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Beauty
Therapy for Your Inner Diva
Union Street is saturated with a bevy of pampering mainstays, from posh eastern-themed dens to intimate hideaways that boast a single skilled massage therapist or aesthetician. The choices can be dizzying, and most likely you probably already have your favorites under lock and key, completely oblivious to the cluster of temptations that abound not more than two doors down. However, if you’re in need of a new place to coddle your inner diva, Primadona will happily pluck you out of the spa doldrums. More
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Beauty
The Weekend Getaway
If you’re anything like the people I know, vacation time doesn’t mean diddly squat. All the same, assiduous types who spend all their hours in the office or “out in the field”, for better or worse, can find suitable reprieves in spas, inns, campsites, and other such sanctuaries within a stone’s throw of the city. Weekend getaways for the harried San Franciscan, luckily for us, abound in great numbers. Whether you’re looking for a place to indulge all your five-star fantasies or if you simply want a rustic roost where you can temporarily forget about next week’s presentation, here are a couple suggestions for the serious pleasure seeker. More
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Beauty
High-End Relaxation in the Presidio
SenSpa, which opened this spring in the Presidio, offers an assortment of skin and body treatments, wellness coaching and Chinese medical healing, in a well-designed 13,000 square foot hideaway. My recent experience there was deeply satisfying. More
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Beauty
Spa Therapy for Your Hands and Feet
When it comes to the typical nail spa, you know the drill: a technician who doesn’t want to be there, much less make conversation, gives your hands or feet a cursory stroke before rushing into the treatment (likely smudging your nails in the process) and hurrying you over to a drying station before the next client plops into the chair you were just sitting in. Without the leisurely paraffin dip, soothing shoulder wrap, or service that makes you feel like you have all the time in the world, getting your nails done can feel more like being trotted down a conveyor belt of buffed and polished customers than a true pampering experience. More
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Beauty
Hidden Gems for the Skincare Buff
There’s something about intimate, out-of-the-way skin boutiques that always catches my interest, way more than the overpriced, overcrowded spas that pepper San Francisco with their fussy, quick fix-loving clientele. A relationship with your aesthetician, after all, is about as significant as your relationship with your hairstylist…so you want to make sure you’re getting the optimal amount of personal attention…and that you’re in for the long haul. More
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Beauty
Educating Your Way to Beautiful Skin
I'll admit that I'm wary of medical spas. Aside from the host of what I've always taken to be questionable, excessive and overly pricey treatments, the antiseptic environment doesn't exactly inspire the most therapeutic of thoughts. And I, like most women, would prefer pampering over procedure any day. More
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Beauty
Lorri's Magic Touch
When Lorri Levy-Comer decided over 20 years ago that she wanted to get into the business of helping people get radiant skin, her beauty philosophy was a mixture of common sense and lots of personalized attention. Lorri's unassuming haven of beauty, The Total You, still keeps in line with her no-nonsense holistic approach to paring years off tired, overprocessed skin, and the touch of this friendly neighborhood aesthetician is still as informed as ever. More
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Beauty
Pamper Yourself
Skincare studios, massage therapists, and day spas that range from cozy to corporate can be found on practically every street block in San Francisco. But a true oasis of pampering doesn't always advertise its wares -- it takes some time to sniff out the places that actually deliver on their promises of relaxation and indulgence, despite a bunch of ostentatious claims. Every spa aficionado has her favorites, and here's my top 15 list of hidden jewels and obvious winners that'll have you feeling like a million dollars. More
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Beauty
Private, Pampering Rejuvenation
When you're in the mood for some quality TLC and self-pampering -- some solid "me" time -- you have several options for beautification: self-administration of treatments ranging from economical drugstore finds to pricey potions and concoctions, or visiting a salon or spa to be pampered by the experts. The second option does not have to default to forfeiture of the privacy and inner reflection of "me time", as you will find at Dana Leslie Organics. More
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Beauty
A Romantic Getaway…If You're So Inclined
I spa, therefore I am -- that's my mantra. Give me a hot stone massage, cedar enzyme bath, seaweed wrap, or oxygen facial over a pair of Jimmy Choos or Manolos any day. Blistered feet and envious glances for a flash-in-the-pan trend? No thank you. I'll take hours of lovingly administered languor in an urban oasis or wine country retreat in a heartbeat. More
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