46. Celadon Spa
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 347-3333
Address: 1180 F Street NW
Description: Celadon does a remarkable job of calming the hustle and bustle of downtown Washington, D.C. While it’s a good choice for a quick haircut or lunchtime manicure, Celadon is best known for its facials and skin and body treatments. Hot stone massages, microdermabrasion, body masques, and skin regimens from the top European lines set this sleek, stylish salon apart.
47. Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon & Spa
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 942-2700
Address: 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Description: Remember those 1940s movies where women would sit in a steam box with their cold cream–slathered faces poking out? Chances are, they were in Elizabeth Arden, who started the whole day spa concept decades ago. Well, the Washington salon is still going strong, though a lot of competition has come along in the interim. Maybe it’s because of that same competition that this salon, once so pricey, is now relatively reasonable.
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Address: 5481 Wisconsin Avenue
49. Lillian Laurence Ltd.
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 872-0606
Address: 2000 M Street NW
Description: Lillian Laurence was a day spa before the term was invented. It’s always been on the cutting edge of beauty treatment and continues to be so, offering facials, massage, body wraps, mud packs, body polishing, waxing, and nonsurgical face-lifts. It’s a pleasant refuge, conveniently located in the lower level of a midtown office building.
50. Patricia’S Skin Care Center
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 298-6773
Address: 1620 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Description: You’re not likely to find a more personal approach to skin care than that of Patricia Alvarez, owner of Patricia’s Skin Care in Georgetown. Appointments for her signature hour-and-a-half facial are highly sought after, but worth the effort. More of a doctor than an esthetician, Alvarez views the skin as the outer manifestation of each client’s habits and lifestyle. You won’t find a hard sell for a specific product line or a standardized approach; it’s all about personal attention here.
51. Bang Salon And Spa
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 299-0925
Address: 1612 U Street NW
Description: Bang has earned acclaim from the budget-conscious, fashion-forward, and beauty media alike for filling a unique void. In a town where $80 haircuts aren’t unusual, Bang charges just $25 for men’s cuts and $35 for women’s—and it does so in a stylish, trendy setting. The original location on U Street was joined by a second outpost in downtown’s new Gallery Place development.
52. Daniel’S Salon
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 296-4856
Address: 1831 M Street NW
Description: In a handsome town house, Daniel’s is three stories packed with beauty services. It’s always bustling with patrons of both sexes, generally up-and-coming executives from the surrounding office district.
53. Okyo Beauty Salon
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 342-2675
Address: 2903 M Street NW
Description: This bright, spare-looking loft attracts all sorts of Washington celebs. It’s acclaimed for fine cuts and coloring, as well as long waits for appointments. Call well in advance.
54. Roche Salon
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 775-0775
Address: 3050 K Street NW
Description: This salon is a fantasyland, complete with paintwork to simulate blue skies and brightly colored cabanas (changing rooms) that make you think of a day at the beach. Don’t let the whimsy fool you, though: Cuts and color are taken seriously here, and the salon is regularly named in national magazines as one of Washington’s best. What’s more, they won’t try to chop off your long hair or give you an unsuitable, hard-to-manage style. InSalon magazine named Roche Salon’s informative Web site the best in the beauty industry. It even offers cyberspace makeovers!
55. Salon Jean Paul
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 966-4600
Address: 4820 Yuma Street
Description: This has been a favorite of the Washington establishment for many years. In upper northwest D.C., Salon Jean Paul attracts a number of patrons from the affluent residential area surrounding it.
56. Backstage Inc.: The Performing Arts Store
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 544-5744
Address: 545 8th Street SE
Description: This costume store, located 2 blocks from the Eastern Market Metro station, will actually make your costume to order, if you wish. Or you can choose from the large selection of ready-made disguises and all kinds of accessories, including wigs, masks, makeup, and dancewear. The shop is closed on Sunday.
57. The Brass Knob
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 332-3370
Address: 2311 18th Street NW
Description: You’ve selected the perfect furniture, wall coverings, and draperies for your new house, but how do you pull it all together? It’s the details that count, and the Brass Knob can provide them. The store carries a wide variety of antique lighting fixtures, stained and beveled glass, doorknobs, and hardware. You’ll also love the architectural accents here, such as fireplace mantles, porcelain sinks, tiles, ornamental ironwork, and carved stone. Visit the sister store, the Back Doors Warehouse, 57 N Street NW, Washington, D.C. (202-265-0587), for larger items such as claw-foot bathtubs and fences.
58. Chocolate Moose
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 463-0992
Address: 1743 L Street NW
Description: You’ll find a wonderful selection of gifts—yes, some of them made out of chocolate!—at this downtown emporium. Shop for funky alarm clocks and glassware, baby gifts, Magic 8 Balls, and tasty chocolate treats, plus a laugh-out-loud selection of greeting cards.
59. Distinctive Bookbinding
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 466-4866
Address: 1755 S Street NW
Description: This shop will take you back to an era when people prided themselves on the quality of their stationery and penmanship and on the leather-bound volumes in their libraries. You’ll find exotic Florentine writing paper of the highest quality here, as well as all sorts of writing accessories, including scented ink. If you already own some worn first editions, this is the place to have them rebound and restored. The store is closed on Saturday and Sunday.
60. Fahrney’S Pens Inc.
City: Washington, DC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (202) 628-9525, (800) 624-PENS
Address: 1317 F Street NW
Description: Other stores in Washington sell fine pens and pencils, but Fahrney’s is an institution. Appropriately located near the National Press Building, this shop has been around since 1929, and the service is just as personal today as it was then. It specializes in writing instruments from Montblanc, Parker, Cross, Sheaffer, Waterman, and Pelikan. The store is closed on Sunday.