A Self-Care Day in Boulder Creek

The short version

• Most of the day is in town: coffee, hair, a facial or med spa treatment, massage, and lunch are all within a block or two of Highway 9.
• Nails can come to you. Oli Nails is based in Boulder Creek and works in your home by appointment, with a salon space in Scotts Valley as well.
• Book a few days ahead. Nearly everything here runs by appointment, and most are single-practitioner shops.
• Treat the list as a menu, not a checklist. Pick two or three stages, put them in order, and you've got a day.

Three hair salons, a day spa, a nurse-run med spa, and a massage practice sit a block off Highway 9, all inside a town most people drive through in under a minute. You can build most of a self-care day here without starting the car again. Hair, facials, massage, and a med spa all operate right in town, and coffee and lunch are a short walk from any of them.

One thing worth knowing before you plan: the nail appointment comes to you rather than the other way round, so it slots in wherever your day has room.

One reality check. Almost everything on this list runs by appointment. These are small, often single-practitioner operations, so the day works best if you book a few days ahead and treat the itinerary below as a menu rather than a checklist. Pick two or three stages, order them how you like, and you're set.

Start with coffee

Both downtown coffee stops open before the salons do, which is the whole point of putting this stage first.

Jenna Sue's Cafe, 13090 Highway 9, (831) 338-7008. Open Monday to Friday 6:00am to 2:30pm, weekends 7:00am to 2:30pm. Espresso drinks, breakfast, and house-baked goods in the middle of downtown, and it opens early enough that you can eat before the first appointment of the day.

The Tree House Cafe, 13266 CA-9, (831) 610-8912. A cafe and espresso bar at the edge of town with giant redwoods growing through the interior, which is about as Boulder Creek as a coffee stop gets. Current hours aren't posted in our data, so check before you count on it.

Hair

All three of these are in Boulder Creek proper, so this is the easiest stage to keep local. For the full rundown, including the Ben Lomond and Felton options, see our haircut guide.

Hair Hut, 13266 Highway 9, Suite A, 831-239-0317. Open Tuesday to Thursday 9am to 7pm, Friday 9am to 5:30pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm. Full-service cuts, color, highlights, perms, and extensions, with the most regular posted hours of the three.

Central Avenue Salon, 13162 Central Avenue, 415-725-0850, by appointment. Stylist Dana Bernhardt's single-chair shop offers cuts, color, and extensions. Book ahead; there's no drop-in.

Oh Suzannah Hair Designers, 13090 Highway 9, 831-338-3883. Open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm. Color, cuts, perms, and relaxers, plus facial waxing if you want a small add-on without a separate stop.

Facial or med spa

This stage surprises people. A town this size having both a day spa and a nurse-run med spa isn't typical.

Supernatural Beauty & Aesthetics, 12615 Highway 9, 661-889-5728. A med spa in Boulder Creek founded by an aesthetic RN, offering neurotoxin injections, dermal fillers, chemical peels, microneedling, red light therapy, and medical-grade skincare. Book through the website; we don't have posted hours to share.

Redwood Mountain Spa, 12560 Highway 9, 831-703-4519, by appointment. A day spa at the south end of town offering massage, facials, skin care, waxing, and wellness treatments. Because it covers both facials and massage, it can anchor two stages of this day in one building.

Lilia Skin, Felton. A licensed esthetician offering holistic facials by appointment, with booking through Instagram. This one's a drive down Highway 9, worth it if a slower, holistic approach is what you're after.

Lunch break

Keep it quick so the afternoon appointments stay on schedule.

Taqueria Los Gallos, 13070 Central Ave, (831) 217-5000. A downtown sit-down taqueria serving tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes, easy to fit between appointments. Find it in our food guide.

Johnnie's Super Market & Liquor, 13225 Highway 9. The deli counter makes fresh sandwiches daily, and the market's open daily from 8:00am, so it works no matter how long your morning ran.

Massage and bodywork

Elevated Wellness Massage & Bodywork, 127 Forest Street, 831-345-8043, by appointment. An independent practice providing customized therapeutic massage and bodywork, a block off the main drag.

Redwood Mountain Spa, 12560 Highway 9, 831-703-4519, by appointment. The same day spa from the facial stage also does massage, so if you'd rather park once and stay put, this is the move.

Two verified massage options in town is where the count stands right now. If you run a bodywork practice in the valley that isn't listed, tell us.

Nails

You don't have to leave town for this stage. Down the valley there's Kathy Nails at 6198 Highway 9 in Felton (831-335-9522) and Felton Nails at 6265 Graham Hill Road (831-335-5464), and there are salons in Ben Lomond too, which we're still confirming before we list them.

Queen Nails, 266 Mt Hermon Road, Suite M, Scotts Valley, 831-438-8736. Manicures, pedicures, acrylic, gel, and dip powder, about twenty-five minutes from downtown Boulder Creek. We don't have current hours confirmed, so call first.

Oli Nails, Boulder Creek. An independent nail artist who lives in town and offers in-home appointments here, and who also keeps a salon space in Scotts Valley. Booking runs through Instagram, and because she comes to you, this is the one stage of the day that needs no drive at all.

Wind down

End it in town. A martini in the lounge at Scopazzi's is the natural full stop, and you can stay for dinner in the dining room or walk to another table downtown. The whole sit-down roster, the Sawmill and Tae's included, is in our dinner guide, and a table at the end of a day like this is its own kind of treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do a full spa day without leaving Boulder Creek?

Yes, and that includes nails: coffee, hair, a facial or med spa treatment, massage, lunch, and an in-home nail appointment are all available here, and you can finish with a drink and dinner downtown without starting the car.

Do I need appointments, or can I wing it?

Book ahead. Redwood Mountain Spa, Elevated Wellness, Central Avenue Salon, Lilia Skin, and Oli Nails all work by appointment, and Supernatural Beauty books through its website. The coffee and lunch stops are the only stages where you can reliably walk in.

Can I get my nails done without leaving the valley?

Yes. Oli Nails lives in Boulder Creek and takes in-home appointments here, and she also has a salon space in Scotts Valley. There are salons in Ben Lomond and Felton too, and Queen Nails is the Scotts Valley storefront we have details for. If we're missing one, tell us at bouldercreeklocal.com/contact.

How much does a day like this cost?

We don't track or publish prices, and they change too often for a list like this to keep up with. Every business above takes calls or online bookings, so check current pricing directly when you book.

These are verified facts to plan around, nothing more. Contact details for every stop live in the business directory, the food stops are in the food guide, and if anything here has changed or we're missing a place, tell us through the submit page.