by William McAllister | Jul 7, 2026 | News, skin and body
Airbrush Spray Tan
Achieving your best tan can be a time-consuming experience – whether you’re dangerously exposing your skin to those summer-y sun rays or using “fake-n-bake” tanning creams. Overdoing those UV tanning attempts sometimes leaves you sunburnt, increasing the likelihood of skin cancer & that’s never a fun experience. Then again neither is ending up a mix-and-match orange because you applied tanning creams unevenly or just plain wrong! So Goldilocks…what can you do?
If you’re looking for a natural, bronzed look without all the hassle and the skin damage, look no further. McAllister Spa offers a unique, fast spray tan experience you won’t find in any other salon in Miami Beach. And to top it off, the environment is unlike any other spray tanning experience. No tiny booth here…No ma’am (or sir)! This spa-quality treatment room is expansive and includes a full shower and an 8-foot mirror that stretches all the way up to the ceiling. Through a consultation with our technicians, we can help you reach your spray tanning goals. We will show you our whole range of colors and figure out the perfect bronzed color to match and enhance your natural skin tone. Once we’ve picked the perfect tone, you’re just minutes away from bronzed perfection!
Spray Tan Tips
A couple of tips to help us achieve your best spray tan ever. Before we get to work, you must prepare your skin. This is a simple process, but it must be done properly. Shaving and exfoliation should happen the evening before your appointment. Wear darkly-colored, loose-fitting cotton clothing and bring flip-flops. If you don’t have time to exfoliate before you arrive, we can upgrade your appointment to include a dry body buff and a quick shower using a pecan shell exfoliating scrub by Aviva Tanning. From there, our spray tanning techs will get to work on that full-body tan, half-body spray, or a quick bronzing of the face and décolleté.
Our traditional option is ideal for anyone looking to have a considerably darker complexion; the typical time to fully develop is approximately 4-6 hours before showering. If you’re short on time, however, we do offer a unique menu of Express Tan options. The express formulations were created for anyone in desperate need of a quick tan. Depending on the intensity of the tan you’re looking for, you can shower in 30 to 90 minutes! No other salon in Miami Beach can give you such amazing results in such a short time. All of our natural formulations contain up to 14% organic DHA (Dihydroxyacetone), which ensures a long-lasting tan.
A couple more tips related to the longevity of spray tans. Do not shower until FOUR hours minimum after the tan – ideally six! Avoid any type of exercise, avoidable sweating or rain until then. After your first shower, you should moisturize using one of Aviva Labs lotions available here. Exfoliation is the ultimate “no-no,” whether it’s shaving, using a loofah, showering with body scrubs, even rubbing a towel to dry off (always pat dry =). By following these tips and others found here, you will be gorgeously tanned for up to 7 days!
Let’s book an appointment for your next spray tan in Miami Beach. Contact us by sending us a text, giving us a call or sending an email!
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Jul 7, 2026 | hair
Ever wonder how your favorite celebs mix up the color, style and length of their hair so frequently? It’s no magical, star-powered secret reserved for the elite – Hollywood’s leading ladies have hair extensions (and some fabulous stylists) to thank for their lengthy locks.
(more…)
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Jul 7, 2026 | nails, News
The Newest South Beach Trend in Nails
As holiday season strikes, the need for a trusty, long-lasting lacquer is at an all-time high in nail salons in Miami Beach. Until now, most of us have defaulted to the ever-reliable gel manicure. While gel polish does have substantially more staying-power than the traditional variety, it doesn’t always last the touted full two weeks as promised. Between family affairs, office parties and friendly get togethers, your busy holiday social schedule leaves little time for doctoring up unsightly chipping or peeling. Meet the SNS manicure, a non-damaging option able to withstand even the most compulsive polish-peeling tendencies.
(more…)
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Jul 7, 2026 | News
We are weeks away from the holiday season & our schedule in the nail salon and hair salon are booking up quickly. Our nail technicians perform the best manicures in Miami Beach “hands down” (pun totally intended!). Whether you are on the every-other-week schedule for classic manicures, the once every three-week booking for Gelish! gel polish pedicures or you’ve fallen in love with our SNS powder dip manicures, you should definitely book through New Year’s Eve this year. Thanksgiving won’t be nearly as sweet without a perfect cranberry-colored mani, Hanukah will flail without that “opulently-ombre’d” navy to baby blue powder dip mani, you won’t crush that office Christmas party without some holiday nail art and whatever will you do come NYE without a flawless & festive pedicure to compliment the “perfect” pair of high heels. =)
And if nails are the essential detail, fresh haircuts, flawless hair color and perfect styles are a must. Nothing makes gray hair grow in faster than in-laws “visiting”, right? If that’s your regular beauty fix, your favorite hair colorists here at McAllister still have some availability in coming weeks (…but it’s filling up fast!) and you should DEFINITELY book your next couple of appointments now. If you are looking to freshen up highlights or create a whole new look to WOW your friends before the holiday parties start, let’s get to work. Text us to book your appointment (link below) and send along a few pictures of your hair today and inspiration shots to work toward.
As for New Year’s Eve, we are once again operating on a limited service menu and the prices are different (higher) than those charged the other 364 days of the year. For our locals, we will be fully staffed on 12/27-12/30 to accommodate our regulars’ usual needs. Please book on these days prior to December 31 to avoid the absolute craziness and our special event pricing…all of Miami Beach’s visitors seemed to descend on us in those last hours to look their absolute best as we welcome in 2020.
To text message us and book your next appointments with the assistance of Ksenia, Brandy, Sandra & the gang, click HERE. Don’t worry if it’s after hours, it’s our first priority when we open the following day. If email works better for you, click HERE or on any orange-colored link in the top right hand corner of the website. And if nothing else, the good old-fashioned telephone still works, so give us a ring and we will be happy to talk it over with you!
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
by William McAllister | Jul 7, 2026 | hair
The holidays are fast approaching, and now is the time to contemplate the steps you’ll need to take to present a photo-perfect look for those office Christmas parties, family dinners and New Year’s eve parties. Of those decisions, there’s perhaps no more important decision to be made than how to tame those tresses. Your McAllister hair stylists have a wide variety of hair treatment options this year to smooth frizzy hair and repair dry & damaged hair.
Olaplex hair treatments are a perennial favorite and paired with a blowout have become the standard hair treatment for clients with either hair dried from the summer sun or chemically-damaged hair. In less than an hour, our stylists will have you back to better than new! And this year, Olaplex has gone beyond No. 3 to use at home…this year Olaplex has introduced No. 4 shampoo, No. 5 conditioner, No. 6 bond smoother and No. 7 bonding oil. If you’re looking for something a bit more naturally-derived, look no further than Davines’ sustainably-sourced and naturally-derived hair treatment options. This year’s “go-to” from Davines is the Renaissance Circle hair mask. This treatment is perfect to repair hair stressed from the use of hot tools, rebuilding hair integrity and restoring hair’s natural shine.
If you are considering hair smoothing options, your McAllister stylists have more options than ever before. The industry standard – Keratin Complex – is a mainstay in McAllister’s hair salon; Keratin Complex however has introduced KC Max – the strongest keratin available and produces absolutely beautiful results. For clients that want to keep the body and ability to style but kick the frizzy hair, we have several options that will be tailored to your particular needs and budget. Brazilian Blowout is available and is the treatment that started all the rage over a year ago and produces dependably gorgeous results. Brazilian Blowout has also introduced BBX – an express version of the original that takes less time and costs a bit less as well. Goldwell’s Kerasilk treatment stands alone as our only customizable treatment that is tailored to your hair’s condition, texture and porosity…and the results last and last and last and last and well…you get the point!
So if you are contemplating a hair treatment in advance of the holiday rush, book your appointment with a McAllister stylist ASAP. Schedules are filling fast and time is running short! Stop in for a consultation, text us to book an appointment or give us a ring.
More than a decade ago, William McAllister hatched an idea to disrupt the beauty salon industry in Miami Beach. He contemplated what salons once were in years gone by. He yearned to recapture their unique contributions to both personal beauty & community. In the past 10 years, he’s forever changed the industry, and according to him, he’s just getting started! He draws from a unique background – encompassing everything from neurophysiology, business to firefighting- and built South Beach’s busiest & most reviewed beauty concept in South Florida.
