “My face still looked brighter, and my pores seemed less noticeable.”

Greenwich, Connecticut: Facials
500 Steamboat Rd., 203-661-9800
Regular Price: $350
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Designed to target dark spots (too much unprotected time on the courts, ladies?) the Brightness of Ice Treatment at a plush Greenwich hotel spa brings a youthful glow, as our tester reports. That’s thanks to its centerpiece: SPA at Delamar's clarifying and brightening 100-percent-collagen mask (once used for burn victims) that improves hydration and smooth the look of fine lines. Our tester loved its instant plumping effect. Other highlights included the  “awesome neck, shoulder, chest, arms and feet massages,” and the friendly vibe of the cozy but upscale spa, decorated in Italian-coast-meets-East-Coast-country-club style.

Ivins, Utah: Massages
1275 E. Red Mountain Circle, 435-652-5736
Price: $160
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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If you need a good reason to rise from your rattan lounger facing the ahhh-inspiring view of the monumental red rock cliffs of southwestern Utah, the resort spa’s Art of Touch massage from Clarins won’t disappoint. To deliver its three levels of touch—starting with light and calming, then advancing to deep and targeted—pro aestheticians use thumbs, palms, elbows, and forearms to apply pressure. With an aromatherapy assist from herbal Clarins fragrances (which are misted in the air) and a mini-facial incorporating the brand’s Super Restorative Replenishing Comfort Mask ($65; clarins.com), the treatment is a full-body reboot. “It leaves you feeling as if you just woke up from a deep sleep on a feather bed,” says our tester, “yet still energized enough to hike the grounds.”

Los Angeles, California: Color
656 N. Robertson Blvd., 310-321-4035
Price: $150–$450
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Tucked off West Hollywood’s bustling Robertson Boulevard, this jewel box sports an edgy palette of blacks and grays with pops of Lucite and gold (“a modern kickback to Halston,” as colorist and co-owner Lorri Goddard describes it). Known as Hollywood’s “blonde whisperer,” Goddard has a roster of honey-hued clients including Jennifer Lawrence, Reese Witherspoon, and Kim Kardashian, whom she famously took from raven to platinum earlier this year. To bring our tester’s virgin black locks toward Jamie Chung– like highlights, Goddard got to work using her trademark “foilayage” technique—a combo of handpainted balayage highlights up top, foils underneath, and a misting of grapefruit-infused essence water to help blend the hues. She skipped the traditional blowout and hand-diffused each section. Adding a translucent gloss to temper brassiness, Goddard achieved gorgeous “back from Bali” streaks for our thrilled tester.

Los Angeles, California: Facials
656 North Robertson Blvd., 310-657-9188
Price: $180
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With a “secret garden” vibe to its sprawling backyard patio, the inner draw of this West Hollywood spot is founder Olga Lorencin. A facial with the aesthetician leaves skin feeling utterly rejuvenated, partially due to the number of pore-clearing, anti-aging products she expertly builds into each service—from her Oxygen Treatment with hydrating hyaluronic acid and green tea, to her Intense Moisturizer with peptides and lactic acid, to her mask with marula oil. And because treatments begin with a consult, no two facials are exactly alike. Our tester tried the Red Carpet Facial, but to cater to her sensitive skin, Lorencin substituted gentler baking soda in place of microdermabrasion crystals and prepped skin before LED light therapy with a soothing aloe vera gel. “Those thoughtful details really make it worth the money,” says our tester.

Los Angeles, California: Nails
5405 W. Pico Blvd., 323-900-0355
Price: $90 for Color Scope
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Which polish is right for you? Find out in this bright nail-art studio tucked off a busy retail strip on West Pico Boulevard, where an astrological reading leads you to your most fortuitous hues. (Only in L.A., kids.) Resident color expert and astrologer Rose Theodora walks you through your natal chart, then helps you pick resonating shades from the shop’s lacquer wall, on which sit hundreds of shiny traditional and gel formulas from CND, OPI, Presto, and RGB, organized according to star signs. Theodora told our tester to go with purple, a shade that could be a “catalyst” for the career change she saw on her Libra chart. While our reporter chatted with Theodora, nail pro Noemi Diaz went to work. She filed our tester’s nails into flattering squoval shapes before creating an ombré effect by brushing stripes of OPI’s the Berry Thought of You and the deep-plum Skating on Thin Ice-Land ($10 each; ulta.com) onto a makeup sponge, then lightly pressing the sponge onto nails. The glossy results went unchipped for 10 days, collecting Likes along the way.

Mention InStyle when booking to receive 20 percent off the price of the service with the pro mentioned, when applicable. The discount is valid for one visit per person per location in October 2015 and applies to the specific service mentioned in each review.

Los Angeles, California: Facials
booking@shanidarden.com for location and booking 
Price: $300 for custom facial
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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A visit to Shani Darden’s jasmine scented-bungalow (frequented by Jessica Alba and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) is like hanging at your BFF’s house. Answering the door in ripped jeans and a T, Darden extends her warm, inviting manner from greeting to good-bye. After cleansing with a vibrating Foreo Luna brush to buff away makeup, Darden applied a lactic acid peel to wipe out dead cells before excavating pores with extractions. An oil-absorbing sulfur mask sopped up grease “without overdrying,” says our tester. After an LED treatment to rev up firming collagen production, Darden delivered a shoulder massage, plus a glycolic peel on hands. “I had a dewy radiance that lasted for days,” says our tester.

Los Angeles, California: Color
8469 Melrose Place, 310-855-9099
Price: $100–$650
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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The brand’s new Melrose Place salon peppers its minimalist décor with luxe touches, like gilded salon chair pedestals and a marble reception desk. To change up her natural “dusty light brown” hair, our tester saw Florido, who’s worked with Justin Bieber. For the “sun-kissed” refresh she craved, Florido recommended a subtle dose of golden color from about cheekbone level to tips, which he handpainted onto slim swatches of hair. A swift rinse-out and two golden toners later, the summery ombré effect perfectly suited our tester’s natural base—and looked more like she’d spent a week at a beach than an hour at the salon. Using Unite Leave-in Detangler, Florido nailed perfectly boho beach waves, a style in high demand at this California-cool salon, where other stylists have worked on clients like Julianne Hough and Heidi Klum.

Los Angeles, California: Beauty Bars
8327 Melrose Ave., 323-655-4555
Price: $65 for a single blowout
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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At this cool, industrial spot in West Hollywood, you can double down on your beauty habit: For $80 a month, Society Salon offers devotees a membership for unlimited blowouts. We sent our tester for a service ($65 without a membership) within its white brick walls to judge what kind of quality you get with the quantity. As she told it, the stylists were welcoming and friendly from the moment she stepped inside. After a shampoo and conditioning with Shu Uemura products, her pro added the brand’s Fiber Lift ($39; shuuemuraartofhair-usa.com) before drying hair halfway, then working on smaller pieces with a round brush. Once hair was dry, he applied texturizing spray and created beachy bends with a hot iron. Our tester’s final assessment? “Sign me up!”

Newport, Rhode Island: Facials
590 Ocean Dr., 401-849-3800
Price: $150 for 60 minutes
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Having recently transformed two of their historic mansions’ ocean-view suites into serene treatment rooms, this circa- 1875 hotel on Narragansett Bay offers a short but pleasing menu of services, including a personalized facial featuring products made with organic herbs and oils. Our tester reported plump, moisturized skin after helpings of Farmaesthetics Herbal Hydration Complex Mask ($48), which takes down redness, and the Nutrient Dense Fine Facial Oil ($58; farmaesthetics.com), all delivered while she cozied up on a heated bed.

New York, New York: Manicures
80 Nassau St., 212-414-1500
Price: starting at $100
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The spirited manicurist Bethany Newell has an eye for details. When our tester first arrived to Newell’s space – which is tucked inside the apartment-esque Thomas Heinz salon – she found herself happily surrendering all of her jewelry to the pro. “She offers clients the use of her jewelry cleaner while she works on nails,” says our tester. “I just thought that was so thoughtful!” Equally impressive was the pampering manicure, during which Newell used hot stones to massage our testers tired hand and arms. “She asked my permission to file my nails into a more squoval shape, which she thought would be far more flattering than my pointy oval tips,” says our tester. “She was right!” A careful polish with Chanel’s famed smoky purple Paradoxal shade sealed the deal. “I couldn’t wait for a chip so that I could come back!”

New York, New York: Cuts
111 West 17th St., 646-838-9313
Price: $150-200
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Don’t be put off by the members-only-vibe of this off-the-radar salon. Assuming you’re cool with booking through the web site or their app (there’s no receptionist) and that you don’t mind a photo shoot happening across the large space (yep, it’s also a photography studio), you’ll feel right at home when you settle into one of the four chairs with a glass of champagne. Or so our tester did, as she chatted with owner Ammon Carver about her desire for a major hair do-over. (Another stylist had cut into the ends of our tester’s long layers, leaving them on the wrong side of “shaggy.”) Not surprisingly, Carver digested our tester’s hair woes, asked the right questions about her preferences and routine, and got to work resuscitating her lob. As she describes it, “He kept my layers but cleaned up the ends and angled my hair in a way that better flatters my blonde highlights.” Also earning raves? His blowout, one of the best our tester has ever received. 
 

New York, New York: Brows
611 Fifth Ave., 5th Floor, 212-940-4186
Price: $32
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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On the fifth floor of midtown Manhattan’s Saks Fifth Avenue department store you’ll find DVF wrap dresses, edgy distressed denim from AG and Rag & Bone—and a line of chairs set up in the newly appointed Blink Brow Bar. Walk-ins are welcome, as pros stand at the ready to deliver expert threading services. Our tester had been growing in her brows for more than seven months. “They were completely shapeless,” she says. The technician spun a pair of cotton threads around her arches, swiftly pulling away strays to shape elegant, delicately rounded silhouettes. After about 20 minutes, “I peeked in the mirror and felt like I’d gotten a facelift,” says our tester. “I couldn’t believe how much younger the defined, curved brows made me look.”

New York, New York: Beauty Bars
1130 Broadway, 646-869-3601
Price: $60 for 30 minutes
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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You’ve heard of a blow-dry bar, right? Now meet Heyday, Manhattan’s new facial bar. They offer a single treatment in a 30- or 50-minute session—a basic, effective facial (which includes a cleanse, exfoliation, and a mask) that you can squeeze into your regular schedule. Choose between two types: hydrating and calming, or detoxing and cleansing. For our tester with admittedly congested pores, the aesthetician took a comprehensive approach, complete with a double-cleanse, an exfoliation, and a dead-cell-shedding Naturopathica enzyme peel. With anti-aging serums and an antioxidant mask thrown in, the “quickie” facial delivered the full Monty. Our tester praised everything from “the chill environment and Kibildis’s skillful effleurage motions” to the follow-up email she received an hour after her appointment, filled with product recommendations.

New York, New York: Beauty Bars
27 W. 20th St., 212-255-0036
Regular price: $250 for 16-piece clip-in extensions and a blowout
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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The name is a nod to the fairy-tale character of lustrous, long locks—and a hint as to the type of services you’ll find here. It’s a modern, all-white blow-dry bar ($45 per blowout) and a salon that specializes in the application of extensions (made of human hair). You can buy a 16-piece clip-in set ($250) or a collection of pieces that are “glued” in place with a handheld ultrasound device. Our tester arrived with a lob and left with “mermaid waves that reached to my elbows.” The most surprising part? “My husband didn’t even realize I had extensions. He just said, ‘Your hair looks really good!’ ”

New York, New York: Brows
48 W. 20th St., 212-247-1129
Price: $85
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For perfect arches in, literally, five minutes, stop by this small, chic, well-lit studio near Madison Square Park. Here, the adroit artist Sania Vucetaj (who has tended to Sarah Jessica Parker and Rihanna) wields tweezers with stunning speed and precision, delivering youthfully full, bold brows. Before the plucking (with her own brand of slanted tools) comes the talk: Vucetaj explained how our tester’s set was slightly asymmetrical and sparse. “I’d been too tweezer-happy in the past,” says our reporter. To the rescue: a comprehensive brow-rehab program from Vucetaj, complete with monthly appointments and directions to avoid applying skin-care products over hairs (which can impede growth). “When I left, my brows were so much cleaner and more defined.”

New York, New York: Color
355 W. 16th St., 646-625-4844
Price: $275 for balayage
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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At the small, sexy salon inside the Dream hotel, hip celebrity and runway stylists snip away as guests stream past the tall windows on their way to the PHD club rooftop. InStyle’s assistant art director arrived looking for an understated upgrade: honey highlights for her virgin brown hair. Colorist Jenny Rey handpainted what she calls an Irish coffee– colored balayage, blending new streaks seamlessly into our reporter’s light brown base for a sun-lit lift that doesn’t require monthly maintenance. Afterward owner Aaron Grenia (one of three stylist owners, whose clients include Ciara and Donna Karan) turned up the heat for a silky blow-dry.

New York, New York: Facials
3 W. 16th St., 646-760-9298
Price: $65
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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With a clean all-white interior that feels more modern loft than medi-spa, Skin Laundry offers a single 10-minute laser and light-based facial for those seeking results-oriented skin care in a time-starved world. The pore-cleaning treatment uses just two technologies—a YAG laser and IPL (intense pulsed light)—and each can have short- and long-term benefits, depending on whether you get a single treatment or a series of them. In one facial, dirt and bacteria are literally zapped away, leaving skin looking even-toned. With repeat visits, you may notice dark spots, lines, and pores are less visible. Our tester, who got compliments on her glow after just one appointment, says the quick hit of light and laser felt like no more than “a rubber band tapping my face.”

New York, New York: Facials
153 W. 57th St., 646-774-1210
Price: $375

2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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An upscale urban spa and decadent Carita Radiance Facial add up to 90 minutes of relaxing, complexion-enhancing bliss. Tea and truffles meet you in the soaring, Architectural Digest–worthy space done in calming blues, lavender, and gray. The treatment room boasts a wall of windows, and our tester left the curtains wide open during her service. As the sun set on the skyline, the pro executed painless extractions, applied a hydrating mask, and then painted on another mask infused with diamond powder and brightening plant extracts. The cream gave our tester a “major glow boost.” Even stubborn rough patches around her nose and chin were “baby soft.”

New York, New York: Color
17 E. 71st St., 212-535-3519
Price: $390–$500
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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Are you within driving distance of Manhattan? Are you a brunette? Then you need to stop right now and make a date to see master colorist Sophie Georgiou. “I hadn’t colored my hair in almost a year,” says our tester. “My naturally dark brown hair had grown in and was down to my chin; my overblonded ends covered my shoulders in a strawlike curtain.” While our tester entered the three-floor salon wanting a refresh of her blond highlights for the summer months, Georgiou sweetly suggested another direction: an array of rich, elegant light brown streaks, which she assured our reporter would look so much better against her light olive skin. In under two hours, “I got such a makeover,” says our tester. “My hair looked so expensive. It was a luxe shade of cocoa that reflected light and brightened my face.”

New York, New York: Massages
12 E. 16th Street, 212-989-8833
Price: $195
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This bright spa located mere blocks from Union Square offers up a calming retreat in the heart of the city, with an aromatherapy massage that our beauty-editor tester (who’s seen her share of rubdowns) called “simply divine.” The east-meets-west approach starts with you choosing from a variety of organic scented oils (more natural than cloying, with options like our tester’s pick, Ginger and Black Pepper, or simple mint.) From there, she entered the cozy treatment room with heated bed to enjoy a serious massage that incorporated a warm tourmaline tool (the Ling Energy Lift machine) to address especially stiff muscles. The technician used just enough pressure to work out the kinks in our tester’s shoulders and neck without pain, or bruising later. And that’s about the last thing she remembers.  “The combination of rubbing and heat along with the aromatherapy made me so relaxed and I actually fell asleep.”

New York, New York: Cuts
171 E. 65th St., 212-988-7816
Regular price: $100–$500 for cut; $125 for C-Zen Scalp Massage treatment
2015 InStyle Beauty Black Book Pick
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This Upper East Side salon of skilled stylist Paul Labrecque reveals itself as you head up a central staircase to large, bustling workstations lined with full-length mirrors. Our tester’s visit got off to an “incredibly stress-relieving” start in the private room reserved for the new 90-minute C-Zen Scalp Massage treatment with mint and citrus oils that stimulate the scalp and deeply hydrate strands. (Our tester says her hair was “smoother, shinier, and completely immune to frizz” for almost two weeks.) Next up was a consultation with Labrecque himself to assess our reporter’s “grown-out, shapeless layers with frayed, bleached-blond ends.” No worries, promised Labrecque, who charmingly chatted away about summer vacation destinations as he snipped off inches of wet hair to create fresh faceframing layers. (He lifted sections vertically before cutting across and then into ends.) But to our tester, the best was yet to come: “He gave me the most amazing blowout I’ve ever had,” she says. The secret, according to Labrecque, is a supersmall, round brush. Most stylists use wider barrels, he says, but a small one is the trick to long-lasting volume in fine hair.

New York, New York: Massage
39 W. 56th Street
, 212-245-8006
Price: $135

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Enter this fully-restored townhouse on one of New York’s most desirable blocks and prepare forget everything you thought you knew about massage. “There was a lot more stretching than I was used to,” says our tester of the Eastern Meridian treatment she tried. “I felt like a human origami!” But the pushing and pulling wasn’t for naught: By simulating acupuncture points, the masseuse managed to rebalance our tester’s meridian, or “energy channel.” (And he used his whole body—hands, feet, and elbows in included—to do so.) Our tester left feeling “completely refreshed and recharged,” and even went on to explore the Spa’s in-house lounge, which serves a full menu of food and drink.

New York, New York: Facials
315 Madison Avenue, Suite 2600, 
212-682-6080
Price: $225
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Long before South Korea introduced the world to BB cream, Hungary was the epicenter of all things beauty, luring people from around the globe to experience their healing thermal waters and transformative spa treatments. Budapest native Ildi Pekar brings a bit of the country’s magic stateside by way of her eponymous treatment center, an all-white oasis atop a nondescript office building. Our tester was struck by Pekar’s “almost motherly” kindness as she administered her signature Vital C Facial, which harnesses the skin-boosting power of vitamin C through an energy-emitting device. And, if you find extractions about as appealing as a root canal, you’ll love the gentle nature of this facial. “It was all about hydrating, brightening, and toning,” says our tester. “All the puffiness in my face disappeared, and it stayed that way for a couple of days.”

New York, New York: Color
45 Grove Street, 212-242-8880
Price: color with Victoria Hunter starting at $100
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If Miss Havisham owned a hair salon, it might look something like this downtown hideaway. Our tester was charmed by the eclectic details—think mismatched picture frames and brocade furniture—dotting the space, and even more so by the friendly disposition of the staff, as led by former Bumble & bumble color directors Victoria Hunter and Larry Raspanti. It was Hunter who breathed new life into our tester’s self-described “one dimensional color,” adding warm, buttery highlights to create depth. Her weapons of choice? Plastic wrap and a balayage brush, used to separate strands and hand paint hair section by section. After a blowout perfected with Sachajuan styling products, the appointment capped off with a history lesson: Turns out the space the salon now occupies was once one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad.

New York, New York: Cuts
336 W. 23rd St., 212-879-1000, ext. 2
Price: $200 for a cut with Stephanie Stanko
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This new salon combines the unparalleled skills of top talents like Serge Normant with a luxe, elegant design aesthetic. Crystal chandeliers, expansive mirrors, and a jaw-droppingly cool wall illustration made by Donald Robertson highlight the multilevel space, which has a dedicated area for nail treatments with Essie’s pro line of products. Whether, like our tester, you’re going for shoulder-grazing layers (which Normant styles on stars like Sarah Jessica Parker and Julia Roberts) or a fresh, choppy lob, you can expect any cut to be delivered with expert precision and styled with the perfect amount of Instagram-worthy glamour.

Pasadena, California: Nails
146 S. Lake Ave., 626-440-9700
Price: $140
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This airy macaron of a nail studio is a girlie girl’s modern oasis, from the ballet-pink floors to a string of photo-ready blooms strung on the wall. Sipping water from a pink tumbler, our tester relaxed on a blush Blu Dot chair for the Alice Manicure and Pedicure. Technicians worked simultaneously on hands and feet, beginning with a natural Pursoma salt foot soak, followed by a sugar citrus scrub. A mind-numbing massage with an assist from Tata Harper’s line of natural scented oils thrilled our reporter, whose hands and feet were then dipped into peach-scented paraffin wax to soften the skin and seal in moisture. She scored a chip-free week with coats of Treat Collection’s French Vanilla (a grayish taupe, $18) on hands and Summertime (a punchy coral red, $18; beautyhabit.com) on toes.

Palos Verdes, California: Massages
100 Terranea Way, 310-265-2740
Price: $285
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Considered the go-to staycation spot for L.A. locals, this 50,000- square-foot spa boasts 25 treatment rooms, indoor and outdoor lounges, saunas, steam rooms, cold plunges, and a pool—all overlooking the coastline. In a spa bungalow you can delight in the El Segundo Blue, a body treatment designed to calm the nerves and cleanse toxins using an algae-based paste. The hour-and-a-half session kicks off with a 30-minute lymphatic-touch massage with essential oils and picks up with a targeted shoulder and scalp massage. Finally, a coating of mineral clay is applied and then removed to make skin clean and silky. Our tester left feeling “lighter” and “blissfully relaxed.”

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Facials
210 West Rittenhouse Square, 215-790-2500
Price: $140
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Just off of Rittenhouse Square rests an oasis of natural skincare masquerading as your more typical moodily lit 3,000 square-foot hotel spa. Using only Natura Bisse and Tata Harper lines, this spot delivers everything from exfoliating facials (leaving no skin cell unturned) to anti-aging treatments using LED light therapy. Our 20-something tester was pleasantly surprised by the skill with which her esthetician attacked her blackheads during a Detox Facial, as well as the pure oxygen gel used after extractions to calm and soothe skin.

San Diego, California: Cuts
1452 Seventh Ave., 619-238-6483
Price: $60–$70
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Our tester says this Cortez Hill salon offers not only iPads loaded with magazines and a minibar stocked with wine but also a reason to feel really good about booking a trim here: All the net profits are donated to children’s and animal charities. For her appointment with senior stylist Julia Baca, our tester arrived with what she called “fluffy,” waist-length, curly hair damaged by a botched balayage job. Baca repaired strands with Unite’s own argan-oil treatment followed by its U Luxury intense mask, snipped off 8 inches, and added long layers. After a careful blow-dry—with lots of instruction on how to section hair and position the dryer to zap frizz-inducing moisture— our tester left with a modern lob and a return appointment.

San Francisco, California: Cuts
850 Greenwich St., 415-800-7440
Price: $65–$450 for cut
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Located in a quaint residential corner near North Beach, this salon, with its hardwood floors, white walls, and a sleepy French bulldog in the corner, feels homey yet uncluttered. We suggest you put yourself in good hands for both a cut and color with master stylist Christy Dylo and colorist Teddy Greene. Thanks to the salon’s dry-cut emphasis, your shade upgrade comes first, with Greene mixing a custom dye after a consultation (in our tester’s case, a talk about a handpainted balayage approach). The Aveda stylists took our reporter from long and straight with faded highlights to a more layered look with shorter bangs and a color that mixed sun-catching highlights with darker, more intensely dyed ends.