These Valley beautifiers know that a fresh haircut or a sweat sesh at the gym means more than just feeling good when looking in the mirror. They are working their magic to make their clients feel healthy, happy and cared for, which means radiating beauty from the most important place—within. Meet 29 of our favorite fitness experts, spa pros, hair and makeup artists, top-notch doctors and more who are beautifying locals, boosting self-esteem and confidence along the way.
Jenny Strebe
@theconfessionsofahairstylist
For nearly two decades, Jenny Strebe has inspired women to feel their very best “through the power of good hair.” So much so, Strebe’s Instagram and YouTube channels, where she showcases tutorials, her favorite products and dreamy finished looks, have reached more than 700,000 faithful followers. “I have helped clients go through big struggles in their lives and empowered them to feel good doing the process,” she says. Strebe has been doing hair since she was a little girl, enrolling in beauty school right after high school. She has authored four books on the topic and has traveled the country with her popular hair-styling classes; this winter, Strebe launched AIIR Professional, a holistic hair company that marries ingredients consumers will feel good about with modern hairstyling.
Lisa Fresa Palacios
@Lisafresahair
Need a hair audit? Enter “The Fixer.” Lisa Fresa Palacios gained that designation in the hair industry as she is a respected pro at perfecting hair extensions. She started in the hair industry 15 years ago and moved up quickly in the industry to her now-successful career; Palacios has now worked for New York Fashion Week, launched her brand and has a significant celebrity and local clientele. She has transformed the face of hair extensions in the Valley and beyond, changing the perception from damaging and unnatural to “seamless,” a “bonus” to the beauty a woman already possesses. “I realize…the impact I make on my clients,” she says. “They leave glowing. Not only do I enhance their appearance, but a magical shift goes on in their inner self. My job is only complete when my client feels on top of the world.” Though a trip to the salon may seem like a luxury, for 85 percent of Palacios’ clients, hair extensions offer much-needed solutions. “The clients who come in with real-life problems who struggle with hair loss have sadness and desperation in their voices and come in feeling hopeless. To be able to help women feel beautiful, confident and sexy and walk out of the salon with their heads held high fuels me to help as many people that come into my life.”
Maggie Hancock
@maggiemh; @moxie.scottsdale
As one of six sisters, Maggie Hancock had her fair share of practicing hair styling before it became her career path. Today, Hancock, who specializes in “blonding” and styling, is the owner of Scottsdale’s new Moxie Est. 2019 salon and a social media darling, with an Instagram following of more than 100,000. “I really was just meant to do this,” she says. “It lights a fire in my soul and allows me to be creative in all of the ways that I want to be. I also love people, and making them feel beautiful and being social all day is a huge plus.” Hancock cites new-mom appointments as her favorite. “I love seeing the impact that a fresh cut, color and style can have on a new mom’s self-esteem.” Hancock believes that 2019 will be one of her most creative years yet, and hopes to drive her new salon to success and be a leader for her talented employees.
Aimee Blake
@SugarSugarAZ
After being a longtime consumer of sugaring, Aimee Blake opened Sugar Sugar locally in 2013. (Sugaring is an organic method of hair removal using only sugar, lemon and water.) “Creating Sugar Sugar allowed me to express my imagination while my science background encouraged me to embrace my love for skin care and wellness,” she says. Sugar Sugar has locations in both Scottsdale and Phoenix, and Blake says that outposts will be opening throughout the U.S. this year. Makes sense, as Blake says that many of her satisfied customers visit from out of state. In addition to sugaring, the spot welcomes clients to look and feel their best through a variety of other services, including vegan lash extensions, organic airbrush tanning and custom organic facials. Because Blake takes clients’ suggestions and successes to heart, the Sugar Sugar team is often told how it is changing lives for the better. “The overall betterment of their skin's longevity is our goal.”
Alexandra Bradberry and Leiah Scheibel
@TheSparkleBar
When The Sparkle Bar, a makeup and beauty bar, opened in Scottsdale three years ago, it immediately became the go-to glam-up spot for women who wanted to look and feel their very best for their special event. Co-owners Alexandra Bradberry and Leiah Scheibel look forward to giving their clients those “I-can-do-anything” and “boss-self” moments, Bradberry says. Their pleased customers even go as far as to send hand-written thank-you notes to The Sparkle Bar team. “I feel all women are beautiful, and they do not realize it,” says Scheibel. “I set out to make sure each one of them understands what makes them beautiful and unique.” Inclusion and embracing global beauty are also important hallmarks of this booming beauty business. “We all want to look and feel good so why not? Why shouldn’t we?” Bradberry says.
Allison Pynn
@Allisonpynn
Though Allison Pynn has been doing makeup, hair and bodypainting for print, TV, celebs and events for 15 years professionally, she has been “decorating people” her whole life. Pynn’s background is in fine art, specifically painting and drawing, so her evolution into makeup and hair styling simply made sense to her. “I'm an artist, and I have to create beauty,” she says. “I love working with likeminded, creative people and creating beautiful imagery. It makes my heart happy to see something beautiful. This year, Pynn says that super-glowy skin is staying put along with “brightly colored eyeshadows for spring and lashes for days.” Keep an eye on YouTube as Pynn hopes to launch her channel in 2019 in an effort to reach an even wider audience.
Bryanna Casey and Stephanie Neiheisel
@makeupcollectivephx
At The Phoenix Makeup Collective, co-founders Bryanna Casey and Stephanie Neiheisel aren’t just passionate about making women feel beautiful upon looking in the mirror; they are out to educate. “We expose ourselves to so many products every day, and your skin is your largest organ, absorbing 60 percent of everything we apply directly into the bloodstream,” says Neiheisel. “Spreading awareness of clean beauty and how it can still be glamorous and fun has been a rewarding experience.” Casey and Neiheisel have nearly two combined decades of experience, though they hope to spend the new year learning and growing within the beauty field. They might even have an apprentice in the works: “My cousin called me to tell me that her 5-year-old daughter told her class on career day that she wanted to be a makeup artist when she grows up,” says Casey. “I thought that was amazing. We’re right up there with astronauts and superheroes!”
Megan M. Shank
@makeupbymegan_marie
For almost 20 years, Megan M. Shank has been doing makeup—whether practicing on friends as she grew up or as a professional for brands like Origins, Aveda and MAC. “As a young girl, I found myself drawn to fashion magazines where I would focus on the hair and makeup on the models in the ads,” she says. “As I got older, I really appreciated the art behind beauty, fashion and makeup.” Today, Shank runs her own business, Makeup by Megan, specializing in photoshoots, special events, bridal and fantasy, and she would love doing more makeup for movies, films and television. Shank says no two days are ever the same, but one thing is always certain: “There is no better feeling than giving my clients an extra boost of confidence after my work is complete.”
Pamela Percy
@TheLashLoungeScottsdaleQuarter
After finding success in more than 50 locations nationwide, it was about time The Lash Lounge opened locally. In January, the upscale eyelash salon did just that at The Scottsdale Quarter, with Pamela Percy at the helm. Percy has already witnessed the client benefits of a fresh set of lash fringe within her transition into the beauty industry after being in the male-dominated field of semiconductor engineering for many years. “I know I’ve done my job when I see the smile and excitement on a customer’s face right after they get their first full set of lashes,” says Percy. “It’s so rewarding to see a customer light up and truly feel beautiful and confident after getting their customized lashes.” With lash extensions, lash and brow tinting, facial threading and many other options on its menu, Percy hopes to make The Lash Lounge Scottsdale Quarter one of the top-performing salons in the U.S.
Ann Patton
@anncpatton
Ann Patton has been in the spa and hospitality industry for more than 30 years and is now gracing her expertise on the Valley at Carefree’s year-old CIVANA, an approachable resort grounded in a holistic approach to wellness. “I believe in the mind-body-spirit connection and I knew early on, when the spa industry was just starting to take off, that spas would become an integral and important part of the wellness culture for generations to come,” Patton says. She believes that there is a rampant epidemic of stress affecting people today, and self-care measures are vital for those of all generations. “The treatments can leave a lasting impression on their well-being,” she says. In addition to myriad skincare, massage and body treatments to highlight one’s external beauty, CIVANA also offers guests a variety of fitness and movement, wellness, culinary and lifestyle classes so guests can bring self-care to their everyday lives and long after their check-out time.
Harper Babin, Ramsie Burrington, Nikki Metzger, Madison Murray, Sarah Whipple and Kaileigh van Horne
@scottsdalebodi
Nikki Metzger is the owner of Scottsdale’s popular BODI gym and the fearless leader of a group of strong female trainers, including Harper Babin, Ramsie Burrington (not pictured), Madison Murray, Sarah Whipple and Kaileigh van Horne. Fitness has been a life-long passion for these women, many of whom were involved in sports or dance at a young age. Through their work at BODI (which specializes in high-intensity strength and conditioning), Babin, Burrington, Metzger, Murray, Whipple and van Horne strive to make a positive, healthy difference in the lives of their clients. “My passion is to help people become better than they think they are,” says Whipple. “Not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. We are all capable of so much, and I love seeing clients smile when they do something they didn’t think was possible.” Even when BODI clients are sweaty and tired from an intense class, van Horne says, “I get to be the best part of someone's day! An hour to better themselves.”
Danielle Fryer
@daniellefryer; @thecountryclubatdcranch
“I think your light matters! If it didn’t, you would not be here.” For some, those words from Danielle Fryer, director of Health & Fitness at The Country Club at DC Ranch, are all that is needed on a path to a healthy, beautiful life. “There is nothing more liberating that being happy in your own skin,” says Fryer. “Whatever your path of your life may bring, whatever your body composition and structure, it is important to me to serve as an experienced teacher on the subject. Our bodies are an instrument for life to experience itself through. If I can connect with someone and point to that in which is already inside of them, we all win. We are all in this together.” After spending her childhood involved in gymnastics, Fryer has been a fitness professional for 24 years and a registered dietitian nutritionist for 19 (she became interested in the subject while in high school and finding herself confused by conflicting information regarding food). This year, Fryer looks forward to the April opening of The Country Club at DC Ranch’s brand-new fitness and performance facility and hopes to publish her first book, Evolve Healthy. A Mindfulness Guide to Food and Body Liberation. “I am hopeful a book publisher will invest in my message, and if that doesn’t happen, I will invest in myself and self-publish.”
Hannah Felix
@hannahfelixfitness
After seeing patient deaths from causes that were primarily preventable during her last nine years as a registered nurse and experiencing great personal success from tracking macronutrient intake, Hannah Felix of Fluence Fitness became a nutrition and macro coach to help others reach their maximum health. Felix teaches clients about macros, while coaching them through the tracking process—and their results have been staggering, including clients who have dropped more than 100 pounds. “Aside from the overall health of the individual, I also work with a ton of clients who just want to feel confident and beautiful in their own skin,” says Felix. “And while this may be more of an external driver, helping others to feel their most beautiful, best self is always going to be a home run for me.” This year, Felix and her fiancé, personal trainer Eric Meyer, have moved some of their business online and hope to reach more people and create a community of likeminded individuals who lift up and inspire one another. “We really want to create a ripple effect of health and happiness.”
Justin Bach
Massage therapist Justin Bach always had a strong desire to help people. Now, 19 years into his career, he is easing the pain and upping the repose of guests at the award-winning, renowned relaxation destination, The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Dove Mountain. Citing deep tissue and sports massage as his specialties, he fell in love with the industry after his first class at Desert Institute of the Healing Arts. “I feel a sense of satisfaction when I see a change in the way a person feels after a massage,” says Bach. “I see a smile on the guest’s face, and they come out of the treatment room with better posture and them telling me that they feel relief and more relaxed.” In the coming year, Bach plans to continue his education within the healing arts, exploring the possibilities of CBD oil (one of the “big booms” in the industry, he says) and even taking a class to learn how to best help those who suffer from fibromyalgia.
Shandi Rooney
@face.liftstudiosaz
Skin health and physical health truly go hand in hand. With that notion in mind, Shandi Rooney, owner of Phoenix’s Face.Lift Studios, opened a unique space that not only addresses skin care needs through medical-grade treatments (like HydraFacial, Vivace, Dermaplaning and more), but also presents a variety of fitness classes that span from interval running classes to sculpt sessions. “I recognized the importance of time management and wanted to create a space where all of these services are available under one roof,” she says. But Face.Lift Studios doesn’t just offer convenience; its services allow clients to shine from the inside out. “I love being able to make [clients] feel and look their best,” says Rooney, who has 15 years of fitness studio experience. “I am so blessed to be able to motivate clients through my fitness classes and provide customized skin care treatments and regimens to allow their natural beauty to shine.”
Photo credit: sobestanford.com
Cecilia Berkley
@ceciliaholisticspa; @corazon.beauty
“My inspiration for what I do is in my blood,” says Cecilia Berkley. “Since an early age, I have been fascinated with natural beauty.” At the age of 8, Berkley, who is the founder and CEO of Cecilia Holistic Spa (480.434.0568, ceciliaholisticspa.com) and Corazon Organic Beauty, even recalls making homemade rosewater. “Little did I know that was the start of my holistic beauty career that has lasted a lifetime,” she says. Berkley is a holistic aesthetician-facialist and a certified holistic therapist and, through her companies, she provides a mix of innovative technology and timeless techniques to make clients look and feel their very best and always focuses on the importance of health. Clients come from all over the Valley—even out of state—to Gilbert-based Cecilia Holistic Spa. (She even counts a royal family from the Middle East as clients.) “My work is important to me because it is not just a job—it is a passion and my calling in life. I find helping women to feel and look great with techniques that are not hurtful to their body very satisfying. My own personal experience with health issues has inspired me to find healing and beauty in natural ways and to help other women.” Via her services at Cecilia Holistic Spa and use of her Corazon Organic Beauty products, Berkley says the results are undeniable though the processes are not overly aggressive, noting that treatments are based on each client’s individual needs. If you haven’t visited Berkley for a treatment just yet, now is the time; her business is now home the Oxylight machine (recently featured in Forbes), known for the “Madonna facial” and used by the likes of Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez. “I am very happy and excited to be bringing these luxurious treatments to the women of Arizona.”
Dr. John Badolato
@docb_studiobsmiles
Dr. John Badolato is the founder of Studio B Smiles, which has locations in both Scottsdale and Phoenix, and is responsible for the flawless grins of many Valley athletes. He is the official team dentist of the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Mercury and Phoenix Suns Dancers, after all. He’s been in the trade for 17 years, even mentoring with celebrity cosmetic dentist Dr. Bill Dorfman while in dental school. “I always knew that I wanted to help people, and being a doctor is something I knew at I wanted to be at a very early age,” Dr. Badolato says. “I love seeing how improving someone’s smile for the better could change their lives.” In the new year, Dr. Badolato believes that straighter teeth will be more attainable as he foresees a reduction in cost of Invisalign and removable clear orthodontics, as well as improvements in digital imaging. Best of all, his heart’s as big as the smiles he creates, thanks to his work with Make-A-Wish, Banner Health Foundation of Arizona, Phoenix Suns Charities and the Pujols Family Foundation.
Frank Isaac
@isaacjewelersAZ
Jewelry is often the centerpiece of milestone occasions: engagements and weddings, Sweet 16 birthdays, anniversaries. And for the past 25 years, Frank Isaac, owner and designer of Scottsdale’s Isaac Jewelers, has been the one creating many of these glistening masterpieces for local celebrators. “Customers think of me as a family. It’s all about trust first,” he says. Isaac Jewelers specializes in wholesale diamonds, custom jewelry and watches, though Isaac says custom bridal jewelry is what he adores most. “I truly enjoy what I do and love the fact that I can put a big smile on a bride-to-be or a couple who wanted to redo their old jewelry,” he says. Isaac first dove into the jewelry industry with a small boutique in Old Town in 1996; as of 2003, customers have gotten to know his fine jewelry at his high-end Kierland Commons shop. As he looks to the future in jewelry, he foresees smart-cut diamonds taking a hold of the industry, calling them the “hottest thing” he sells exclusively in Scottsdale. “It’s a diamond larger by the table so our 1-carat looks like a 1.25 and our 2-carat looks like 2.50. [The diamonds are] less money because you pay by weight and are a larger diamond by look.”
Photographer: Chad Johansson; Location: The Brexley
Melody L. Sanchez
@designdeamore
“It’s important to me to create work that is truly meaningful and inspiring while encouraging women to be their true and best selves,” says Melody L. Sanchez. “The world of fashion and entertainment is for anyone who aspires to be a part of it.” Sanchez is the owner and creative director of Design De Amore, a creative direction and styling business; she has worked with the likes of FORD/Robert Black Agency, Tart Collections clothing as well as a variety of magazines and enjoys empowering emerging brands and talent with the tools they need to succeed. For Sanchez, fashion isn’t just about making a woman look good in the clothing she chooses for them; it is about pulling them out of their shells. “As someone who used to be shy and reclusive, I love taking these girls by the hand and showing them that they are fully capable of living out their dreams in a way that feels authentic and uniquely them,” she says. “It’s the best feeling to watch them come to life on set with the new-found confidence.”
Dr. Suneil Jain
@drsuneiljain
As a child, Dr. Suneil Jain, owner of Rejuvena Health & Aesthetics in Scottsdale, suffered from gut-related health issues. After a number of specialists in America couldn’t heal him, he was cured after a trip to a homeopathic doctor in India. Today, Dr. Jain has been in practice in naturopathic medicine for 15 years; his focus is on aiding the whole body as one’s appearance is a reflection of what’s going on beneath the surface. “Naturopathic medical school training teaches a unique perspective of healing,” he says. “We are taught that the human body has an amazing capacity to heal if given the right tools. From day one we are taught to think of the body as a whole—every single cell is connected at an energetic level, what we call the vital force.” After receiving life-changing care in India all those years ago, Dr. Jain is paying it forward as he recalls treating a patient who was suffering from various autoimmune conditions. “She came to me in complete disrepair,” he says. “After spending six months on my protocol, she ended up completely overcoming her issues. The naturopathic assessment and therapies had such a profound effect on her, she ended up applying to and attending naturopathic medical school.”
Drs. Cristina Romero-Bosch and John A. Robinson
@thesexdocs
It is impossible to look beautiful if you don’t feel the part. That is where The Hormone Zone (a k a The Sex Docs) come in. The husband-and-wife duo of Drs. Cristina Romero-Bosch and John A. Robinson have been practicing medicine and serving patients from all over the country since 2006. The Hormone Zone, located in Scottsdale, provides medical services with a focus on hormone-replacement therapy, age-management medicine, thyroid management with their unique system ThyroZone, nutritional IV therapy, aesthetic and sexual medicine, and performance optimization. Not only does The Hormone Zone offer results to its patients who are battling everything from thyroid issues to fatigue to weight gain to low libido, it provides personalized care, attention and time that many clinics are unable to offer. “We always establish a real relationship with our patients as we provide an elite patient experience of personalized care,” says Dr. Romero-Bosch. “We utilize innovative medical therapies to optimize the health of everyone we work with.” Because of their expertise and genuine desire to make a life-altering difference, “You saved and improved my marriage,” “You figured things out that no other doctor could” and “I got ‘me’ back” are just a few of the delighted reactions that Drs. Romero-Bosch and Robinson hear from thankful patients. In 2019, the doctors, who are also accomplished authors, are focusing on regenerative medicine and stem cell rejuvenation, something they are including in aesthetic services like the popular Vampire facial and particularly the O and P Shots for sexual wellness. “We see The Hormone Zone expanding in 2019 and serving even more patients,” says Dr. Robinson. “We are continually growing as we welcome more associate physicians into our practice. There is emerging science and clinical benefits with so many cutting-edge therapies, and we are always bringing these options to our patients at The Hormone Zone. It’s an exciting time in medicine!”
