Find Beauty at a Bargain

Unless you've seen firsthand results or have the word of a trusted friend, bargain beauty treatments can seem a very risky business. Sometimes it's easier to shell out the extra bucks at a high-end salon as an insurance premium, because you just won't know whether that $7 eyebrow wax was worth it until the ripping is done and your left brow is there -- or it isn't.

Well, think of me as your new trusted friend.

I called on hole-in-the-wall and strip-mall salons and snooped out five beauty bargains: a mani-pedi, an eyebrow wax, highlights, a one-hour massage and airbrush tanning. In total, I rang up $162 (not including tips), cheaper than my last cut and color.

Sacrificial lambs included pampering (there wasn't a glass of champagne waiting for me at the door), customer service and my time. Is there anything you should never sacrifice? Absolutely. "Always expect cleanliness, know exactly what is happening and [expect to] be managed in an organized way," advises Cary O'Brien, a member of the Professional Beauty Association's board of directors.

Eyebrow Wax

Sandwiched between boarded-up businesses on a strip of H Street NE that's not so up-and-coming, Dee and Kim's Nails is on the lower end of the nail salon food chain. The staff isn't super-professional or welcoming. And the small space, decked out in a mix of country-floral-meets-Pat-Benatar chic, is, well, not very clean.

So while lying on the sheet-covered waxing "bed," I'm sure I'm either going to end up eyebrow-less or, worse, skinless. But my young waxer has her game face on and examines my brow critically before jumping on the brutal wax, strip, rip train, which actually isn't so brutal. She works methodically and with precision, and the post-plucking to catch errant hairs is nominal. I'm in and out in 10 minutes.

The B argain: Quick and efficient; superb brow shape; lots of parking.

Hidden Cost: Dingy space (go to the bathroom beforehand); not-so-friendly staff.

Return?: Yes, if I lived closer or happened to be in the area.

Dee and Kim's Nails, 526 H St. NE. $7. 202-548-0499.

Manicure-Pedicure

From the window, Perfect Nails in Chantilly looks clean and serene. Inside, the pedicure massage chairs have seen happier days (the remotes look as if they've been handled by leagues of stressed-out soccer moms), but a couple of clients are wearing lots of big, shiny bling -- a good omen in my book, because if anyone knows where to go for solid pampering, it's a rich lady. What is not a good omen: soaking my feet in bubbly water for 15 minutes while waiting for a technician on a Tuesday at lunchtime. Once underway, though, my technician doesn't rush while completing the typical mani-pedi formula, from filing to polish.

The Bargain: No snickering over my ragged fingernails; healthy polish selection; big-screen TV; pedicure's polish was still kicking three weeks later.