From a queer-friendly barbershop to a luxe manicure studio, Denver has its city-girl credentials firmly established. But this is still Colorado: Stellar ski shops dot the streets, and a Nordic spa ensures the mountain set never feels far from home. It’s Gore-Tex meets gloss.

Read More: Top of the Town 2026

5280 July 2026
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Jump Ahead:

Toast the 2026 Top of the Town Editors’ and Readers’ Choice winners at our annual 5280 Top of the Town bash, presented by Kaiser Permanente. Join us on Thursday, July 16, at Cherry Creek North for an evening of delicious bites and drinks, live entertainment, giveaways, and more.

Barber: Sinners

A barber wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates hat works on a man with a beard in a colorful salon
Photo by Sarah Banks
  • Address: 5056 Federal Blvd., Denver (Chaffee Park)

To call Sinners a barbershop is to sell the rainbow-hued Chaffee Park salon short. After all, the stylists there can give you Gay Famous nails, glam you up with Billie Eilish–style ghost roots, frame your face with a soft shag or short mullet, and even help you transform yourself with a new tattoo. Launched in 2024 and run by Quinn Wilder, Sinners is a queer-friendly space that proudly states “Get your fix somewhere else” if you’re not OK with that.

Compared to the rest of the offerings, something as simple as clippers on the sides, scissors on top may feel a little basic, but Sinners has a specialist who will put you at ease with a steady hand and attention to detail. And if you’re feeling meditative or just antisocial, ask for a silent appointment for a conversation-free clip. —Mark Antonation

Readers’ Choice: Orion River Krynen

  • Address: 123 Adams St., Denver (Cherry Creek)

This multiyear Top of the Town readers’ choice winner is known for his creative fades, carving everything from perfectly neat edges to butterflies into his clients’ scalps. You can find him at Cherry Creek’s chic Fifty Two Eighty Salon (love the name, by the way). —Jessica LaRusso

Bike Shop

Readers’ Choice: TriBella

  • Address: 1060 Bannock St., Denver (Golden Triangle)

TriBella specializes in high-end bicycles and professional bike fitting. Cyclists appreciate its knowledgeable staff and welcoming nature, whether they’re training for competition or simply looking to enjoy more time on two wheels. —Malia Logan 

Florist

A bouquet of yellow and white flowers
Photo courtesy of Storytelling by Femke

Readers’ Choice: Fern and Bloom

  • Address: 4014 Tennyson St., Denver (Berkeley)

Fern and Bloom specializes in sustainable florals and sprawling, whimsical arrangements that have captured the hearts of our readers for two consecutive years. —Alex Gribb

Hair Salon: Grand Salon & MedSpa

  • Address: 3501 Kalamath St., Denver (LoHi)

This LoHi salon has been taking care of locks for more than 20 years—and cultivated superfans along the way. “We have people who fly in from other states just to get their hair done,” owner Shelly Rewinkle says. And it’s not just the trendy, modern space with bright white brick and rolling garage doors that keeps people coming back. The stylists here know their stuff, thanks to Grand’s deep commitment to continuing education. Rewinkle has sent her cosmetologists around the globe to refine and refresh their skills. From learning French balayage techniques in Paris to picking up tips for coloring red hair in Amsterdam, the beauticians at Grand are well-versed in more than just a routine trim (although they can certainly give you that, too).

Rewinkle hopes a good haircut is the least you leave with. “Anyone can learn how to do a really solid, technical haircut,” she says, “but I think the staff that we have curated are people who genuinely want to make people’s days better.” In some ways, sitting in a chair at Grand feels like melting into your best friend’s couch after a long day. Your stylist will slide into easy conversation and bring your Pinterest board haircut to life. The only thing you have to worry about is not falling asleep in the wash bowl while they deliver the best scalp massage of your life. —Jessica Giles

Readers’ Choice: Hair Masonry

  • Address: 1115 Acoma St., Denver (Golden Triangle)

Located in Denver’s historical Evans School, this salon builds hairstyles and care solutions for the modern woman who knows a good cut and color should work for you, not the other way around. —ML

Hotel

The facade of La Vista Motel with an e-bike out front
Photo courtesy of Brandon Lopez

Readers’ Choice: La Vista Motel

  • Address: 5500 E. Colfax Ave., Denver (Hale)

La Vista Motel is a nostalgic throwback with mid-century modern flair. Freshly restored, the Colfax landmark kept its original sign while introducing a new coffeeshop and bar. —AG

Read More: Before & After: You Won’t Recognize Colfax Avenue’s La Vista Motel Now

Interior Designer

Readers’ Choice: Anna Reed Designs

Anna Reed is a pro at making you feel at home. Her design firm offers start-to-finish planning, construction, and interior design, or you can just select the services you need, like staging. —ML

Manicure: Blue Sky Nails & Lash Highlands

Shiny gel manicure on nails
Photo courtesy of Blue Sky Nails & Lash Highlands
  • Address: 3756 N. Federal Blvd., Denver (Highland)

When you notice a co-worker has the same glossy, unchipped sky blue manicure through four straight weekly staff meetings, you ask her what her secret is. When she says builder gel from Blue Sky Nails & Lash Highlands, you go check it out for yourself—and then tell the entire city in your magazine.

This strip-mall spot, which opened last year, is larger and more chic than it looks from the outside, with high ceilings, gold accents, and wood-slat divider walls. An army of nail techs means you’ll rarely wait long, even without an appointment. Staff are trained in the latest techniques, including builder gel, an upgrade to traditional gel that can be filled after a few weeks rather than replaced. Blue Sky may not provide the most luxurious, spalike experience, but service is confident, fast, and consistently adept, which is why we’re filing it under “too good to gatekeep.”  —JL

Readers’ Choice: Nightingale Nails: Ukrainian Nail Salon

  • Address: 1394 S. Acoma St., Denver (Overland)

TikTok users recently discovered what Ukrainians have known for years: that the Eastern European dry manicure technique is superior. You’ll find its hallmarks, from precise cuticle work and shaping to nail extensions and hard gel, at this welcoming salon tucked a block off South Broadway. —JL

Massage

Readers’ Choice: Denver Sports Massage

  • Address: 7860 E. Berry Place, Greenwood Village

This isn’t your average light rubbing and mist of essential oils; the massage therapists at Denver Sports Massage will make a real impact on your sore and recovering muscles. Advanced techniques, like neuromuscular massage, cupping, and electro-acupuncture, mean the results go deeper and last longer. —ML

Med Spa

Readers’ Choice: Restōr Medical Spa

  • Address: Multiple locations

This medical spa, with locations in both Denver and Boulder, breaks down its services into three ways to turn back the clock: structural, muscular, and functional anti-aging. Through fillers, facials, and hormone treatments, Restōr will make you feel young again. —ML

Pedicure

Readers’ Choice: Etoile Salon

  • Address: 6460 E. Yale Ave., Denver (Hampden)

With seven options for pedicures alone, you know you’re kicking your feet up at the right salon at Etoile. Select from services like a sugar scrub, callus control, botanical-infused bath, hydrating mask, and message, all inside the quietly luxe space. —ML

Pet Store/Services

Readers’ Choice: Goodheart Animal Health Center

  • Address: Multiple locations

From local coffee for two-legged visitors to heated procedure tables for four-legged patients, this local veterinary chain—which has added Cherry Creek and Lowry locations since the original opened in Baker in 2019—nails the details. Nervous pet parents appreciate that all treatment rooms have windows, so Fido and Fluffy are never out of sight. —JL

Ski Shop: Larson’s Ski and Sport

  • Address: 715 Kipling St., Wheat Ridge

You could be excused for thinking that this past season’s historically low snowpack—at one point dipping to the “zeroth percentile,” as Redditors coined it—scared off most Front Rangers. Nope. “Skiers will always go,” says Jack Marriott, a shop manager at Larson’s. He would know. Larson’s has been serving rippers for more than 50 years, which means weathering a few lean winters along the way.

That staying power has earned the Wheat Ridge shop something of a cult following among Coloradans looking for a good tune, a licensed bootfitter, or affordable seasonal rentals for kids. “Reddit loves us,” says Marriott, whose father, John, purchased Larson’s in 1983. He has a theory why: “Our goal is to keep skiing accessible for families and affordable.” And they do. Daily rentals run $40 for adults and $20 for kids. Seasonal packages start at $175 for grown-ups and just $95 for groms. In summer, Larson’s swaps skis and snowboards for paddleboards (while still hawking last winter’s bounty at steep discounts).

But Marriott and his crew never stop thinking about next season. Regulars want the newest equipment, and the service techs have fleets of boards to tune. There’s another project looming, too: After five decades of growth, Larson’s is looking for a bigger space. —Maren Horjus

Readers’ Choice: Ski & Boot Lab

  • Address: 8955 Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 1500, Highlands Ranch

Owner KC McCallum runs his Highlands Ranch ski shop as a primarily appointment-only business, giving you one-on-one access to his expertise and undivided attention. —Sahale Greenwood

Spa: RÖK Spas

A topless man dumps cold water on himself while his topless buddies look on
Photo courtesy of Rök Spas
  • Address: 2025 17th St., Denver (LoDo)

Science backs up what any cold plunger can’t stop themselves from telling you: You feel better, and worry less, afterward. “When you get out, you feel energized, you have an endorphin release,” says RÖK co-founder Malia Makaila. And while you could suffer through an ice bath at home, RÖK, which opened near Union Station last year and is Denver’s only Nordic spa, provides the full experience.

On a recent Wednesday at 7 p.m., about a dozen guests in their 20s and 30s milled around in swimsuits and sandals, chatting while they passed through the choose-your-own-adventure circuit: sauna, cold plunge, eucalyptus-scented steam room, warm tub. “People come in for date nights, time with friends, post-work,” Makaila says. Thoughtful details abound, including warm, fluffy towels and generously sized changing rooms, and the spa is reasonably priced at $42 for two hours Mondays to Thursdays and $52.50 on weekends. Sound healing and breathwork classes are available for those who want to go deeper. —Rose Cahalan

Readers’ Choice: The Oxford Club Spa

A lounge in the Oxford Spa
Photo courtesy of Oxford Club Spa
  • Address: 1616 17th St., Suite 100, Denver (LoDo)

The LoDo Oxford Club Spa marries old-world elegance with modern wellness, pairing its historic atmosphere with Dr. Dennis Gross’ medical-grade skincare and advanced IV therapy services. —AG