Health Update: Best of Utah: Body & Mind 2026 – What Experts Say

I recently learned of an ancient proverb that says “the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” As I’ve started to make a few lifestyle changes of my own, this bit of wisdom has stuck with me.

We all tend to fall into the trap of stopping a wellness journey before it actually starts, and I think a lot of us feel like it’s too late. While it would be great to hop into a time machine and develop healthier habits when we were younger, the truth of the matter is that the journey to self-improvement can start whenever we want it to start.

In this year’s celebration of Utah’s best wellness practitioners, I talked to a few Best of Utah winners about what they do to stay healthy.

How does an aesthetician like Callie Buttars unwind after a full day of helping people feel better about themselves? What does an acupuncturist like Rebecca Conde do to make sure she is at her personal best? What tips can a personal trainer like Jameson Mohammadi offer to those who seek his services? How does a licensed clinical social worker like Dale Werner get the most out of life?

I spoke with all four of these local professionals about how they maintain their own wellness, and the insights they offered are fantastic. Mindfulness, gratitude, intentionality and taking the time to touch grass once in a while are the broad strokes, but each professional has their own brand of wisdom to drop for 2026. Coupled with the additional pieces I’ve put together here, I hope the information that follows helps you with your own journey.

For anyone in need of a wellness jumpstart as the weather warms up, this is the issue for you.

— Alex Springer

Self Care is So Hot Right Now

Pineapple Express founder speaks on staying active and setting boundaries.

While it’s true what they say about how you only look as good as you feel, that doesn’t mean feeling as good as you look is out of the question. Indeed, that’s what Callie Buttars—founder of Pineapple Express Aesthetics in Cottonwood Heights—helps her clients achieve on a daily basis.

“This is where I’m meant to be,” she said. “I love making people feel confident.”

Under Buttars’ leadership, Pineapple Express has become a fixture on City Weekly’s Best of Utah lists, and Buttars has garnered all kinds of local buzz for her skills and enthusiasm.

Pineapple Express is a one-stop aesthetics shop that offers routine services like waxing and facials to microdermabrasion and Korean head spa treatments. The aesthetics spa is also authorized to sell IMAGE Skincare items, medical-grade products that reportedly offer a higher level of effectiveness. Fans of all-natural skincare will also appreciate the clinic’s selection of Fur Oil products, which are vegan, cruelty-free and non-toxic.

The entire concept of Pineapple Express is built around making people feel good about themselves. Buttars sees beauty and wellness as a way to help others, something that has kept her on top of her game for all these years.

“When I see someone’s confidence change after doing something as simple as waxing their eyebrows, I know I’m doing what I’m meant to do,” she said.

Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t times when even she needs to unwind.

Discussing ways to cultivate good mental health habits with someone who actively navigates all the stressors of running a thriving business can yield valuable insight, and Buttars would describe her approach as making time to take time.

“Thinking back to when I first started,” she recalled, “I wish someone told me that it was okay to say ‘no,’ and that it’s not going to affect your business that much if you prioritize yourself.”

As passionate as Buttars is about her role in the beautification of others, she has also come to realize that taking care of herself helps her to be more in tune with her clients.

“It’s hard right at the beginning because you’re learning a balancing act, and a lot of people will put the business before themselves,” she noted. “But your clients will feel that and your business will feel that too—it’ll come and bite you in the butt for sure.”

Buttars likes to take full advantage of Utah’s outdoor-friendly environment to keep her physical health and activity levels in good shape.

“The gym is just not my energy, so most of my exercise comes from hiking,” she said.

Callie ButtarsOscar Mr. SKR

When not outside exploring the wilderness, she coaches her son’s soccer team, which keeps her active while also providing quality time with family.

In the end, Buttars’ perspective on a healthy lifestyle is simply about taking the time to check in with herself, her family and the world around her.

“I feel like sometimes I just need to reconnect with my roots and the planet,” she said. “Hiking and camping with my family really helps give me a recharge.”

pineappleexpressutah.square.site

Best Acne Treatment

1. Skin Spa Utah

2. Pineapple Express Aesthetics, LLC

3. Rise Rejuvenation Center

Best Aesthetician

1. Milly Aponte – Always Smooth Waxing Studio

2. Kimee Palotta – Skin Spa Utah

3. Callie Buttars – Pineapple Express Aesthetics

Best Aesthetician School

1. NIMA Institute and Spa

2. Skinworks School of Advanced Skincare

3. Pineapple Express Aesthetics

Best Body Contouring

1. Isha Recovery and Sculpt

2. Body Rock Sculpting Med Spa

3. AirSculpt – Salt Lake City

Best CoolSculpting

1. Timeless Skin and Wellness

Best Day Spa

1. The Kura Door

2. The Cliff Spa

3. Scalp Ritual

Best Eyebrow Specialist

1. Milly Aponte – Always Smooth Waxing Studio

2. Callie Buttars – Pineapple Express Aesthetics

3. Storie Myers – Studio Storie Microblading

Best Eyelash Extensions

1. Pineapple Express Aesthetics

2. Lina Beauty

3. Lashes X Sandra

Best Facial

1. Skin Spa Utah

2. Pineapple Express Aesthetics

3. Pinyon & Pine Holistic Skincare Parlor

Best Hair Restoration

1. Scalp Ritual

2. Lucero Hair and Wellness

3. Inspire Medical Spa

Best Hair Salon

1. Amber René Salon & Spa

2. Lucero Hair and Wellness

3. Helen Susan

Best Hydrafacial

1. Skin Spa Utah

2. Arlani Integrative Medicine and Medspa

3. Inspire Medical Spa

Best Injections and Fillers

1. Beauty Lab + Laser

2. Arlani Integrative Medicine and Medspa

3. Modern SLC Injections & Aesthetics

Best Laser Hair Removal

1. Beauty Lab + Laser

2. NIMA Institute and Spa

3. Haus of Aesthetics

Best Makeup Consultant

1. Andy Truong – A. TRU Makeup Artist

2. Raven Feurer – 5D Salon

3. Beauty with Jocelyn – Performance Beauty Group

Best Manicures

1. Nailed

2. Honey Cosmetics

3. Prive’ Nail Spa

Best Medical Spa

1. Arlani Integrative Medicine and Medspa

2. Inspire Medical Spa

3. Rise Rejuvenation Center

Best Natural Makeup Retailer

1. A Genie’s Dream

2. Splendor Beauty Emporium

3. Apothica

Best Pedicures

1. Nailed

2. Amber René Salon & Spa

3. Soulstice Day Spa & Salon -Gardner Village

Best Permanent Cosmetics Education

1. Studio Storie Microblading

2. Ero Edge

3. Lilikoi Artistry

Best Permanent Makeup Beauty Shop

1. Venus House

2. Ero Edge

3. Lilikoi Artistry

Best Tattoo Removal

1. NIMA Institute and Spa

2. Removery Tattoo Removal & Fading

3. Lilikoi Artistry

Best Waxing Salon

1. Always Smooth Waxing Studio

2. Pineapple Express Aesthetics

3. Raini Day Waxing

Getting Ahead with Scalp Treatments

Local specialty spas are starting to turn a few heads.

By Alex Springer

Relax and get head-healthy with a scalp treatment– Courtesy photo

From deep tissue massage to a good mani-pedi, there are all kinds of ways to pamper one’s body below the neck. But what about those days when the ol’ noggin needs a bit of TLC? For this line of care, the curious may wish to check out the scalp treatments and head spas that have proliferated along the Wasatch Front.

If you’re the type of person who enjoys a scalp massage with your haircut, then a full-blown treatment might just be up your alley. Scalp treatments blend aspects of skin- and hair-care into one head-turning relaxation experience. At Salt Lake’s Scalp Ritual (scalpritual.com), for example, visitors can partake of a wide variety of services designed to optimize scalp wellbeing and cultivate a healthy hair growth ecosystem.

For those who simply want to pamper themselves, Scalp Ritual offers a casual “Unwind” experience which prioritizes relaxation through a mixture of sound therapy, scalp massage, gua sha and warm towel therapy. They also provide other comprehensive services like their titular “Scalp Ritual” entailing an in-depth analysis of scalp health to provide the basis of a custom procedure.

Scalp treatments range from straightforward routines designed to relax and refresh to in-depth procedures customized to achieve long-term wellness goals. Regardless of what your wellness goals happen to be, having a team of professionals pamper your scalp before getting a warm stone massage is going to make you feel good.

Your head does a lot of hard work during the day—it deserves a bit of the royal treatment.

Say Hi to Hydrafacials

This rejuvenating procedure is a must in Utah’s dry climate.

By Alex Springer

Get your glow on with a hydrafacial– Courtesy photo

Living in Utah means living with dry skin. Whether it’s the scorching sun or the bone-dry winters, there’s simply no getting around the toll our climate takes upon our faces. Those who have decided to fight back against Utah’s constant sapping of epidermal moisture know that hydrafacials are an important part of their arsenal.

Hydrafacials vary based on the clinic and service, but the basic concept of this wellness technique is about providing a deep-clean facial with a moisturizing finish: ideal for the harsh desert environs.

Murray’s Skin Spa Utah (skinspautah.com) is one of the state’s finest proprietors of the hydrafacial treatment, and newbies to the process should check out its signature service.

Using patented HydraFacial technology in all of their treatments, Skin Spa Utah provides the core benefits of a facial cleanse to target and remove skin impurities. They also offer red light therapy, eye rejuvenation and massage, which taken together makes for a rejuvenating and relaxing experience.

Skin Spa Utah’s signature procedure is ideal for those after a skincare treatment that leaves one feeling dewy and chill for the rest of the day. From pore cleansing and wrinkle removal to evening out skin tone and keeping things hydrated, the hydrafacials offered at Skin Spa Utah are an excellent defense against Utah’s dry climate and dusty wind.