Want to Get Pampered at a Top Local Spa? Here Are 15 of America's Favorite Beauty Destinations Support the small, independent spa, beauty, tattoo and other personal service businesses in your community.
This story appears in the September 2024 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Entrepreneur asked Foursquare to dig into its data, to reveal which small businesses America loved the most. Together we created America's Favorite Mom & Pop Shops™, a list of 150 local, independently owned and operated businesses across 10 categories — including, yes, spa and beauty establishments.
To see every category, as well as the methodology behind the list, click here. Below are the 15 companies included in beauty and spas, who work hard every day to keep their communities fresh and pampered.
1. Four Elements Salon and Spa
Westport, MA | Company website
Four Elements Salon is a full-service salon and spa that offers both cutting-edge services, as well as holistic, time-tested experiences. Services offered include massage, facial, hair removal, salt therapy, vibrational sound therapy, RF micro needling, brows and lashes, and you'll have access to a full salon. In fact, Four Elements Salon runs the only Himalayan salt cave in the area, which is believed to relieve many ailments and illnesses.
If you're a local, a membership to the salon might be right for you. With a membership, you get discounts on services like massages, facials, and access to the salt cave, as well as a discount on retail products. Or if you're passing through town and you're just looking for some TLC for your hair, Four Elements Salon offers just about every kind of hair service, from balayage to full color, foil to blow dry. And if you're looking to get some inspiration, scroll their social media feeds to see their work on current clients.
2. Gents Barber Club
San Francisco, CA | Company website
This Bay Area-based retro barbershop will win you over with its old school charm. But that doesn't mean Gents Barber Club is trapped in the past. The barbers here combine vintage charm with cutting edge innovation. Gents Barber Club prides itself on being a community hub for neighbors to meet and for friendships to form. To foster this sense of home, the barbershop often hosts community events and works with local causes. In fact, GQ magazine called it "the barbershop every man has been waiting for."
Services at Gents Barber Club include haircuts, bald fades, straight razor shaves, facials, gray blending, long haircuts, beard trims, and more. If you like the products that the barber uses on you, you can find them for sale within Gents Barber Club. And if Gents becomes your new favorite place for a shave or a trim, they offer great loyalty packages for regular clients to continually save on their treatments.
3. Blush Beauty Bar
Miami, FL | Company website
Miami's Blush Beauty Bar, once just a nail bar, now has expanded to a full-service salon for you to get your next glow up. Services include a full nail bar, as well as eyebrow and eyelash treatments, facials, and waxing. Go for a regular manicure and pedicure, or treat yourself to one of Blush Beauty Bar's signatures like the "Milk & Honey Pedicure," which includes a hot stone oil massage and a paraffin wax treatment.
Blush Beauty Bar is your place to go if you're looking to treat yourself to a facial. Options include a microdermabrasion facial, a brightening hydro facial, a back facial to keep up healthy skin, and even a gentleman's facial. If you're looking for some inspiration for your next set of nails, visit their social media feeds to see how incredibly talented their nail technicians are.
4. Anabell's Skin, Laser & Wax Center
Frisco, TX | Company website
Anabell's Brazilian Wax focuses on (you guessed it) waxing and laser hair removal. The salon's founder Luciana knows a thing or two about Brazilian waxing techniques, having grown up in Brazil and learning the tradition of hair removal. Anabell's Brazilian Wax's technicians are equipped to wax just about any part of you that you want waxed and they also offer full body specials if you're looking to save.
If you'd prefer a more permanent solution to hair removal, you can opt for their laser hair services. The salon offers packages so that you can save when you purchase six sessions upfront. Another form of hair removal Anabell's Brazilian Wax offers is threading for precise hair removal on your face. And if you, like many people, have any apprehension about hair removal, Anabell's is more than willing to consult you on the best treatment for you.
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5. Mildred New York
New York, NY | Company website
Opened in 2017, Mildred has become one of Manhattan's most famous barbershops. Its owner Rob McMillen never set out to be a barber; instead, he happened to meet his father later in life, who was a barber, and was inspired to follow in his footsteps. McMillen would go on to open the shop with his friends Eric Holmes and Paul Langevin after working together at another barbershop in the East Village.
Check out Mildred for any of your haircut needs — along with its sister business, which has the unusual name of "Love, Dunette." These shops are explicitly focused on inclusivity. If interested, you can find the form to book an appointment on their website.
6. Taglio Salon & Barbershop By Donnarose
Marlton, NJ | Company website
This is your one-stop to get you ready for any event. Not only are the stylists at Taglio ready to revive your hair, but they also have make-up artists on staff to get your skin glowing. Whether you're looking for a life-changing haircut or just wanting a wash and blow dry, Taglio is the place to go.
Customers absolutely love this place, and Taglio has a strong community of regulars. If you're not looking for a hair treatment today, Taglio also offers nail treatments, facials, and eyebrow waxing. If you're interested in any of their services, look at their socials or give them a call to speak with the stylists.
7. Fate Beauty Society
Portland, OR | Company website
Fate Beauty Society, founded in 2017, offers a wide variety of services if you're looking to get a hair glow up in the Pacific Northwest. Services include haircut, color, gloss, retouch, highlights, bleach and tone, balayage, color correction, wash and blow dry, and even a bang trim if you're looking to refine the minor details of your look.
The salon carries luxury products from brands like Redken, Amika, K18, and Kevin Murphy, which you can purchase at your appointment or through its website. Fate Beauty Society offers a personalized experience for every customer. Scroll the staff bios on their website so you can find the stylist that works best for your hair needs. If you need some inspiration for your next big beauty change, look at their Instagram to see what kinds of haircuts and colors the stylists have been giving clients lately.
8. Mustard Seed Massage
Washington, DC | Company website
Mustard Seed Massage's motto is: "Where therapy and relaxation intersect." The massage therapists at Mustard Seed Massage are trained in bodywork, deep tissue, sports therapy, myofascial release, lymphatic drainage, isolative stretching, hot stone, aroma therapy, and pain management. Theycan help clients with issues such as chronic stress, pain, or any injuries.
Whether you're looking for a spa-like body scrub or something more intense like a medical massage, Mustard Seed Massage has an option to consider. If you're unable to make it to the salon, Mustard Seed even offers at-home, hotel room, or private event services to bring the massage to you. Mustard Seed believes in the power of massage for all people and strives to make massages affordable for everyone, so check out their packages online.
9. The Parker Barber
New Orleans, LA | Company website
With three locations in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Hammond, Parker Barber has become a Louisiana staple for a haircut. With an early 20th century aesthetic, Parker Barber combines the feeling and style of an old-school barbershop with modern Aveda elements. Something unique to Parker Barber is that they have a full cocktail menu, so you can sip an alcoholic beverage while you get your haircut, which feels very true to the festive environment of New Orleans.
Parker Barber's specialties include men's haircuts, grooming, facials, skin treatments, and beard trims. Their beautifully designed website includes the bios of all their artists to help you find the best hair stylist for you. As a community space, Parker Barber also hosts and participates in a variety of events, so keep track of their socials to book not only your next haircut, but also your next night out.
10. Heal Thyself Atlanta
Atlanta, GA | Company website
This business focuses on holistic health treatments for the body, mind, and spirit. More than just a place to get a massage, Heal Thyself Atlanta was started by people who had careers in the health industry and wanted to open up a community space to offer preventative care for healthy lifestyles. Services at Heal Thyself Atlanta include body treatments, body contouring, colon hydrotherapy, massages, facials, fertility services, energy healing, breathwork therapy, sauna services, foot detoxes, wax services, and more.
The goal of Heal Thyself Atlanta is to help patients sustain a healthy lifestyle and to provide care for everyday life. They strive to empower clients to "take charge of their emotional and physical necessities in a relaxing atmosphere." The spa doesn't just provide services; it also prides itself on educating clients about how to implement healthier lifestyle choices. If you love Heal Thyself Atlanta and desire to become a regular, check out their packages and membership options.
11. Dear You Tattoo
Kansas City, KS | Company website
Looking for your next tattoo? Kansas City's Dear You Tattoo might be the perfect place for you. Founded in 2017 by Amber Lea, this tattoo parlor hosts a variety of artists with different styles, so you're bound to find the artist perfect for you. Lea opened the shop with the goal of creating a welcoming and safe environment for clients to be tattooed in.
If you're passing through town and have a specific piece you're looking to get, Dear You Tattoo will consult with you to match you with the right artist, or to refer you to another trusted member of the tattoo community. If you're desiring a tattoo but not sure exactly what to get, check out Dear You Tattoo's socials for inspiration. Give them a call or contact them through their website if you have any questions about your next tattoo.
12. Wheelhouse Salon
Birmingham, AL | Company website
With locations in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Austin, Wheelhouse Salon is an Americana-themed hair salon founded by stylist Courtney Grimes. Whether you're looking for a big cut or just a light trim, Wheelhouse Salon has got you covered. The Wheelhouse Salon's goal is to develop relationships with clients so that stylists can better serve you, and so that you feel at home and confident in the salon.
Owner Grimes has had a passion for hair since she was a kid, and her passion is on display at Wheelhouse Salon. Grimes, along with a team of expert and diverse hair stylists, have created a fun, welcoming, and eclectic environment for your next salon experience. If you're looking for inspiration, take a look at their Instagram — they regularly post current clients' latest hairstyles.
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13. Rebel & Rose
Boulder, CO | Company website
If you're a Boulder resident, or just passing through town, stop by the independent, women-owned salon Rebel & Rose. Rebel & Rose strives to create a welcoming salon experience for clients to congregate and feel confident. Located right by the Boulder Farmer's Market and Pearl Street Mall, Rebel & Rose says that their salon and the surrounding neighborhood is where "earth meets luxury."
Hair services include long cuts, short cuts, deva cuts, all over color, highlights, glosses, balayage, and color correction. If you're not looking for a haircut or color at the moment, Rebel & Rose also offers nail services, facial waxing, and lash and brow tints. And if you're on your way to an event and need help getting final touches together, stop by Rebel & Rose simply for a blowout and a deep condition. Rebel & Rose was founded by close friends and colleagues and strives to bring clients into that loving community.
14. The Common Man Inn & Spa
Plymouth, NH | Company website
In this New Hampshire town, you'll find an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of your daily life. It's called The Common Man Inn & Spa — a perfect getaway with 37 rooms, 5 off-property cabins in the woods, and a full-service spa. And here's what makes it "full service": The spa contains treatment rooms, a heated pool, a light therapy relaxation room, fireside spa lunch seating, a sauna, and a rock waterfall hot tub, and its menu includes a variety of massage options, body treatments like soaks and body scrubs, facials, waxing, and much more.
Whether you're staying at the inn or just looking for a spa day, be sure to check out the various spa packages which get you more than just one service and will help you relax and reset. If you fall in love with The Common Man Inn & Spa (who wouldn't!?), you can even host your next event there.
15. All My Heart
Charlotte, NC | Company website
If you're looking to get a tattoo in Charlotte, NC, visit the airy tattoo parlor All My Heart. With art-covered walls and a light-filled, modern aesthetic, All My Heart has fostered a warm environment that keeps its clients coming back. Clients fly in from all over the country to be tattooed by studio owner Graham Beech, who is known for his large-scale, "contemporary take on traditional Japanese and Americana" tattoos. Beech wanted to create an environment and business model that was more favorable to tattoo artists — and as a result, he's attracted a diverse group of talented artists who can work in a variety of styles.
If you're looking for a specific piece or style, consult the studio beforehand — but if you want something impromptu, walk-ins are welcome. The shop's Instagram feed has videos and photos of current work that can inspire you, or artists performing specific techniques. Make a lasting memory at All My Heart in Charlotte, NC!
