With a suite of social engagements to look good for, the hunt for the best blowdries, manis and spray tans is real. But when it comes to finding the best beauty destinations online, Google doesn’t always get it.
Photography by Raegan Glazner
The good news? We have a solution. For the last few months we’ve been beavering away on a new branch of the site and I’m finally ready to give you a sneak peek. To complement the WHOs and the HOW-TOs, I’m thrilled to now introduce you to the GO-TOs – an exclusive spa and salon directory of Australia’s best beauty destinations. Just in time for the party-preening season.
So if you’re hanging out for a hair appointment, pining for a pedi or sleuthing out a spa voucher as a Christmas gift, then consider your prayers answered. We’ve rounded up our top 100 spas and salons in the country and are working our way through all the reviews (it’s a tough job…) to bring you a credible and well-rounded shortlist of the best beauty destinations around.
As a beauty journalist, salons and spas have always been one of the number one things people ask me about. Seriously! I get Facebook messages from people I went to primary school with asking me about hairdressers! Women corner me at dinner parties saying, “I want to buy my mother in law a facial for her birthday – where should I go?” or “I want to take my bridesmaids to a spa for the day – which is the best?”
There is a serious drought of reliable and credible information out there. You can Google it but you end up getting all manner of random results and there’s no way to trust what you’re reading. Then, when we did our reader survey back in July (thank you to everyone who took part – your answers were so, so awesome), it really hit home to me how much we needed to create this, because you told us you needed it! 74% of you said you find it hard to get information about the best spas and salons and 88% of you said you would be more inclined to visit spas and salons if you had more information about them. So we set about making a search and review tool that only profiled the best places in town – and that would give you a detailed account of the place, what it’s like to visit and some background of its founders and owners.
So, please, jump in (click below or from the GO-TOs navigation bar at the top), select the kind of experience you want and a location and see what you discover. Please remember, it’s still in its formative stages (tech people call it a ‘Beta Launch’). Like any new site, I predict all manner of teething problems, but I would be so grateful if you let me know what you think. We’d also love to hear what your favourite spas and salons are (comment below!), and if there any other features you’d like to see? Do you want to add your own reviews – forum style to the bottom of the stories? Or are you happy just to read? I look forward to your feedback, and I wish you many happy moments of preening ahead.
Hi Sigorney, My name’s Clare Lamberth. I own Beauty on Latrobe Paddington (Brisbane). We’re a boutique salon specialising in bespoke paramedical Ultraceuticals skin treatments as well as all manner of traditional beauty therapies (and generally making our clients look and feel amazing). We also provide IPL and LED, have a cosmetic doctor providing injectables and will launch SkinNeedling and Laser Resurfacing in 2016. We’re a one stop shop! We’ve just been crowned Ultraceuticals National Salon of the Year (for the second time). I see there’s not really any Brisbane salons represented yet. I’d love to opportunity to be featured and happy to provide as much information about everything we provide. x
Beauty on Latrobe in Paddington is an incredible one stop shop of divine luxurious treatments. It hard not to feel anything other than amazing after any one of these amazing therapists have looked after you!
Maddy
So many amazing places! Book me in now…
Aimee
This is incredible – thank you!!
Jacqui A
Cannot wait to try your recommendations Sigourney. I will be saying goodbye to google for sure. X
clare
Hi Sigorney,
My name’s Clare Lamberth. I own Beauty on Latrobe Paddington (Brisbane). We’re a boutique salon specialising in bespoke paramedical Ultraceuticals skin treatments as well as all manner of traditional beauty therapies (and generally making our clients look and feel amazing). We also provide IPL and LED, have a cosmetic doctor providing injectables and will launch SkinNeedling and Laser Resurfacing in 2016. We’re a one stop shop!
We’ve just been crowned Ultraceuticals National Salon of the Year (for the second time). I see there’s not really any Brisbane salons represented yet. I’d love to opportunity to be featured and happy to provide as much information about everything we provide. x
Rose
Fav salon is Beauty on Latrobe Paddington!
edhopehair
Beauty on Latrobe in Paddington is an incredible one stop shop of divine luxurious treatments. It hard not to feel anything other than amazing after any one of these amazing therapists have looked after you!