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Best Hair Salon

Bleach Hair Addiction

Luca Castaldo easily commands a room. The Italian hairstylist has been a staple in Miami since 2005, when he began working at Contesta Rock Hair, an Italian salon chain with an outpost on Española Way. Even in a small salon full of big personalities, he still stole the show with a loyal clientele who would wait for hours, if needed, until his chair opened up. So it only makes sense that Luca would take that magnetic persona and go into business for himself. In 2012, he opened Bleach Hair Addiction in the Shops at Midtown. Unlike his last perch on Española Way, parking here isn't a problem for Castaldo's loyal customers. We've all encountered our fair share of snooty salon employees, but you won't find them at Bleach, where the staff is friendly and ready to offer complimentary wine, beer, or water. This isn't Supercuts, so expect to pay a price for a quality cut, starting at $40 for men and $50 for women. Prices jump from there, but rest assured the cost is worth it. Don't trust just anybody with your hair. Trust Luca.

Best Hairstylist

Valerie Paquet

(Sung to the tune of "Valleri" by the Monkees.)

There's a girl I know who makes me look so good.

And I wouldn't live without her, even if I could.

Just call on Valerie (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays).

You'll love that Valerie.

[Instrumental, during which you whip your newly perfected hair back and forth.]

She'll color, cut, condition you with treatments galore.

She'll have you looking better than you ever did before.

Just call up Valerie (and make an appointment)!

You'll love that Valerie.

Peter of London's Kendall location is a fabulous full-service salon (including nails, facials, and waxing) in its own right, but one of its real treasures is hairstylist Valerie Paquet. Her warmth, smile, and devotion to great work make you feel like you and she are a dynamic duo with the common goal of making your hair your crowning glory. She's also not one to shy away from a challenge: Along with having a grip on the latest trends, she's also been known to experiment with cosplay-grade hairpieces that can go from convention to club outing. Whether you're looking to straighten, color, cut, or sculpt your coif, you'll be singing Paquet's praises when she's done.

Best Manicure

Nail Time

There are a few problems that can ruin even the most swag confidence. Deodorant all over your shirt. Coffee spilled on your pants. And — shudder — raggedy nails. Don't let your digits deteriorate, ladies. Head to Nail Time for a quick, affordable manicure. Whether you're in the market for a subtle French job or psychedelic patterned talons, Nail Time's artisan technicians will have your hands looking flossy for your sister's wedding, the hubby's annual company fundraiser, or Junior's little-league soccer championship game. Manicures start at just $12, and you can get your hands and feet done for $30 ($35 for hubby). Add five bucks if you'd like a French mani, and while you're at it, spend an extra $10 to get your eyebrows waxed. You can schedule an appointment, but Nail Time accepts walk-ins and will have you out within 30 minutes.

Best Barbershop

Upper Kutz Barbershop

Hey, pal: Between that hornets' nest on your head and that follicle explosion on your chin, you look like you're gonna come up on the wrong side of this week's "Homeless or Hipster" game. You need a haircut, son. Luckily, Upper Kutz Barbershop is in the neighborhood. Conveniently located in midtown, Upper Kutz's vintage-inspired parlor offers cuts on the cheap, starting at $18, and a whole range of other hygienic rescues, including tapes for $8, hot shaves for $30, and blowouts for $18. Owner Ray Agnew, a cosmetologist with more than 15 years of experience under his belt, stocks UK with a friendly, knowledgeable staff. Trust us, that Chewbacca look is clichéd. Shape it up at Upper Kutz.

Best Facial

Muse Beauty Suite

What if the best place to get beautiful just happened to be one of the most beautiful spots in town? That's exactly the case with Muse Beauty Suite, a 500-square-foot space on the second floor of the Sagamore Hotel with a sweeping vista of the Atlantic Ocean. The latest venture of local entrepreneur Sabrina Badeaux Linden overlooks the pool and the beach, offering views that refresh the spirit while the experts go to work on your face. You can start with the signature Muse facial, which involves steam cleansing, exfoliation, extractions, massage, and a soothing finishing mask for a hundred bucks. For five dollars less, you can do the seaweed facial, which includes steam cleansing, exfoliation, extractions, and a fresh seaweed mask. Or go all out with a $130 Repêchage four-layer facial. Whichever you choose, your natural beauty will be revealed as vibrantly as the scenery outside.

Best Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Sam Gershenbaum

Need a new nose? Better boobs? Bigger booty? "If you're looking to take your body to the next level with surgical mastery," the Aventura Center for Cosmetic Surgery advises, "Dr. G can get you there!" Born in New Jersey, educated at the University of Miami, and doctored up at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Sam Gershenbaum is a self-described perfectionist whose workweeks are chockablock with rhinoplasties, breast augmentations (AKA BAMs), and Brazilian butt lifts — not to mention Miami's more niche procedures like calf implants, fat grafts, and labiaplasties. And yes, he's also dabbled in reality TV and given away boob jobs at South Beach megaclubs while amassing a fine collection of SUVs and speedboats. But Doc Gershenbaum isn't in the plastic surgery game just for the fame and fortune. Every time he takes his scalpel to patients like Playboy centerfold Kimberly Holland, Tami "Miss Maxim 2006" Donaldson, and hall-of-fame bodybuilder Richard Gaspari, it's because he wants to make this world a more beautiful place. "My work is about empowerment," Dr. G once philosophized in a letter to Haute Living magazine. "I don't just want my patients to look better; I want them to be all they can be."

Best Hotel

Biltmore Hotel

This place has it all: gargoyles, a haunted floor, and a room where a mobster murder allegedly took place. The enormous pool plays host to rows of beautiful Roman-style statues of women who look like the Venus herself. Access to the fitness center for those who have not booked a room costs $35 for the day, starting at 5 a.m. and continuing into the night. It includes access to the gym, sauna, showers, and lockers. More than 100 weddings are curated by the staff of the hotel every year. A stroll through the halls often yields at least one blushing bride posing for her bridal shoot. Some of the best-kept secrets of the legendary hotel are private poolside cabanas, finch cages scattered throughout the main lobby, a culinary academy, great mojitos, and high tea time, which is held during two seatings each day for the bargain price of $25. To truly capture the essence of the timeless establishment would take far more than a couple of hundred words. It is everything you don't expect from Miami but should.

Best Public Restroom

Nordstrom at Dadeland Mall

Wood Tavern photo

Everything about Nordstrom is extravagant: A-list-celebrity-worthy designer shoes, Dolce & Gabbana handbags, a gourmet café, and marble floors all make you feel like a million bucks. So it's no surprise the restrooms are on par with the department store's opulence. The one that stands out is the ladies' room on the second floor. The exterior might look like a typical lavatory, but the interior lounge is, um, bursting with luxury. We're talking leather couches, wing chairs, a wooden center table, modern full-length mirrors, ceiling lights that cast a golden glow, and a subtle scent of floral freshness. This is what royalty must feel like every time they visit the loo.

Best Charity

Lotus House

It's easy to turn a blind eye to those Miamians who are struggling a bit more than the rest of us. But helping others is good for the soul, so get out of your brand-new condo and put some effort into helping those in need. After all, Miami isn't exactly known as a charitable city, so you should do your part to change that perception. A great place to offer help is at Overtown's Lotus House, where you can put in volunteer hours helping women who find themselves homeless due to domestic abuse, medical or mental illness, disability, or economics. The house, which is already receiving aid from titans like art collector Martin Margulies, offers these women and their children a much-needed oasis in Overtown, one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. You can also help by donating unwanted clothing or furniture or by simply shopping at the Lotus House Thrift Store in Wynwood. All proceeds from the store help fund the shelter and its services, which include health care, job training, counseling, education, and meals. What you get in return is the priceless feeling of charitable giving.

Best Animal Rescue

100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades FLorida

The Everglades is a dumping ground. Not just for garbage but for living things. People drive in and toss unfixed lab mixes, matted shih tzus, and fluffy puppies out of their cars and into the wild. Mother Nature is unkind to these pets. They're hit by cars, devoured by mosquitoes, infested with fatal heartworm infections. But the 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida cleans up the horrors that South Floridians leave behind. Its members trek through the sawgrass and concrete of Miami on regular rescue missions, armed with food, medical supplies, and crates. They deal with dead dogs, starving puppies, gruesome injuries — the worst scenes imaginable for animal lovers. But most important, they save lives. They scoop up the innocent pets that people throw away like so much trash and give them new life. They've rescued well over 700 dogs and more than 40 cats, all otherwise doomed to die. These are real-life animal heroes. Email them at [email protected].

Best Of Miami®

Best Of Miami®

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