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Prepare to be teased. Vixen, a Magnolia Village spa, will entice you into its lair even if your nails don't need a new shade. You won't be able to resist the allure of the waiting area, with its colorful, fanciful (yet practical) offerings. Ornate gilded mirrors and Asian floral arrangements mix in with ordered displays of high-end cosmetics and skin-care lines, such as Dermalogica and Japonique. Handwritten signs say — as if to a friend — "the best mascara in the world. Ask us about it." Accessories play it coy, such as the shot glass with a cartoon woman declaring she doesn't care if he calls or not, or the taller glass boasting that glamour girls don't put up with stubble.

In the display window, you'll want to touch the bright geometric bracelets ($6), key chains, and shimmery makeup bags with bejeweled zippers ($18). Quilted satin slippers in matching drawstring bags ($26) poke neatly from drawers.

If this array of hues, fabrics and scents doesn't arouse your senses, the treatments will. You can sign up for pedicures ($42), manicures ($26), waxing, tinting, and a whole range of facials, lasting from 45 minutes to 60 minutes ($47 to $67). (Men, too, can experience a back facial or an express facial.)

Near the door, the Maison de la Vanille display offers vanilla fragrances from Madagascar, Mexico, Tahiti and Antille. Here, where upscale meets hip, even plain old vanilla is nothing but.

Tips: Waxing services require a quarter-inch of hair growth. If you decide to cancel a session, do it 24 hours beforehand, because Vixen charges for missed appointments. It costs less per facial to schedule a series than just one.

By Alison Peacock
Special to NWsource