Readers’ Picks: Health/Beauty

Day Spa

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: Sunflower Spa

Sunflower Spa in Longmont is a hidden oasis. Once inside, it’s a soothing, comfortable retreat, where you can wash away all that ails you, get an infusion of relaxation and work out all the kinks. 1715 Iron Horse Dr., #150, Longmont

BOULDER: The Spa at St. Julien

The St. Julien sits in the busy downtown traffic and hubbub of Boulder like a fortress to conceal the tired, huddled masses. Well, I don’t know if you can really call them huddled masses. More like the pampered few who find solace in getting a full-body massage, an organic facial and a pedicure. 900 Walnut St., Boulder

Facial

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: Sunflower Spa

We love that the Bloom facials at Sunflower are individualized, cleansing for your face, your skin type, your needs. It’s just for you. 1715 Iron Horse Dr., #150, Longmont

BOULDER: The Spa at St. Julien

When a spa menu resembles a restaurant menu in length and variety, you know you’ve hit the pampering jackpot. The Spa at St. Julien offers an astonishing 12 different facials, including The Ultimate Oxygen Facial, Skin Brightening Facial and The Gentlemen’s Custom Facial. It’s totally delicious! 900 Walnut St., Boulder

Salon/Barbershop

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: Ciaobella Salon

This pretty salon on the outskirts of Longmont is a surprising find: both relaxing and sophisticated in an off-the-beaten-path location. The stylists and colorists are total pros, and you’ll leave confidant and ready for anything. 1715 Ironhorse Dr., #152, Longmont

BOULDER: Twig Salon

Twig is a salon for Boulder: with stylists trained to cut and style hair for the local lifestyle and products that are gluten-free, paraben-free and organic. It’s how Boulder beautifies. 1831 Pearl St., Boulder

Massage

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: Massage Envy

Massage Envy is a great place to get your first massage: they welcome you, get you acclimated and introduce you to how it works. It’s also a great place at which to become a regular. With numerous options and numerous locations, you can find anything you are looking for. Multiple locations

BOULDER: Bodywork Bistro

From a Thai yoga massage to shiatsu to cranial sacral, Bodywork Bistro has a lot of options for your massage needs. And they do offer a walk-in menu, so whenever you need a tension tamer or mind meld, just walk right in. 1100 Spruce St., Boulder

Manicure/Pedicure

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: Sunflower Spa

Your options here are far from just the color of your polish. Pick the hot stone pedicure, which includes a hot stone foot and leg massage, or the Bloom manicure, including an organic sugar scrub, hydrating masque and lots of massage. 1715 Iron Horse Dr., #150, Longmont

BOULDER: ten20

You have to love a place that celebrates femininity and allows women to soak in the girlish joy. Ten20 is a such a place: Here, we can get a pedicure in a comfy, over-stuffed chair, watch The New Girl and eat candy. Pure charm! 2005 Pearl St., Boulder

Aesthetic Treatment Center

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: Aesthetic Solutions

Aesthetic Solutions is the place you go when you feel you could look younger or smoother or more rested. You look great, though. Really, you don’t need a thing. But really if you feel like you want to look younger or smoother or more rested, Dr. Zakany is your man. But really… 2770 Dagny Way, #109, Lafayette

BOULDER: Avanti Advanced Skin Care Center

You know those before and after photos? Well, you are just an Avanti visit away from being the after photo version of yourself. A Cellulaze Cellulite Reduction Laser Treatment here and a bit of Botox there. 2595 Canyon Blvd., #360, Boulder

Golf Course

Indian Peaks

Set amongst the big, beautiful houses of the Indian Peaks neighborhood, this course is a locals favorite. It’s well maintained and offers incredible views.

Gym

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: YMCA of Boulder Valley

The YMCA of Boulder Valley is a huge, beautiful facility that serves as a fitness center, cycling studio, ice rink, Pilates studio, swimming pool, tennis club, summer camp locale for kids and on and on and on. 2800 Dagny Way, Lafayette

BOULDER: Colorado Athletic Club

Hidden in the heart of Boulder, Colorado Athletic Club is a booster to the local heart rate with constant injections of energy and athletic spirit. The 40,000-square foot fitness center is massive—with pools, a CompuTraining studio, kids play areas and indoor cycling studio. 1821 30th St., Boulder

Rec Center

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: Bob L. Burger
Rec Center

Lafayette pride in the house! With a lazy river, large water slide, several pools and hot tubs, basketball courts and a large, sunny atrium that seconds as a fitness center, you cannot deny the legitimacy of the Bob L. Burger Rec Center. As the front desk guy told us last week, “Everyone is welcome at Bob’s!” 111 W Baseline Rd., Lafayette,

BOULDER: East Boulder
Community Center

The East Boulder Rec Center has everything you could ever want in a recreation center: hot tub, pool, lazy river, outdoor volleyball courts and childcare. And a bubble bench. You gotta have a bubble bench. 5660 Sioux Dr, Boulder

Colorado Ski Resort

Eldora

There are many reasons to love Eldora, but for Boulderites, proximity and ease are the biggest pulls to this nearby ski hill. No traffic, no I-70 and no lift lines make it a locals’ scene.

Martial Arts

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: Vision Quest Martial Arts

The students at Vision Quest are who they are because of the discipline, confidence and training they learn from their teachers. The new facility is beautiful and bright, but it’s the instructors that set this place apart from the rest. 305 Waneka Parkway, Lafayette

BOULDER: Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu

Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu Academy is legit. Not only is the academy very traditional in its approach, but it is also a non-profit association that is 100 percent volunteer-powered. And it’s possibly one of the only local martial-based organizations that also manages a cultural center promoting the heritage of the ethnicity from which its martial practices grew. 1750 38th St., Boulder

Yoga Studio

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: Soul Tree Studio

Intimate and friendly, Soul Tree represents what we love about independent studios: a gracious, well-trained staff of instructors who focus on the flow of the class as well as class sizes that allow instructors to work with each student. 422 E Simpson St., Lafayette

BOULDER: Bodywork Bistro

A massage center that doubles as a yoga studio? It’s a brilliant concept and just so very Boulder. Stop by their Living Arts Center for the Hatha Yoga for Health class or the Vinyasa Yoga for Vitality class. 1100 Spruce St., Boulder

Pilates Studio

EAST BOULDER COUNTY: Happy Cat Pilates

Happy Cat is all about the teachers: Susie Haggas and her instructors are helpful and attentive while creating a non-competitive environment where each student and each movement is handled with care and sensitivity. 2011 100 Year Party Court, Unit 3, Prospect Town, Longmont

BOULDER: Pilates Center

Pilates Center is Boulder’s spot to bend it like Joseph Pilates. Come for a class, stay for a lecture and return for the Pilates teacher education center. 5500 Flatiron Pkwy., Boulder