How to Find Salon and Day Spas in Austin

Face it--if you look awful, you're going to feel awful. True, it's shallow to judge by appearances, but that's the way the world works. And sometimes you just have to take a pro-active approach to looking pretty. You have to put yourself in the hands of experts--at a salon or day spa.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. With locations in the trendy Second Street district and out at the Hill Country Galleria Milk + Honey Day Spa offers a little bit of everything. They have such regular events as trunk shows, offer a full menu of treatments for men and give discounts for regular customers. Massage treatments include Swedish, reflexology, reiki, pre-natal and the "four-handed" massage, with two masseuses working at once. Ask for the Thai Body Polish, with a sesame seed/honey/dried herb body scrub, a steam treatment and a sesame seed oil moisturizing, or opt for the Spa Partisan with a sugar/coffee/almond/honey polish, steam moisturizing and massage. They even provide acupuncture, acupressure and cupping.

2. You begin treatment at the Vickmay Skin and Body Spa with a private consultation during which a skincare specialist will assess and discuss with you your specific skincare needs and the treatments that may address them. You can get bronzing, an airbrush tan or even have eyeliner, eyebrows or lip lines permanently applied. Choose a slimming wrap, herbal aromatherapy wrap or even the salt glow, where a mixture of salt, essential botanical scented oils and lotions is worked into your skin.

3. If you'd like to get all your body pampering done in one convenient downtown location, head over to Mecca Gym and Spa at Fifth and Lamar. Work out in the gym while enjoying a view of the city, take a Pilates class or a steam or even have a healthy lunch in the cafe. the spa offers the usual treatments--facials, peels, waxing, pedicures, manicures and microdermabrasion, as well as deep tissue and hot stone massage. But they also provide such exotic treatments as Indian Shirdhara massage, Swedana ayurvedic detox, sugar scrub, mango-ginger rub and the shea/mango/cocoa butter/vanilla wrap.

4. If you're out in the vicinity of Lakeway, the Spa at the Lake offers some delightful treatments. In addition to facials, waxes, massages and hair cutting and conditioning, you can get an ultrasound micro-vibrational exfoliation or regenerate and repair your skin with LEDs. Pick a seaweed or aloe-vera wrap, a grape seed mud scrub or even a sea salt/kelp/essential oil exfoliation and polish.