[We are so lucky, girlfriends! Just in time for holiday parties, our spa correspondent Melissa Mellott delivers a fantastic roundup of beauty treatments for you and your girlfriends to try. Gift yourself a present and book those spa appointments now! Even better, Melissa has generously offered to answer your beauty questions. Ask your question in the comments or email us.] by Melissa Mellott What’s on your beauty wishlist to Santa?  Fewer wrinkles?  Less stress?  Better tone and texture and glowing skin? A perfect pedicure or just a little pampering to help you look refreshed and rejuvenated?

One of my spa gal pals, Carrie, works at Evolutions Medical Spa in Santa Barbara. It is so fun chatting with her about all of the treatments available to help women look their best. We recently had lunch and discussed all of the different treatments to help us and all of our girlfriends be holiday hotties!

As an esthetician and advocate for relaxation (holidays are not just about consuming, spending and standing in line!), I have a suggestion: Review these spa treatments and choose one or two that will help you be a holiday hottie, but also plan to do these pampering treatments with your girlfriends to just retreat from the holiday bustle!

v    Get a Facial – Facials are relaxing and results-oriented.  Facials include: masks, exfoliation and massage and give an instant glow.  Average cost of a one-hour facial is $100-150.

v    Get a Chemical Peel – Plan ahead for about 7-10 days of peeling and downtime, but the results are clear, radiant, younger looking skin.  It is peel season, but make sure you wear sunscreen after a peel to avoid sun damage.  My favorite peel is the DNA Lyco Jessner Peel, which is a great antioxidant peel.  Cost of a peel is $100-200.

v    Botox – Don’t like those little lines between your eyes or on your forehead caused from expressing your holiday stress?  Botox® treats overactive muscles by blocking the signals that tell those muscles to contract.  Botox results can last 3-4 months and the treatment takes 15-30 minutes.  Cost is $10-15 a unit; it typically takes 20-25 units for frown lines, 10-14 units for forehead.

v    Facial Fillers – Restylane, Radiesse, Perlane and Juvederm are dermal fillers that fill in wrinkles, fine lines and even plump lips.  Results can last 6-18 months.

v    Facial Acupuncture combined with CryoStem – Want to take the more natural approach?  Facial acupuncture not only temporarily lifts and improves the tone of skin, but is a good treatment for the balancing of the whole body.  My facial acupuncturist combines facial acupuncture with the CryoStem from DNA which lifts and tightens skin, results peaking on the 6th day.  No injections necessary!

v    Massage – Treat yourself to a relaxing massage to get rid of tense knots and muscles. If you like deep tissue massage, try cupping – a treatment done by an acupuncturist.  After one cupping session with my acupuncturist, I am so completely relaxed, but it does leave cupping marks for about a week, so don’t do it if you are wearing strapless holiday dresses!  Sessions are about an hour and cost $65-150.

v    Don’t forget the mini spa treatments that make a big difference and are so fun with a group of girlfriends – manicures, pedicures and brow shaping!

If you have questions about these or other spa treatments, or want to know which one is right for your needs, feel free to ask. Happy holidays!

Melissa Mellott is a spa health writer and reviewer as well as a licensed esthetician. As adjunct faculty at Santa Barbara City College, she teaches and trains aspiring estheticians.  She is is founder of Spa Defined, www.spadefined.com,  a website featuring reviews of spas in places like Santa Barbara, California; the Napa Valley, and Italy.