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Best Car Wash Because It Just Stopped Raining
Squeaky Clean
1900 Cerrillos Road,
983-4201
3931 Cerrillos Road,
474-4320
The Customer is Always Right:
Jay Ritter turned his love of cars into his profession 12 years ago. The original location at 1900 Cerrillos was retrofitted with a heavy Elvis theme; its handwash system recycles 30 percent of the water used and keeps happy customers returning. The south location on Cerrillos-opened in 1999, an extension of Ritter's love for cars and Elvis-uses a brushless automated system. This year is Squeaky Clean's sixth as best car wash. That kind of reputation will take you places!
No Rest for the Best:
Squeaky Clean's holiday special "All Shook Up" was so popular it's been held over into July. Twenty-six bucks gets your car a mini-detail with a free return trip for exterior cleaning within 30 days.
Winner's Circle:
"We're very excited and grateful to our customers!" says south side manager Teressa Trujillo. "It's so rewarding to know you're doing something good for the community."
Second Place:
Oil Stop
Third Place:
Quick Stop Car Wash
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Best Auto Repair Because you Can't Leave Your Car on Blocks in the Driveway Forever
Alex Safety Lane
1370 Pacheco Street, 983-5577
The Customer is Always Right:
Alex Bransford bought Huff's Safety Lane from a man named Huff 48 years ago. Bransford's sons Mike and Ben inherited the business from their father and today they share it with Mike's son Eli. These no-nonsense mechanics believe in letting the work speak for itself: "We didn't advertise for 40 years," Eli says. "The best ad is a happy customer, so we're going to fix their car and do it right the first time."
No Rest for the Best:
The Bransfords are toying with the idea of opening a second location on the south side of town, but the plan is still in its earliest stages. The family doesn't believe in fancy business strategies, just honest business. "We always try to shoot really straight with people. And that's it," Eli says.
Winner's Circle:
"There are a lot of good shops out there. It's probably just our loyal customers and that's really cool. It's nice to know our work isn't in vain."
Second Place:
Ace Automotive
Third Place:
Mike's Garage
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Best Tattoo Parlor Because the Henna Ones Just Don't Last
Aware
1430 Cerrillos Road, 986-0013
The Customer is Always Right:
Weston Weller has spent his professional life honing each craft he learns. After a stint as a chef, he moved into the world of body art, training first as a piercer, then graduating to tattoos. Co-owner Jeff Middleton says, "We've seen a lot of changes over the years in terms of tattooing. We have some very amazing artists and we're fortunate in that respect."
No Rest for the Best:
For years the folks at Aware have participated in an industry practice called a "shop swap." "It's good to send people back and forth between shops. It keeps them fresh and they pick up a lot of new skills and techniques," Middleton says. Look out for Gabrielle Snider, who closes up Mutiny Tattoo in Bellingham, WA several times a year to guest star at Aware.
Winner's Circle:
"This is fantastic!" Middleton says. "We work really hard to innovate and listen to our clients. I feel very respected by the piercing/tattooing community here and by our customers."
Second Place:
Four Star Tattoo
Third Place:
Concrete Jungle
Best Piercer for your Ear or…whatever
Aware
1430 Cerrillos Road, 986-0013
The Customer is Always Right:
Jeff Middleton and Kitten Swinney were looking for a city with a West-Coast-progressive atmosphere and high quality of life. The pair trained at LA's Gauntlet, the first piercing studio in the US, until 1999 when they teamed up with Weston Weller and opened up Aware.
No Rest for the Best:
The biz has empty space at its new location and is looking to expand, but is waiting for the right people to come along. In the meantime, the trio is always looking to connect with the community through demonstrations at street fairs and festivals-the Second Street Experience, for one example, SFR's Summer Block Party for another.
Winner's Circle:
Middleton emphasizes attention to the client above all things. "We try to be facilitators," she says. "We try to create art that conforms to what the customer wants because this is their experience."
Second Place:
Concrete Jungle
Third Place:
Four Star Tattoo
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Best Hair Salon-Extensions or Crew Cuts
Blue Monkey
225 Montezuma Avenue, 820-0654
The Customer is Always Right:
"I started the salon five years ago by myself," owner Nicole Carter says. "I'd been looking for a salon to work in and no one was doing anything exciting so I just opened my own salon." Today Blue Monkey employs eight stylists whose philosophies center around creativity and open-mindedness. "We try not to be judgemental; we try to listen to and work with [the customers]."
No Rest for the Best:
Carter's been pouring a lot of thought and energy into the Blue Monkey Cosmetology School. Its first term started March 1 and her first two students are due to graduate at the end of the summer. A new term-with a few more students-will start Aug. 30.
Winner's Circle:
"I never dreamed we'd win three years in a row! I just keep thinking 'gosh how can I top this?' Santa Fe's really done well for me and my business has done well for Santa Fe, so it's going both ways," Carter says.
Second Place:
Alchemy A Salon
Third Place:
Cactus Organic Lifestyle Salon
Best Bikini Wax Because DIY Just Ain't Cuttin' It
Beautiful Skin
1533 South St. Francis Drive, 982-3899
The Customer is Always Right:
It was during menopause that nurse practitioner Barbara Salas got the bright idea to expand her gynecological practice to include wellness and beauty. "Nothing was working for my face," she says. She started Beautiful Skin with aesthetician Debbie Sandoval and a single microdermabrasion machine. Her offices on St. Francis are small and unobtrusive, representative of Salas' commitment to affordable top-tier skincare.
No Rest for the Best:
Beautiful Skin intends to launch a line of skin cleansers and creams. The products will be available at the Beautiful Skin offices in the next three months. Sign up for Beautiful Skin's new e-mail list to be among the first notified when acupuncture comes to Beautiful Skin.
Winner's Circle:
"It's kind of ironic to win best bikini wax because we started off doing gynecology! We're proud to receive any award. We hope we can service Santa Fe the best way we can," Salas says.
Second Place:
Cactus Organic Lifestyle Salon
Third Place:
Holiday Spa
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Best Place for a Massage, from Swedish to Shiatsu
Ten Thousand Waves
3451 Hyde Park Road, 992-5025
The Customer is Always Right:
Though the Waves opened as a hot tub place, its first healing modality was massage. Today, 136 therapists offer a tremendous range of massages from your basic Swedish to Thai massage, hot stone treatment or the unbearably decadent four-handed massage. Suzanne Santemma, head of the therapist department at Ten Thousand Waves, employs an intensive selection process for hiring Waves' therapists, whose training and experience are extensive.
No Rest for the Best:
Owner and creative visionary Duke Klauck spends at least six weeks of each year in Japan, and plans to bring traditional Shiatsu massage back with him. Santemma says, "It's something that's very rare in the states, so we'd like to offer it here."
Winner's Circle:
"We're just thrilled! What an incredible honor. Santa Fe's been such an incredible support for us. We couldn't do this anywhere else," Santemma says.
Second Place:
Avanyu Spa at La Posada
Third Place:
Body
Best Overall Spa for Taking 10 Years Off your Face
Ten Thousand Waves
3451 Hyde Park Road, 992-5025
The Customer is Always Right:
Duke Klauck opened the Waves in February of 1981. Amidst the construction of the tubs, he had the grand idea to add massage facilities and lo! Santa Fe had a spa before spas were hip. Today more than 130 therapists pamper locals and visitors alike. "You're not going to find chocolate baths or caviar facials here," Mary Johnson, Waves employee and PR czar, says. "The treatments actually benefit you. Everything you see and hear and smell is taken into account. We try to keep everything real."
No Rest for the Best:
This has been a busy year for Santa Fe's favorite relaxation spot, and more delightful surprises are just around the bend. Last fall construction ended on three new bathhouses (bringing the total now to 12) and plans are underway to add a new Asian-themed tea room/restaurant to supplement the fresh treats available in the lobby gift shop.
Winner's Circle:
"We thank the community very much!" Johnson says. "We always try to be very community-conscious, which is why we give locals 20 percent off. Some people use us everyday and some people use us as a celebration. Sometimes we forget that we need to stop, reflect, relax and take a moment for ourselves."
Second Place:
Avanyu Spa at La Posada
Third Place:
Absolute Nirvana Spa & Tea Room
Best Yoga Studio-from Half Moon to Corpse Position
Genoveva Chavez Community Center
3221 Rodeo Road, 955-4000
The Customer is Always Right:
Lisa Gulotta oversees the yoga program at the Chavez center and is fiercely committed to offering her visitors something beyond the traditional workout. Six regular instructors offer classes that emphasize the connection between mind and body almost every day of the week.
No Rest for the Best:
Fusion is the next wave of fitness! This fall, the yoga studio offers CycleAsana, a cycling/yoga class, and CSI (that's Cardio/Strength/Inhale) Gulotta hopes the fusion fitness movement will draw some non-yogis.
Winner's Circle:
"I'm adamant about hiring true yogis here. Yoga is an art form, not a business, and the accolades really ought to go to the instructors. They truly love to teach," Gulotta says.
Second Place:
Body
Third Place:
YogaSource
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Best Pilates Studio Because Everybody's Doing It
Pilates Santa Fe
839 Paseo de Peralta, Suite N, 995-9700
The Customer is Always Right:
Founder Raymond Kurshals brought 30 years of focused Pilates training to Santa Fe 12 years ago and his healing acumen has turned Santa Fe into a Pilates mecca. These days there are more certified teachers in the City Different than there were walking the planet in 1973. Today, a team of eight to 10 cross-disciplined instructors offer traditional Pilates classes infused with elements of massage, yoga, acupressure and hydrotherapy-and a philosophy that emphasizes physical/emotional/spiritual well-being.
No Rest for the Best:
This year Pilates Santa Fe will open a new studio in partnership with Santa Fe Soul Health and Healing Center, with an emphasis on pre- and post-operative therapeutic alternatives. The studio is expanding its community outreach programs with an eye toward bringing wellness to citizens of every stripe. And look for a book, coauthored by Kurshals and local musicians, about the effectiveness and efficiency of the musical art.
Winner's Circle:
"We're the best because our clients are the best! It's a great affirmation of the power of the work we do," Kurshals says.
Second Place:
Genoveva Chavez Community Center
Third Place:
Active Recovery
Best Gym Because it's Summer and you Can't Hide Under a Sweater
Genoveva Chavez Community Center
3221 Rodeo Road, 955-4000
The Customer is Always Right:
The GC3's 380,000 visitors per year and numerous industry accolades come as no surprise to Martin Lujan, interim division director. "We're one of a kind! A state-of-the-art facility. We offer something for everyone." From swimming to skating to league play, senior fitness classes to after-school programs for kids, Pilates and Nia to women's hockey, the Chavez Center is Santa Fe's final destination for fitness and recreation needs.
No Rest for the Best:
Look for a completely revamped Web site with up-to-date schedule changes in the next year. The Chavez Center is developing a number of new programs to amaze and delight, including-get yer sneakers out-a co-ed dodgeball league. Time to get a team together and put those junior high demons to rest!
Winner's Circle:
"This award just shows that we're doing our job," Lujan says. "Our staff works hard to involve the community, and it shows our staff is making a difference."
Second Place:
Santa Fe Spa
Third Place:
El Gancho Fitness Swim and Racquet Club
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Best Real Estate Agency Because Somehow you Can Afford to buy a House
French & French/Sotheby's International Realty
216 Washington Avenue, 988-8088
The Customer is Always Right:
Founded by Michael and Pat French in 1982 with an eye toward more effective ways of supporting their agents, French & French has spent the past two decades thriving. In 2005 the Frenches sold their agency to Bob McCord's Banker Success Realty, a company with the lion's share of the Arizona real estate market. In August McCord purchased and incorporated Sotheby's International Realty and today the office employs about 20 staff members and over 160 of the city's most dynamic agents.
No Rest for the Best:
With all this upheaval around the French & French offices, it would seem that you'd be dealing with a completely different business. "We had a simple business plan that got us to where we are now," Darci Burson, office manager, says. "We try to keep the business philosophy of the Frenches. If it's not broke, don't fix it!"
Winner's Circle:
"I think this is quite an honor," Burson says, "and it sets a very high standard for us. One of our biggest commitments as management is to continue to raise that bar and make sure our agents have all the tools they need not only to compete but to excel in the Santa Fe market."
Second Place:
Santa Fe Properties
Third Place:
Barker Realty
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Best Local Web Designer Because Everybody Needs an URL
Cisneros Design
2904 Rodeo Park Drive East, 471-6699
The Customer is Always Right:
Fred Cisneros came home to Santa Fe and opened a full service design firm in September 1994. The company has been growing ever since, and today 10 employees play all day in bright offices full of toys and primary-colored diversions. "I want my workspace to be like a playground," says Cisneros, "we want to have fun every day and surround ourselves with things that make us happy."
No Rest for the Best:
At the fore of Cisneros Design's list of high profile clients is the Trust for Public Land, an organization charged with fundraising and development for the Railyard's development. Cisneros will assist the Trust in creating a (fun and irreverent, naturally) public identity.
Winner's Circle:
"This means a great deal," Cisneros says. "To start a business in my hometown is incredibly important to me; I love to make a difference in people's businesses and even in their lives."
Second Place:
Xynergy, Inc.
Third Place:
Studio X
Best Bank Because you Can't Keep it All Under the Mattress
First National Bank of Santa Fe
62 Lincoln Avenue, 992-2000
The Customer is Always Right:
First National Bank is older than your great-aunt Mamie. The bank was founded in 1871, making it one of the oldest corporations in Santa Fe. The bank employs 160 locals, and prides itself on the family atmosphere it creates by offering an employee stock ownership program-an option that accounts for about 20 percent of the company's ownership. Ed "Edder" Bennett, bank president, says, "I think it's the best way to reward them for treating our customers well."
No Rest for the Best:
First National Bank of Santa Fe has big plans to serve you better. In addition to the opening of a second Albuquerque office and a permanent south side location, the bank is updating its Web site to make it more interactive and accessible to customers. Also on the agenda is the allocation of thousands of dollars to community groups emphasizing health care, education and the arts.
Winner's Circle:
"We're very honored that we won the award," Bennett says. "I think it's very important that every city has a locus of local capital. Local emphasis makes us more responsive."
Second Place:
Century Bank
Third Place:
Los Alamos National Bank
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Best Bartending Staff, No Matter What your Poison
The Paramount and Bar B
The Customer is Always Right:
The Paramount was still open when the votes came in and, judging by the mass attendance at its closing party, voters weren't lying about their love for the Paramount, which closed at the end of June. The bartending staff at that particularly packed-to-the-rafters night kept up with the crowds as they always have for the past seven years-with speed and good humor. We'll miss those specialty cosmos for sure.
No Rest for the Best:
Former owner Donalee Goodbrod is taking a hiatus following the closing of the club, but you're sure to spot some of the former bartenders at various new gigs around town.
Winner's Circle:
"I think that over the past seven years the Paramount has deservedly earned the title of best bar staff for exceptional service," Goodbrod says. "The Paramount's final year presented particular challenges that were handled with grace and ease by our more seasoned staff. It's very clear to me why this fine team of people continue to be recognized for their professionalism." (JG)
Second Place:
Cowgirl
Third Place:
Blue Corn Café
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Best Restaurant Staff Because they Don't Make you Wait
Harry's Roadhouse
96 Old Las Vegas Highway, 989-4629
The Customer is Always Right:
"Don't tell anyone I'm the brains behind this operation because my wife will kill me!" Harry Shapiro squawks. He and wife Peyton Young opened up the Roadhouse 13 years ago because "no one would hire me. So I had to start my own business." The restaurant has grown from three to 85 employees and serves all three meals.
No Rest for the Best:
The folks at Harry's try to keep things affordable while being creative and working from scratch. "Our thing is not foie gras and truffles. We do a lot of regional stuff, Mexican and Cajun. Our chef is very connected to New Orleans so we do a lot of Southern stuff." Shapiro doesn't have a grand plan for next year; he plans to listen to the requests of his customers and be responsive.
Winner's Circle:
"We don't put the emphasis on serving from one side of the table and clearing from the other. It's not about technique, it's about attitude. Our job is to reach out and be gracious. Service is about caring about the quality of what you do. Our customers are really loyal and we try to be loyal in return."
Second Place:
Fuego at La Posada
Third Place:
Bistro 315
