3000BC

This Chestnut Hill salon’s new look is very Zen, with aromatherapy-scented relaxation rooms and a tea lounge. But all the rooibos in the world won’t make up for the fact that you’re about to get the most un-Zen of treatments. Fortunately, specialist Heather Rowe (trained by Lori Nestore, known in spa circles as the “wax queen”) will put you at ease: “This is my favorite treatment to do,” she says. And if this sounds weird, know that her enthusiasm is born of magnanimity, not creepiness: “It just changes people’s lives.”