Beltline · Closed Sundays and Mondays
1977 Salon
A beautiful, calm space with feel-good energy and a long consultation before anyone picks up scissors. The place to go for a cut and colour that actually feels like you, or a blowout before a big night.
West Springs · Mahogany opening soon
Beauty Garden
Your one-stop shop. Whether you need your hair coloured, a mani and pedi, or brows and waxing, it all happens under one serene roof. A second location is opening soon in Mahogany, so the south end gets one too.
Pro tip: Open until 8 on weekdays, so an after-work appointment is easy.
Marda Loop and Mission · Closed Sundays
Salon Bowie
A seasoned team of stylists with a seriously loyal following, the kind of salon where clients have booked the same chair for years. Balayage is the specialty, blended so it grows out softly, but every cut and colour is in experienced hands here, with two locations to choose from.
New · Marda Loop
Seventh House Salon
A cozy little Marda Loop salon with a lot of character, and the place for soft, low-maintenance balayage that grows out for months.
Pro tip: It's tucked inside the Bar Rocca building, so book a late appointment and finish with a glass of wine on the veranda.
Beltline · Closed Sundays and Mondays
Hedkandi
A robe, a really good coffee and stylists who know curly hair. Open until 9 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which makes the after-work appointment easy.
Beltline · Closed Sundays and Mondays · Curly hair specialists
Honey Hair Salon
A salon devoted to cutting and caring for natural curls, run by Shelly and Jenny Guerin in a private studio on 10th Avenue. Colour, balayage and treatments too, all with curls in mind.
Pro tip: It's a small studio, so book ahead. Find them on Instagram at @honeycurlystudio.
Ramsay · Facials, skincare
Stacey Irvine Skin
An integrative skin clinic where bespoke Biologique Recherche facials sit alongside naturopathic care and acupuncture. The shop is stocked with serious skincare to keep the results going at home.
Erin's tip: Amazing for skin, facials and skincare products.
Pro tip: Book online, and give 48 hours' notice if you need to move an appointment.
Manchester · Facials, skincare
Thermae
A medical aesthetics clinic with clinical facials and evidence-based skincare. Book with Peggy, a medical aesthetician who builds a skincare plan around your skin and works reflexology and a scalp treatment into her facials.
Erin's tip: Ask for Peggy. She's awesome for facials and skincare.
Southwest · Weekdays only
SkinScience
A small, expert team focused on long-term skin health, not quick fixes. Start with the free consultation. Lasers and facials are tailored to your skin from there.
Beltline · Open daily
Face Skin & Body Bar
Cozy treatment rooms with heated beds and blankets, and facials that pair massage with real results. The acne and hydrating facials are the ones to book. No pressure to buy product at the end.
West Springs · Closed Sundays and Mondays
Illuminate Skin Therapies
A natural-leaning skin clinic built around lasers you can fit into a normal week. The no-downtime treatments target acne, pigmentation, rosacea and fine lines, there's laser hair reduction and tattoo removal too, and a naturopathic doctor on the team.
Pro tip: Start with the free consultation, which maps out a plan for your skin. Open until 8 on Tuesdays.
Marda Loop · Closed Sundays
Laura Brows
The brow studio to book first. Laura has spent 14 years refining her method and training her team, and the result is natural, classic brows and lash lifts that never look overdone.
Pro tip: Open until 8 Monday to Thursday.
Downtown · Closed Sundays
Butter Beauty Parlour
Brows, lashes, nails and pedicures in the middle of downtown. Brow shaping and lamination are what keeps people coming back. Book your lunch hour.
Pro tip: Their memberships make it easy to stay on top of your glam routine. Pick a monthly plan for blowouts, nails, waxing or lash fills, or go all in with the Mini, which bundles a mani, pedi, brows, two blowouts and more each month. There's a three-month minimum, then it's month to month.
Winston Heights-Mountview · Lash extensions and lifts · Book online
XOXO Lashes
Adrienne designs lashes around your eye shape and your style, so they look like the best version of your own rather than a set off the shelf. Classic, YY and texture extensions, plus Korean lash lifts with brow tinting. She was the first in Calgary to offer UV LED lash technology, which means less sensitivity and better retention.
Pro tip: She books about six weeks out, so prebook your fills to keep your spot.
17th Avenue · Open daily
MetroPolish17
The city's go-to for nail art. Bring your inspo photo and they'll match it, shape and all. Order a latte while you sit.
Mission · Open daily
Uptown Nail Boutique & Spa
A clean, relaxing neighbourhood nail spa on 4th Street. Powder dip and shellac pedicures last for weeks, and they'll often fit in a walk-in.
Marda Loop · Nails, waxing
Frilly Lilly
Waxing, Gel-X nails and pedicures on 33rd Avenue, all in one stop.
Pro tip: Open late Tuesdays and Thursdays.
NewInglewood · Massage, foot treatments, head spa
Purple Lotus Massage
New this year in Inglewood: massage, foot treatments and a signature Vietnamese head spa.
Erin's tip: Book the 60-minute foot massage. It's as close as you'll get to my favourite spots in New York City.
Beltline · Fascia release therapy
Treatment Ave
Justin Holman, RMT, has spent more than 20 years helping people move better, recover faster and feel like themselves again. His specialty is fascia release therapy, working the connective tissue around every muscle to get to the root of pain that won't quit, from stubborn injuries and chronic pain to migraines and concussion recovery.
Erin's tip: Justin has been my go-to for pain for years. He's a superstar for pain rehabilitation.
Pro tip: Book online, or email treatmentave@gmail.com.
Bankview · Registered massage therapy
Hygge Massage Therapy
Kurtis has more than three decades of experience as a registered massage therapist, and it shows. Whether you need to get back on your feet after an injury or just want to stay ahead of the aches with regular maintenance, he knows exactly what your body needs.
Pro tip: Book online through his website.
Beltline · Closed weekends
Rō Dental Studio
My favourite dental office, and one that feels more like a spa. Dr. Ben and his team have created a warm, welcoming space with a clean, modern aesthetic. Pick from a comfort menu when you book (weighted blankets, noise-cancelling headphones, aromatherapy), and every cleaning ends with complimentary in-chair whitening. Same-day crowns and Invisalign too.
Pro tip: They hold time every day for same-day emergency visits.
Mission · Closed weekends
Ject Aesthetics
Your little secret (we won't tell). Sarah and Natalie, registered nurses with more than two decades of experience between them, are masters of the subtle tweak: Botox, filler and skin boosters done so lightly that friends just ask if you've been sleeping more.
Pro tip: Book the complimentary consultation first. Think of it as a strategy session for your face.
Marda Loop · Physio, IMS, acupuncture
Alta Physiotherapy
A friendly neighbourhood physio clinic just off 33rd Avenue. Sports injuries, concussion rehab, IMS and acupuncture, all under one motto: get back to it.
Pro tip: Book online, or text the clinic with questions.
Fairview · Osteopathy, athletic therapy, massage
MET Health
Osteopathy, athletic therapy, massage and holistic nutrition, all under one roof.
Erin's tip: Jason is one of my go-tos for nagging pain. A magician at getting to the root of it.
Pro tip: Book online, or call 403-701-3027.