Everybody has them—the people that soothe your tired muscles, defuzz your hairy arms, keep your grey roots in tip-top shape, and ensure your acne never returns. I call them my “go to girls”—the women I “go to” in Santa Cruz who I recommend wholeheartedly. Here they are:
Waxing: Kathleen Birch at Prima, 312 River St., Santa Cruz, 423-3360
I’ve been getting my arms (and occasionally other things) waxed by Kathleen for several years now. Prior to seeing Kathleen, I tried out various other estheticians in Santa Cruz who do waxing. Every time it was painful. But after one session with Kathleen, I’ve been a loyal client ever since. She uses a soy-based wax, and there’s something about her technique that doesn’t cause me to scream. Now, for the most part, I wax only my arms, but on the occasion when Kathleen has waxed my arms or bikini line, yeah, it hurt, but not as bad as the other places that I’ve gone to. She’s been doing this for years, she’s as sweet as they come, and her prices are quite reasonable.
Massage: Jane Farrar, 525 Laurel St., Suite 105, Santa Cruz, 247-0750, janefarrarmassage.com
Recently, a friend gifted me a 90-minute massage with Jane Farrar, who was last year voted the best masseuse in Santa Cruz. And OMG Santa Cruz is right. Farrar has a really unique approach to massage: she mixes a number of different massage therapies and incorporates an intuitive sort of concept, in that she gets a sense of where you need the most work, and the needs of your body. She’s 100 percent attentive during your massage in a beautiful room off Laurel Street in Downtown Santa Cruz. She encourages you to go to whatever place of relaxation that you need to be in, and when you get up from the table, after Farrar has genuinely done her work on you, you will honestly feel different—in an exceptionally good way.
Roots touch up: Ginger Vaughn, L’Atelier, 114 Pearl Alley, Santa Cruz, 423-4247, lateliersalon.com
Disclosure: I actually haven’t yet been to Ginger yet, but I can’t wait to make an appointment to have her touch up my grey roots. As a longtime grey-hair sufferer, I have been touching up my own roots in between color appointments with my out of town stylist. But my lack of experience and the bottled grey hair dyes are in fact doing more damage than helping me out. So recently, upon the recommendation of a friend, I met up with Ginger, and I was very pleased to find a colorist who’s indeed experienced and intelligent. After a long chat she was able to quote me a reasonable price for the service that I need, and explained to me the information she would need to carry out a correct root touch up. Even without having an appointment yet, I’m thoroughly impressed, and my roots and I plan to see her within a month.
Acne: James Beckett, MD, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Dermatology Department, 2950 Research Drive, Soquel, 458-5548
OK, so he’s not a “go to girl,” but he is a “go to guy.” I’ve been seeing Dr. Beckett for probably six to seven years now. Under his care, my age spots are mostly gone, and my acne has been completely eradicated. I cannot recommend him enough as a dermatologist. He can remove your age spots, clear your skin, take care of unwanted facial hair and can give you a shot of Botox. Whatever it is that your skin wants, Dr. Beckett can help give you the results that you’re looking for.
