Don't believe a needle can relax you? You'll change your mind after a visit to beauty spot Mera Natural Hair & Body (2648 N. Lincoln Ave., 312-532-6449). Owned by the Jackson sisters, Meredith and Sara (Mera, get it?), a licensed cosmetologist and an acupuncturist, respectively, the holistic Lincoln Park salon and spa offers an abundance of natural, organic treatments designed to balance your body from within. The women have dedicated years to education and research in order to provide treatments that change the way you view your total wellness, and they have the inventive services to prove it. But don't expect an entirely hippity-dippity experience: they'll give you a great color job and add in a couple of feather extensions, too! But if it's detox you're looking for, this is your place. Bodywork uses a variety of energizing treatments, ranging form Tui Na, a Chinese therapy that translates to "push-grasp" to Shiatsu massage, cupping, and something called Moxibustion, which involves burning an herb over certain parts of the body to stimulate circulation and induce proper blood flow. But my top picks are the 60-minute stress-reduction treatment, which combines acupuncture and bodywork and the hour-long cosmetic acupuncture treatment, which uses acupuncture points to rejuvenate, tone, and brighten skin.

Source: Mera Natural Hair & Body