Isaac Harrell photo
Best Haircuts for Kids
Pigtails & Crewcuts
9726 Gayton Road, 741-1500; 13827 Village Place Drive, Midlothian, 378-7047
Cutting children's hair requires fine motor skills paired with keen concentration, co-owner Reggie Bristow says: "It's like doing surgery in a battlefield with bombs going off." But kids love sitting in a fire engine while getting a trim — almost as much as the salon's birthday parties where they can dress up like divas, princesses, cowboys or pirates.
2. Divas and Dudes
3. Hair Cuttery
Best Pilates Studio
ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers
11621 Robious Road, 378-1600
We asked ACAC's vice president of fitness and wellness, Amanda Harris, to distinguish between yoga and Pilates, since they often get lumped together. Both focus on the core (abdominal and back muscles), Harris says, but yoga also works other parts of the body. Pilates is beneficial for runners, cyclists and others who have experienced back pain during sports, she adds.
2. Core Pilates of Richmond
3. American Family Fitness
Best Mani/Pedi Combo
Atir Natural Care Clinic
11649 W. Broad St., 360-3300
Exfoliation and proper moisturizing, not to mention monthly pedicures — those are the mantras for healthy feet, says Travis Brumfield, half of the brother-sister team that inherited Atir from their mother, the founder. On fingers and toes, Atir employees lavish attention, determining by nail type which base coat to use. "We focus on the health of our clients' nails," he says, "instead of just slapping some color on them."
2. Royal Nails
3. Club West Med Spa
Best Yoga Studio
Glenmore Yoga & Wellness Center
10442 Ridgefield Parkway, 741-5267
Nancy Glenmore Tatum has been seeing yoga students for 40 years, and she views the practice as "more of a lifestyle" than a way to lose weight or tone up. Many people come to her after an injury or a bout of depression — some with a doctor's recommendation, Tatum notes. "Yoga has become more mainstream." And for those looking for a long-term way to stay fit, consider this: Tatum's oldest student is 95 years old.
2. Yoga Source
3. Solid Ground Yoga
Best Facial for Less
Club West Med Spa
3738 Winterfield Road, Suite 200, 897-5297
Jesalyn White, who specializes in holistic facials, admits that she and her fellow West Coast natives are a "little more woo-woo out there." Richmond's pretty much the opposite of woo-woo, but voters have latched on to White's facials. Because most clients rush to appointments, White lets them "get the talkies out first," allowing silent relaxation to reign for the rest of the appointment.
2. Massage Envy
3. Salon Vivace
Best Local Salon for an Affordable but Stylish Women's Haircut
Salon del Sol
Visit salondelsolandspa.com for locations
These salons have been highly ranked by ladies in the know for quite some time — two of their best cost-saving features include reduced rates for cuts and coloring by stylists on the junior and associate levels, as well as free bangs-and-nape trims between services.
2. Mango Salon
3. Look
Best Fitness Club
American Family Fitness
Visit amfamfit.com for locations
From performance training for athletes to scuba lessons and 24-hour availability, American Family has seen a lot of fitness converts come through its doors. The Central Virginia company also donates considerable funds and hours to schools and charities.
2. Gold's Gym
3. ACAC
Best Cardio Class
Zumba
Richmonders have discovered what Latin dancers have known for years — shakin' it is a fun way to sweat off the calories. Although you can find these dance-inspired cardio classes in any self-respecting gym, we'd like to turn your attention to a couple of independent teachers who lead classes at multiple locations: former professional salsa dancer Tiffany Sanchez (dancewithtiffany.com) and Angela Cruz Blumberg (richmondzumba.com), who started Zumba toning classes here.
2. Boot Camp/PT
3. Body Pump
Best Personal Training
ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers
11621 Robious Road, 378-1600
A good personal trainer can be a lifeline for the lazy (OK, unmotivated) exerciser, so applicants for trainer jobs at ACAC go through a lengthy interview process even after they've shown their national certification. "You know how to read a person; you know how to read their body language," says Amanda Harris, vice president of fitness and wellness.
2. Oxygen & Iron
3. Endorphin Fitness
Best Botox Treatments
Club West Med Spa
3738 Winterfield Road, Suite 200, 897-5297
Club West's medical director, Dr. Lisa West, performs Botox injections and other youth-enhancing procedures. Before expanding her practice to include medical aesthetics, West was (and still is) a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist.
2. Dr. Joe Niamtu
3. Sona MedSpa
Best Cosmetic Dentistry
Brown Reynolds Snow Dentistry
6901 Patterson Ave., 684-8517; 10410 Ridgefield Parkway, 886-3316
It's not the most dignified beginning, but Extreme Makeover, the reality TV show (not the one about houses), helped give birth to the cosmetic-dentistry boom. Advances in tooth bonding in the early 1990s, plus positive publicity from the show fueled a popularity in the beginning of the 21st century that continues today, says Dr. Stephen Brown, who's been in dentistry for 33 years.
2. Dr. Karen McAndrew
3. Dr. Joe Niamtu
Best Day Spa
Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas
11800 W. Broad St., 360-1239
For its 100th anniversary in March, Red Door Spas introduced the sublime champagne-and-roses treatments — manicures, pedicures and facials with rose-scented products. They've proved very popular, says Suzanne Mong, general manager of the Short Pump spa, so they may remain permanently on the list of offerings. But if not, you'll want to book your appointment before the end of the year, she says.
2. Club West Med Spa
3. Nesbit
Best Makeup Artist
Lou Stevens Glam Squad
loustevens.com, 305-3965
A bridal stylist, Stevens has a mobile salon, so she and her Glam Squad — decked out in matching black-and-pink T-shirts — can go where the bride and her party are before the wedding. They do makeup and hair, including an impressive array of cool updos.
2. (Tie) Bobbi Brown counter staff; Liv Lethal; Jennifer Mantura of Mango Hair Salon
3. Red Salon Organics
Best Hair Colorist
Mango Hair Salon
123 Libbie Ave., 285-2800
Keeping your hair color looking fresh (especially after one's natural color succumbs to gray) can be a time-consuming and expensive process, but Mango co-owner Bobbi Heaney is full of suggestions on how to maintain your color, particularly in the summer. "It definitely has to do with home care," she says. Don't blow-dry your hair with a very hot dryer, and wear a hat in the sun or use sunscreen created for hair.
2. Rituals Salon & Spa
3. Red Salon Organics
Salon That Gives Great Short Cuts for Women
Mango Salon
123 Libbie Ave., 285-2800
Marketing manager Lynsey Glasco says Mango is known for "precision cuts with a bit of edge" — a classic bob or a mid-length style that is textured and modernized. And the salon's widening appeal is evident: Since opening on Sept. 18, 2003 (just in time for Hurricane Isabel), Mango's staff has grown from eight to more than 60, with a satellite location planned to open in Short Pump in October.
2. Salon del Sol
3. Red Salon Organics
Best Hair Salon for Men
Sport Clips
Visit sportclips.com for locations
On Saturdays and Sundays, it's not unusual to find men speeding into the seven Sport Clips salons during halftime. To their relief, the game's already on there, notes Richard Kannan, "team leader" of the Busy Street salon in Chesterfield. Besides the TVs tuned to sports, the shops also offer steamed towels and neck massages, in addition to the latest in men's haircuts (you'll be seeing a re-emergence of the Caesar cut this year, Kannan notes).
2. Mango Salon
3. Great Clips
Plastic Surgeon Who Can Take You Back 20 Years
Dr. Joe Niamtu
11319 Polo Place, Midlothian, 934-3223
Consider this: Dr. Joe Niamtu says he does about two facelift procedures and 50 Botox treatments per week — so thousands of Richmonders have dipped into his South Side fountain of youth. Facelift and eyelid surgeries "can make huge differences in making someone look and feel younger," says Niamtu, whose third textbook, the 1,000-page Cosmetic Surgery , is being released by Elsevier this month.
Editor's Note: Dr. Niamtu is board-certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and his practice is limited to cosmetic facial surgery.
2. (Tie) Dr. Nadia Blanchet; Dr. Gregory Lynam; Dr. Mason Williams
3. Dr. Michael Godin
NOTE: This article has been corrected since publication.
