Spa and Salon Guide: Peace Out
Signature Pedicure // Scott Talbot SalonSpa
Nix dry winter skin with decadent moisture infusion, a rich massage and a mud mask during this sumptuous pedicure (60 minutes, $56-$58, plus $5 for French nails) that leaves feet unbelievably soft and can be performed with either aloe or milk and honey products.
What it is: Instantly Zen by plunging your feet into a warm jetted whirlpool for an aromatic sea salt soak, reclining and turning on a massage chair while a technician files, buffs and trims your nails. Get a mini massage as the technician works a sugar scrub into your feet and calves to slough off dry skin and rubs on a callus remover and buffs your feet. Linger in luxury after the technician applies a mud mask and wraps your feet and legs in warm moist towels to help moisture deeper penetrate your skin. The lush treatment concludes with the technician slathering on massage butter to hydrate and repair your feet and moisturizer to soothe your skin.
Benefits: “It’s moisture overload,” says co-owner Shelly Talbot. “You go from mud masks, moist towels, massage butter to moisturizer, so there’s four layers of moisture.” Plus, each set of scented products has extra benefits. The salt soak, scrub, mask, massage butter and moisturizer made with agave honey and soy milk extract provide extra gentle hydration for dry skin. The aloe products help inflammation because they contain natural aloe extracts that soothe skin. Talbot has a guest who attests the aloe pedicure calms her eczema. “She swears it’s the only cream she’s ever had that’s helped with the eczema on her feet,” Talbot says.
Why it’s great for pampering: Receive foot massages during three steps and transcend into deep relaxation. “It’s a lot more massage than your average pedicure,” Talbot says. “They massage the whole foot, the ankle, calf to just below the knee.” The whole treatment restores your skin. “Once you have the pedicure, you have no calluses, the cracks are gone, the fine lines are gone. Your feet feel so moist. You feel like a baby’s bottom,” Talbot laughs.
1041 E. Turkeyfoot Lake Road, Akron, 330-896-3476; 4080 Fulton Drive, Canton, 330-494-2030; scotttalbotsalonspa.com
Tea Tree Scalp Treatment // The Hippie Hipster
Men, it’s your turn. Last year was hard on all of us, and you deserve to kick back and spoil yourself by visiting a hair salon, too. This scalp treatment restores your scalp and leaves you feeling so refreshed.
What it is: The tea tree scalp treatment ($15, 30 minutes) at the Hippie Hipster salon starts with a tea tree oil-infused hot towel on your face and a small massage. For added luxury, you can get a moisturizing paraffin hand dip ($13) that sits during the scalp treatment. A stylist massages tea tree shampoo in your hair, rinses it, drapes on a fresh hot towel and massages in a tea tree-based exfoliating treatment filled with microbeads. After it sets for five to 10 minutes, you get another scalp massage, a rinse and an optional blow-dry and style.
Benefits: Tea tree oil, a natural antimicrobial, soothes and moisturizes your scalp. “It’s an invigorating thing for your scalp,” says owner Stacy Manzi. “It can help almost wake up your scalp.” Although she specializes in men’s hair, women can also receive this treatment. Now’s a perfect time — just like how our hands get dry in the winter, so does our scalp. Not only is it needed; it just feels good. “It does help with dry scalp, but the tea tree in it kind of gives it a tingly refreshing feeling too,” Manzi says. One of her clients gets the treatment frequently, even though he doesn’t have a really dry scalp. “He just enjoys how it feels to have that time,” she says.
Why it’s great for pampering: Going to a hair salon is a regular occasion for many women, but for men, it isn’t always as common. “Men have as much stress as we do. I think it’s good for them to take time to stop and relax, breathe and take care of themselves as well,” Manzi says. “It’s like a mini escape.”
Located inside Akron Brow Bar, 822 W. Market St., Akron, thehippiehipster.square.site
Lash Lift and Brow Lamination // Traveling Spa Girl
At a time when we’re wearing face masks, the attention is on our eyes. Boost your everyday eyelash and brow looks with a lash lift (60 minutes, $80), which adds depth, and a brow lamination (60 minutes, $75), which fixes shape and direction. Both are low-maintenance treatments that create dramatic looks.
What it is: Sit back and close your eyes as owner Megan Aleman brushes through your lashes with a comb, curling them and then tinting the faded ends. The blue-black vegetable oil-based tint appears dark. The results of this semipermanent treatment last up to six weeks. If you pair your lash lift with a brow lamination, Aleman aligns your brow hairs so they’re all going in the same upward direction by combing a perming solution through. The solution softens the hair follicle to straighten the brow for up to six weeks. She includes a complimentary brow tint and wax after the treatment too. “The main focus now is eyes and brows,” she says. “Most people are pairing the two services together.”
Benefits: Even someone without long lashes can get a lash lift, which creates a fuller and deeper look after they’re curled and tinted. Lash lifts give the appearance of wearing mascara and require only minimal upkeep like brushing your lashes. “It’s kind of a nice treatment to get if they wanna do a wake-up and go,” Aleman says. Brow laminations stop hair from growing in multiple directions, which prevents a sparse look and creates a pleasant shape Aleman describes as the “European fluffy look.” But if you don’t want that, no worries. “You can style them however you want,” she says.
Why it’s great for pampering: It takes the pressure off your morning routine and boosts your mood. “For me, a new mom, I don’t have time to put on mascara. I barely have time to brush my hair. When I get my lashes lifted, I can feel somewhat normal about myself,” Aleman says. “It kind of gives you a little bit more self-confidence.”
217 N. Water St., Kent, 216-337-5536, travelingspagirl.com
O2 Body Perfection Wrap // The Spa at Glenmoor
Feel rejuvenated head to toe with the O2 Body Perfection Wrap (60 minutes, $115). The massages during the full-body treatment relax you as Natura Bissé products hydrate, soften and brighten your skin.
What it is: Begin by laying down and doing some deep breathing to relax. Then, for exfoliation, a service provider applies a HydroPeel all over your body, with a focus on areas that have especially dry skin, like knees, elbows and heels. Afterward, the provider applies a gel-based oxygen-perfecting mask that purifies, invigorates and awakens your skin, wraps you in a towel and performs a head massage. “They’re going to stay in the room, relax with calming music for 15 minutes while the ingredients and all of the products really do their work,” says spa director Stephanie Norman. Once the mask is removed, enjoy an all-over massage with the oxygen body-perfecting oil, which has antioxidants and macronutrients that increase hydration and reduce cellulite.
Benefits: The multi-step process thoroughly treats your skin with an exfoliator, a purifying mask and oil. “Those help to eliminate toxins from the body,” Norman says. The wrap provides a firming effect, hydrates your skin, prevents fluid retention and swelling and gets skin glowing. “Any water or fluid that is stuck in the tissues or cavities of the body — this is gonna help get that flowing,” Norman says. “It also protects the skin from dryness and premature aging.”
Why it’s great for pampering: The body wrap allows you to relax while the high-end Natura Bissé products deeply nourish dry, dull skin to reveal vibrance. While there, you can enjoy a complimentary glass of Champagne or a mimosa, and you can also add hair, nails or extra massage services. Either way, you’ll feel total luxury. “It’s a great service to just completely detox and treat your entire body,” Norman says.
Located inside Glenmoor Country Club, 4191 Glenmoor Road NW, Canton, 330-966-3524, glenmoorcc.com