On this page
Beauty shopping in Palo Alto splits neatly in two. Stanford Shopping Center has the brand boutiques and the department store counters, all within a short walk. Downtown and Town & Country Village have the services: day spas, lash studios, a nail bar and medical spas that book by appointment. Two Sephora stores bridge the gap, one in each part of town.
This guide groups the stores by area and describes what each one sells or offers, using the businesses' own descriptions. Every store has a verified listing in our directory with its address, hours and contacts. We do not rank products or treatments. For medical skin concerns, see a licensed clinician. Our guide to healthcare in Palo Alto lists clinics and hospitals.
Stanford Shopping Center: brand boutiques and counters
The center has the widest choice for buying products. Most beauty stores sit along the Garden Walk and near the Center Pavilion.
- Sephora Stanford Shopping Center: makeup, skin care, fragrance and hair care, with beauty services, events and weekday curbside pickup.
- Aesop: the Australian brand's skin, body and hair care, fragrance and home scents, near the Center Pavilion.
- L'Occitane en Provence: the French brand's body, face, hair and home products and fragrance, on the Garden Walk.
- Drybar: a blow dry bar for blowouts, dry styling, updos and braids, with clip-in extensions and no cuts or color.
- Jenni Kayne: the California label's clothing and home store, which also carries its Oak Essentials skincare.
- Bloomingdale's: a three-level department store with a beauty department, beauty services and spa treatments.
- Neiman Marcus: a luxury department store with designer beauty and a salon.
- Nordstrom: a department store with a beauty department alongside fashion and shoes.
Sephora at the center runs curbside pickup Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., which helps if you only need to collect an online order. Its closest entrance is Plum Lane off Sand Hill Road. The department stores are the place to try prestige brands with a counter consultant. Neiman Marcus invites shoppers to stop in for a quick freshening up or to book a longer appointment. For the rest of the center, see our Stanford Shopping Center guide.
Town & Country Village: beauty, fragrance and spa
- bluemercury: a beauty store selling luxury skin care, makeup, hair care and fragrance brands, with spa services and curbside pickup.
- Diptyque: the Paris house's scented candles, perfumes and home fragrance, with pickup and call and collect.
- LaBelle Day Spa & Salon: a full day spa and hair salon with facials, massage, nails, lashes, bridal services and spa packages.
bluemercury has been owned by Macy's, Inc. since 2015 and offers spa services as well as products. Diptyque lists its own gift box among its services, which makes it a natural stop for presents. LaBelle traces its roots to a first spa opened in 1976 and shares its suite with AwakenMD, a medspa partner. The Town & Country Village guide covers parking and lunch nearby.
Downtown: Sephora, lashes, nails and med spas
Downtown's beauty businesses are mostly service based and work by appointment.
- Sephora Downtown Palo Alto: the Hamilton Avenue store, with makeup, skin care and fragrance, brow and lash services, beauty lessons and quiet hours.
- Forest Spa Boutique: a small day spa on Ramona Street offering SkinCeuticals facials, waxing, lash and brow services and massage.
- Olivia & Lash: a Waverley Street lash and brow studio, open since 2013, offering a no-glue lash lift, extensions and brow lamination.
- Kitchen Nail Bar: the Emerson Street branch of a Bay Area nail salon group with nine locations and online booking.
- SkinSpirit: a medical spa on Emerson Street offering injectables, laser and light treatments, body contouring and facials, with free consultations.
- Palo Alto Laser & Skin Care: a med spa on Lytton Avenue for laser treatments, injectables, facials and body contouring, founded by a surgeon and a nurse practitioner.
- CVS Pharmacy: downtown's drugstore on University Avenue, open until 11 p.m., for everyday skin care and toiletries.
Sephora's quiet hours lower the music and cut back on strong scents, a help for anyone who finds a busy beauty floor overwhelming. The store also runs Beauty (Re)Purposed, a recycling program for finished beauty products. Medical spas are a different kind of business from a beauty store. Their treatments are performed by licensed staff and start with a consultation, so read each clinic's own pages and ask questions before you book. Our downtown boutiques guide maps the shops around them.
California Avenue: facials
- From Europe With Love: a skin care clinic founded in Palo Alto in 2014, focused on acne and corrective facials, by appointment only.
The clinic is moving from El Camino Real to 230 California Avenue on November 1, 2026. Use the new address for appointments from that date. The street's car-free blocks and nearby Caltrain stop are covered in our California Avenue shopping guide.
Beauty store, day spa or med spa?
The businesses on this page fall into three groups. It helps to know which one fits your errand.
| Type | What it does | Examples here |
|---|---|---|
| Beauty store or boutique | Sells products, often with testers, consultations and short services such as brow waxing | Sephora, bluemercury, Aesop, L'Occitane en Provence, Diptyque |
| Day spa, salon or studio | Facials, massage, lashes, nails and hair styling by appointment | LaBelle, Forest Spa Boutique, Olivia & Lash, Kitchen Nail Bar, Drybar |
| Medical spa or skin clinic | Treatments such as injectables and lasers, starting with a consultation | SkinSpirit, Palo Alto Laser & Skin Care |
Department stores straddle the first two groups. Bloomingdale's lists both beauty services and spa treatments, while Macy's, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus focus on their beauty counters and, at Neiman Marcus, a salon.
How to shop for beauty here
- Know what you want to try. Sephora and bluemercury carry many brands under one roof. Aesop, L'Occitane and Diptyque sell only their own.
- Book services early. Facials, lash appointments and blowouts fill before weekends and holidays. Most spas take online booking.
- Use pickup. Several stores list buy online and pick up in store or curbside pickup, which saves time in December.
- Ask about samples. Brand boutiques and department store counters can often help you test a product before you buy a full size.
Beauty gifts
Beauty products are easy gifts when you do not know someone's clothing size. Candles and home fragrance from Diptyque or Aesop suit almost anyone. Multi-brand stores such as Sephora and bluemercury let you pick from many labels in one stop. Of the stores on this page, Diptyque is the one that lists gift packaging as a service. Ask the others whether they wrap. Our holiday shopping guide covers center hours and shipping in November and December.
Good to know
- Hours vary by store. Spas and med spas work by appointment and some are closed on weekends.
- Sephora Downtown is closed on Thanksgiving (November 26) and Christmas Day (December 25) in 2026.
- Stanford Shopping Center and Town & Country Village have their own lots. Downtown spas rely on city garages, so allow time to park before an appointment. See our parking guide.
- Give spas plenty of notice if you need to cancel. Many publish cancellation policies on their booking pages.
Frequently asked questions
How many Sephora stores are in Palo Alto?
Two. One is at Stanford Shopping Center on the Garden Walk near Macy's. The other is downtown at 200 Hamilton Avenue. Both sell makeup, skin care and fragrance and offer beauty services. The downtown store lists quiet hours with lower music and fewer strong scents.
Where can I buy Aesop in Palo Alto?
Aesop has a store at Stanford Shopping Center near the Center Pavilion. It sells the Australian brand's skin, body and hair care, fragrance and home scents. The closest entrance is London Plane Way off Sand Hill Road.
Is there a place for a blowout in Palo Alto?
Drybar at Stanford Shopping Center does blowouts, dry styling, updos and braids. It does not offer haircuts or color. LaBelle Day Spa & Salon at Town & Country Village and several downtown salons also style hair.
Is Sephora downtown Palo Alto open on Thanksgiving?
No. Sephora Downtown Palo Alto lists closures on Thanksgiving (November 26, 2026) and Christmas Day (December 25). Check the store page for hours on the days around them.
Where can I get a facial in Palo Alto?
Options include LaBelle Day Spa & Salon and bluemercury at Town & Country Village, Forest Spa Boutique on Ramona Street and From Europe With Love, a clinic focused on acne and corrective facials that moves to 230 California Avenue on November 1, 2026. Book ahead, since most work by appointment.