I’ve searched high and low for clean, high-quality, and reasonably-priced places to pamper myself since I moved to Austin’s Four Points Area back in 2015. By now, I’ve found a few favorites. Also, I’ve reached out to my friends and Four Points Mom readers to ask them for recommendations. Here are the fabulous nail salons, massage providers, day spas, and other “pamper-me places” that come highly recommended by me or others. Add a comment below if you’d like to add in your favorites!
My Favorites for Nails, Massages, & More
Hands down, Avenue Nails & Spa is my absolute favorite place to get my nails done. It’s located in the brand new shopping center west of the Jester entrance (next to Coffee Shark). The salon itself is always super-clean and they always have plenty of staff on hand to get me in even if I show up without a reservation (which is what typically happens).
I usually get the $38 Deluxe pedicure. This includes an extended massage, extra exfoliation, and hot stone massage. On their website, it shows up as $40, but as I write this I’m pretty confident it’s only $38 in the store. This is such a great price compared to other nail salons in our area which I’ve found typically charge around $50 for a similar level of service. I haven’t brought my daughter with me, but I’ve heard they’re great with children too.
On the website, it looks like you can book an appointment. However, you really can’t automatically do so. You end up sending them a message and they respond to you about the appointment. I wish you could directly book an appointment.
More than anything, I love that the salon is always spotless. They are very meticulous in how they manage this salon! A friend of mine recently went, though, and said the smell of the aquarium bothered her. I’ve never noticed any smell from it (and I enjoy watching the beautiful fish). Overall, I highly recommend Avenue Nails & Spa!
La Vie opened in December 2017 and it quickly was added to this list. The location is perfect for me as it is right at the front of River Place (yay for avoiding 2222 traffic during busy times). This brand new nail spa is absolutely stunning.
Similar to Avenue Nails, everything is very clean and the technicians are very meticulous. The prices are a bit higher (the comparable pedicure to Avenue’s Delux Pedicure is $40), but I don’t mind spending $2 to avoid 2222 traffic.
The owner, Lisa, moved from a nearby nail salon (that I didn’t love), but she has a large following already of previous clients that love her. I’ve already been twice since they opened and I was extremely pleased both times.
Plus, they always have movies playing on the big screens. When I was there in December they had on Home Alone and when I came back in January I watched The Devil Wears Prada. La Vie ensures you have the ultimate “me time.” 🙂
Face To Face Spa specifically focuses on skin health and beauty. The closest location to Austin’s Four Points Area is the Davenport Village location.
About a year ago, I won a gift certificate to Face To Face Spa at the Partnerships for Children silent auction. I booked a facial and was highly impressed with the spa’s relaxing environment and quality of the facial. So much so that I ended up signing up for a membership which allowed me to get significantly discounted facials on a monthly basis. I continued the membership for about 8 months before cancelling it.
I recommend Face To Face Spa for anyone who wants a reasonably-priced, regular facial.
However, my complaint with the spa is that each time I found a technician I really liked, they weren’t there the next time I tried to book a service with them. So, over the length of my membership I had services with probably 5 different providers. I loved 3 of them and I thought the others were satisfactory but not great.
I do have to admit, though, I feel like my skin is refreshed and ready for the crazy Texas weather every time I leave.
*UPDATE: The Steiner Ranch Location closed in December 2017. The nearest locations are either in Lakeway or Cedar Park. My favorite technician, Dean, moved to the Lakeway location so request him if you’re heading that direction to get pampered. You won’t be disappointed!
Massages have always been my preferred way of really pampering myself. Walk up behind me and massage my shoulders for 30 seconds and you are instantly my best friend. But, I am a bit picky about massages, especially when I pay a ton of money for them.
I received a gift card to Massage Envy a couple years ago and tried out the Steiner Ranch location. Based on my experiences over the past several years, franchises of massage locations are very hit or miss. Similar to my above comments about Face To Face Spa, turnover at the various franchise locations I’ve been to is a bit higher than day spas or upper-end massage locations. So, it’s difficult to find someone you like who will be there the next time you want to book an appointment. The prices at these locations simply can’t be beat though.
However, I’ve been pleased with my experiences at Massage Envy in Steiner Ranch. My favorite provider has a limited schedule, but he is still working there two years later. Plus, it’s often easy to book an appointment that day or the following day since there are several providers available.
Other Recommended Locations for Nails, Massages, & More
Ann Webb Skin Clinic was voted best facial and laser hair removal by Austin Monthly in 2016. A friend recommended the clinic for facials and the pricing seems very reasonable ($45 for a 45-minute facial on an existing client or $65 for a 60-minute facial on a new client). The clinic also provides various other services, including massages, teeth whitening, and laser hair removal. I went for the first time in 2020 and I loved it. I’ve been back twice now!
This is in the older shopping center at the front of the Jester neighborhood. A friend recommended it so me the other day and I tried it out.
But, it was not as clean as and more expensive than its competition in the other shopping center at the front of Jester.
They did have really cute kid-sized pedicure chairs, though, so I think it would be a fun place to take a little one to get their nails done.
Several of my friends swear by Deluxe Nails near the entrance of River Place. Specifically, Kim comes highly recommended for her nail services and eyebrow waxing. I got a pedicure there when I first moved back to Austin and I’ve never been back. The salon itself wasn’t as clean as I’d like and the atmosphere wasn’t as relaxing. However, I know many of you love it. I tried to give it another shot recently but Kim wasn’t available so I went elsewhere. I have a feeling that the proximity to River Place certainly assists Deluxe Nails in getting its high reviews, but I’d love for you to chime in with your specific feedback below.
Peppermint Pedi was recommended by a few friends of mine. It’s located near Kale Me Krazy. The salon itself is absolutely gorgeous.
The entire time I was in there I was gawking at the beautiful wood floors, lighting fixtures, shabby chic furnishings, etc. Plus, the salon sells a variety of retail items (t-shirts, candles, wine glasses, jewelry, and more). If you’re needing to pick up a cute birthday gift for a friend, stop by here!
You can easily book a reservation online, but the website also says walk-ins are recommended. However, about a year ago I stopped in on a week day afternoon and was told they had no openings for the rest of the day. (That’s okay – I immediately called Avenue Nails & Spa and they worked me in 🙂 ).
This past week I went on their website and booked a reservation for a manicure a few hours later in the day. Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the manicure. The price was a bit steep in my opinion ($30 for the basic). The technician was extremely focused on details and my nails looked great afterwards. I did have one complaint, and please let me know if I’m overly finicky or if you’d think this was a little gross. The very first step involved clipping my nails. The nail clippings remained on the towel throughout the remainder of my 50-minute manicure. It totally grossed me out! I kept thinking she would certainly clean them up or discard the towel they were laying on after the current stage of the manicure … but they stayed there the entire time. Towards the end she started fanning my nails and I was sure the nail clippings were going to start flying around. Again, please comment below with your thoughts on whether this is me overreacting or if you think it’s something that you wouldn’t expect from such an upscale, luxury nail salon.
Oak Haven Massage comes highly recommended from a friend of mine who is a massage therapist (and admits she’s very picky about massages). It’s located between the Olive Garden and McDonalds off of 620 (right by the 183/ 45/ 620 exchange). Oak Haven has different levels of therapists, meaning that those with advanced training will cost you a bit more. But, my friend tells me she thinks it’s worth it paying for an advanced level therapist. She also likes that she typically gets a deeper level of pressure with her massages there. I’m going to have to try Oak Haven out soon!
I also heard from a few readers and friends who love Plum Natural Nail & Skin Spa. This is another upscale salon that not only provides services for your nails but also for your eyebrows, eye lashes, face, and more. I’ve personally never been to Plum but I wanted to include it here since I heard great things from a few of you.
If you’re looking for an extra-special day spa retreat or package of services, you should try out Travaasa Austin. Travaasa is a luxury resort with a high-end spa that was ranked in the top 10 for organic spas. Again, this is going to be pricey, but it would be a great place to treat a friend or family member with a gift card or special package of services to pamper them.
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