North County Spas: Preserving the Organic Art of Beautification

Up-and-coming San Diego salons and spas are beginning to infuse more and more technological tricks into the seemingly-simple aesthetics of beauty. See: Botox, Cathiodermie and Sclerotherapy. Confused (and a little bit scared) already? Me too—the very modern Medical Spa is indeed making quite an influential name for itself in the local, national and global beauty scene.

However, there is still hope for the bo-ho chic naturalists out there. Special thanks to Lemongrass Center for Well Being, The Ahh Spa and Screams of Passion Salon and Spa for preserving the organic art of beautification.

Lemongrass Center for Well-Being, 910 Second Street, Encinitas

is an on-the-hush Encinitas sanctuary designed for total physical, emotional and spiritual relaxation. You wont find an iota of pretentiousness (or a single needle) in this meditative Bohemia. Lemongrass' credo is to intertwine global healing traditions, ancient teachings and modern science to assist the customer in establishing a higher quality of life by getting back to the basics.

Lemongrass gets physical with the Rolf Structural Integration Massage, a hands-on deep tissue massage aimed to safely reorganize connective tissues, balancing the major segments of the body into unrestrained gravitational alignment. On a lighter note, Sense Therapy seeks spiritual balance in a multidimensional session which includes vibrational chakra, aroma and sound therapy, guided meditation and intuitive painting.

The Ahh Spa, 763 Second Street, Encinitas

Ahh, (insert deep breath here) finally a laid-back spa! The Ahh Spa is a full service spa determined to custom procedural accents to the personality of their down-to-earth Encinitas location. The decor ebulliently blends naturally calming hues with sassy modern adornments, mirroring their mantra– a contemporary twist to vintage roots.

The Ahh Spa's signature massage begins with a warm mineral foot bath followed by targeting pressure to reflex points in the ears, hands and feat, stimulating flow to problematic areas. The house pedicure reveals Ahh's organic side, a relaxing foot soak with fresh fruit, followed by an exfoliating scrub, deep massage, toning masque and topped off with polish. There's nothing scientifically-scary to scream about at this spa. Proper pronunciation is key: say it with a soothing sigh, The Ahh Spa.

Screams of Passion Salon and Spa, 718 N. Coast Highway 101, Leucadia

Screams of Passion Salon and Spa is a fabulously funky, yet run-down hot-spot. This do-it-all salon and spa is housed in an original Leucadia building (read: sun-kissed wood and chipped paint). Screams lures the locals in with home grown employees, botanically-infused products and herbal remedies. From hair styling to Euro facials, herbal detox body wraps, hot oil scalp conditioning, nail care, waxing and therapeutic massages, Screams of Passion does it all while keepin' it all natural.

Screams of Passion supports Leucadian funk by hosting two Cut-A-Thons a year, benefitting local charities. They also taking recycling to the next level—reusing all post-chop hair to make "hair mats" which help clean up oil spills. It is undecided whether that image is more or less scary than botox—nevertheless, Screams of Passion's unfettered love for raw Leucadia, the environment and organic beauty is wholly admirable.