Ale Arte Beleza Salon Is my favorite hair salon in Rio. And it's all because of Fabio, the hair…read morestylist. He is fantastic. I've been a customer for 10 years. Fabio is very, very talented. Hair cuts, color, and straightening too. This is a small, simple and unpretentious salon. But the quality is tops- much better than the higher-priced salons on the main street and malls of Ipanema. Plus the prices are an excellent value. Fabio at Ale Arte Salon is highly, highly recommended.

I was looking for a place to get a blowout before a wedding. Not speaking any Portuguese, I was…read morevery shy and intimidated. Beauty vocabulary is specialized and often neglected in translation tools -with hilarious results. The staff at Bellissima were so kind (and beautiful, as you might expect!) My hair stylist took the tine to ask me questions via iPad and Google Translate! The nail aesthetician was so friendy! I visited the salon twice while I was in Rio and would have gone more if I had the time. They sell high-end products like Kerastase (great if you want to skip on the usually damaging stuff in hotels.) You can get your hair done and a manicure *and* a pedicure done at the same time and generally feel like, yes, this is what vacation is about. (I highly recommend the Google Translate app and offline (!) Portuguese dictionary. It was a lifesaver.)

Granado is a traditional soap, hand cream, lotion, make-up shop. Their shop in Downtown Rio is very…read morespacious and carries the full range of their products plus items from the Phebo brand. You can get liquid soaps or the bar soaps (that are glycerin based) of various different scents. Many of which are traditionally Brazilian, such as Açai and Castanha do Brasil. They sell hand creams, liquid soaps, nail varnish, products for pets and a special line of products for babies. Totally recommend checking them out and taking a few products home with you!

Their express pedicure may only be 22 BRL which is dirt cheap, but this is in my top 5 worst…read morepedicures ever, and I get them regularly. First off, don't expect a foot bath or even a spa chair. You sit in a regular chair with the nail technician in front of you using s special stool to put your foot on, one at a time. The pedicure included removing my polish, clipping and filing my nails, wrapping each foot in a callus remover lotion and foil, and cutting the cuticle. The whole job was rushed and sloppy, at times even painful, as the nail clippers were dull and she was pulling my nails off rather than cutting them. The worst part was when she cut my cuticle and pulled on a hang nail so hard that a strip of skin came off. The fact that she was prepared with some kind if styptic powder to stop the bleeding concerns me. This must happen a lot. She proceeded to paint my toe nails while my injured toe wouldn't stop bleeding. No base coat and a very sloppy job on the polish. I hope and pray that my toe will not get infected. I also didn't see any barbicide or disinfecting liquids for the tools. Please go to a legitimate spa. I can't vouch for this place.

Quick mani-pedi. Not the full deal. But, a bargain at 42 reals. Friendly nail technicians. Didn't…read morematter that I don't speak Portuguese.