Best Cosmetic Surgeon
Terry Dubrow, MD
Long before he became famous through his TV shows, Dr. Terry Dubrow was pursuing his passion for plastic surgery and the profound difference it can make in patients’ lives. He believes in minimal treatments with natural-looking results. He is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
drdubrow.com | Newport Beach
Best Dermatologist
California Coastal Dermatology — Litchfield, Amy H., MD
Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Amy H. Litchfield has been helping adult and pediatric California patients look their best for more than two decades. She does so in a relaxing, friendly and compassionate setting. California Coastal Dermatology services include medical as well as cosmetic treatments. The doctor advocates early detection and treatment for top skin health.
cacoastalderm.com | Mission Viejo
Best Family Dentist
Center Plaza Dentistry
Another year, another top spot in our ranking for Center Plaza Dentistry. Husband-and-wife dental team Dr. Jaimeson Hofkes and Dr. Vivian Yin help patients of all ages get and maintain their best smiles. The practice offers a variety of services, including routine maintenance, root canals, dental and smile makeovers, emergency services and more. They also have early-morning appointments.
centerplazadentistry.com | Los Alamitos
Best Family Optometrist
Mission Viejo Optometric Center
The team at Mission Viejo Optometric Center strives to go above and beyond for their patients in a welcoming environment. Using industry-leading technology, the doctors at the practice offer everything from comprehensive eye exams to eye disease diagnosis and management, dry-eye therapy, emergency eye care and more. Plus, they boast a wide selection of frames.
lapazoptometric.com | Mission Viejo
Best Hospital/Maternity Facility
Hoag Hospital
Hoag Hospital has been helping Orange County patients for 70 years and our readers once again voted it as the best around. The doctors, nurses and staff working at the state-of-the-art facility are well-qualified to help women become mothers by assisting them in every step of the journey and overcoming any challenges that might arise in the process.
hoag.org | Newport Beach
Best OBGYN
Orange Coast Women’s Medical Group
The team at Orange Coast Women’s Medical Group includes 20 physicians, five certified nurse midwives and three nurse practitioners, all of whom aim to provide decades worth of medical expertise with warm and personalized care. The group has a wide range of services to assist women in different stages of their lives from annual wellness exams to pregnancy care, menopausal care and more.
ocwmg.com | Multiple Locations
Best Orthodontist
Shannon Hilgers Nissen Orthodontics
Dr. Shannon Hilgers Nissen is a third-generation orthodontist who believes that “orthodontics is a serious business that should be done in a fun way.” She and the rest of her team pride themselves on making sure the patients truly understand the methods used to treat them. Some of their services include braces, Invisalign, imaging and more.
shnortho.com | Mission Viejo
Best Pediatrician
Eric H. Ball, MD
Dr. Eric H. Ball has wanted to be a pediatrician for most of his life. Now, the board-certified doctor is particularly passionate about patients in early infancy and toddler years. He enjoys guiding new parents through the new chapter of their lives and answering any questions they might have about their little one.
memorialcare.com, choc.org | Ladera Ranch
Best Speech Therapy
Connection Therapy Clinic
The team at Connection Therapy Clinic understands how overwhelming it can be to have a child who has trouble speaking. They’re ready to help the young ones find their inner voices through a variety of individualized strategies and tools for each child. The therapists bring their skills and expertise to the patients’ homes.
connectiontherapyclinic.com | Aliso Viejo
Best Mental Health Services
CHOC Children’s Main Campus — Orange
Children’s Hospital of Orange County maintains its top spot in our ranking as the leading destination for children’s health, including mental health. CHOC psychologists and psychiatrists treat anything from anxiety to depression, self-harm, eating disorders, autism spectrum disorder and more. They’re also onhand for children with physical health problems when those problems affect their mental health.
choc.org | Orange
Best Special Needs Therapy
Connection Therapy Clinic
The team at Connection Therapy Clinic is on a mission to support entire families. Aside from speech and occupational therapy in your home, they offer social skills classes, art classes, parent support groups, parent life coaching groups and more. The neurodiverse-affirming practice was designed by a speech therapist, occupational therapist and a parent of a neurodivergent child.
connectiontherapyclinic.com | Aliso Viejo
Best Place to Buy a Car
Irvine Auto Center
Irvine Auto Center has been serving Orange County car buyers for decades, and our readers once again chose it as the top spot to get new wheels. With more than 1,500 new and used cars available from about 20 brands, you’ll likely find something to fit your needs.
irvineautocenter.com | Irvine
Best Children’s Resale Clothing
Goodwill of Orange County
Save money, help the planet, hunt for treasures. Our readers still love scoring deals and styling their little ones with finds from Goodwill. The store has a big selection in brick-and-mortar locations and online, which means there’s plenty to choose from. Plus, Goodwill helps people who are facing barriers in finding jobs.
ocgoodwill.org | Multiple Locations
Best Day Spa
Burke Williams
Burke Williams has been elevating the spa experience for decades by combining traditions with innovation. So, when it’s time for some self-care and a little break from parenting, they’re ready to deliver whether you’re looking to rest, awaken or heal. The full menu of services includes a variety of massages, baths, facials and more.
burkewilliams.com | Multiple Locations
Best Family Photography Studio
Candice Swanson Photography
Candice Swanson is as passionate about babies as she is about photography and as a mom herself, she understands the importance of capturing those precious fleeting moments. Our readers can’t get enough of her work — from maternity shoots to newborn and milestone photos — and have once again put her in the top spot of the ranking.
candiceswansonphotography.com | Orange County
Best Fitness Chain
24 Hour Fitness
24 Hour Fitness makes it easy and convenient to meet your goals. The clubs, which are in just about every Orange County city, offer a variety of strength and cardio equipment, personal training and group classes from cycle through kickboxing to yoga. If that’s not enough, you can take the workout home thanks to the 24GO fitness app.
24hourfitness.com | Multiple Locations
Best Single Location Gym
ClubSport Aliso Viejo Health and Fitness Gym
ClubSport Aliso Viejo is so much more than a workout place. The gym offers a variety of group fitness classes from aquatics, boxing, cardio and strength to dance, yoga, Pilates and more. They also have sports and fitness activities for kids and teens. When you’re done with your session, you can relax and recharge in the resort-like surroundings.
clubsports.com | Aliso Viejo
Best Kid’s Haircut
Cool Cuts 4 Kids
Cool Cuts 4 Kids strives to make each visit an enjoyable and memorable experience for the children and parents alike. As they sit in a chair, kids get to watch movies or play video games while the stylists work using kid-friendly hair products. They also go the extra mile for each child’s first haircut.
coolcuts4kids.com | Multiple Locations
Best Nanny/Babysitting Service
Care.com
Childcare continues to be one of the biggest challenges for parents these days, but Care.com is working on making a difference. With just a few clicks, the site helps busy parents find qualified, pre-screened professionals in their area. They also offer tutoring services to help your little one with school work.
care.com | Multiple Locations
Best Pet Groomer
The Spaw
The Spaw’s high pet care standards keep it a favorite among our readers. The facility has full-service grooming as well as grooming packages, paw care and pet esthetician packages to leave your furry friend fresh and clean. You can even indulge your pet with a hot oil treatment. The Spaw also offers pet boarding, daycare and certified pet nutritionists.
ahhthespaw.com | Tustin
Best Pet Store
PetSmart
The largest specialty pet retailer tops our ranking once again. The company’s on a mission to bring pets and their owners closer together and make sure they have everything they need throughout the pet’s life. That includes products as well as services such as grooming, dog training, doggie day camp and a well-known adoption program.
petsmart.com | Multiple Locations
Best Pet Vet
Marguerite Animal Hospital
Dr. Amireza Vedadi has been running Marguerite Animal Hospital since 2020, following years of working for other clinics. Now, his practice offers wellness and preventive care, spay and neuter surgeries, dental cleanings, internal medicine, microchipping and more. The team believes in thorough medical services to the furry patients and strong relationships with the pet owners.
margueriteanimalhospital.com | Mission Viejo
Best Shopping Destination
Irvine Spectrum Center
The stylish shopping destination keeps bringing our readers in and maintains the top spot in our ranking. Always growing and changing, Irvine Spectrum delivers year after year with must-have brands, trendy restaurants, entertainment, events, public spaces for kids and adults to hang out and more. They even have open-air workouts.
shopirvinespectrumcenter.com | Irvine
Best Weekend Getaway Destination
San Diego
It’s really no surprise our readers keep choosing San Diego as the best weekend getaway destination. A relatively short drive from Orange County, the city has plenty of big-time tourist attractions such as SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, USS Midway Museum and Sesame Place theme park just to name a few.
sandiego.gov, sandiego.org | San Diego
Best Family Services Attorney
Varela Law
Attorney Alexandra Varela works with Orange County clients to help them protect their families, their futures and their legacies, and they clearly appreciate her efforts. Varela and her team take a personalized approach to each case and do the best to make the process of estate planning as easy and comprehensive as possible.
varelalawoffices.com | Placentia
Best Family Therapist
Orange County Family Therapy
Orange County Family Therapy is back on top this year. The specialists at the practice work with individuals, couples and families on issues ranging from trauma, family conflict, PTSD, grief, depression, domestic violence, marriage counseling, teen violence and much more as they lead them through the steps to healing with personalized treatment paths.
ocftherapy.com | Irvine
EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER
Best Photographer
Ralph Palumbo
Working as a professional photographer for 27 years, Ralph Palumbo has shot everything from food to celebrities. He’s worked for Southern California publications including Orange Coast Magazine, The Orange County Register and Parenting OC Magazine. With specialties in pets, kids and families, Palumbo has the calming demeanor to work with any subject and environment. Some of his technical specialties include night photography, long exposures, light painting and a return to still life.
ralphpalumbo.com | Southern California
EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER
Best Physical Therapy
CORE Physical Therapy
A physical therapist-owned practice treating orthopedic and sports-related injuries, CORE Physical Therapy performs functional assessments and develops treatment plans for its patients. They specialize in strength and flexibility programs, gait and balance training, sports-specific training as well as knee and shoulder, back and neck, post-operative, total joint replacement rehabilitation and more. They use a hands-on approach with soft tissue massage, myofascial release, joint mobilization and functional manual reaction.
corepthb.com | Huntington Beach
EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER
Best Shopping Destination
Outlets at San Clemente
You can shop 60-plus big brands at discounts in a Spanish-style village overlooking the ocean for a very Southern California shopping experience. Keep an eye on the outlets’ events calendar for fun activities like train rides, which are currently running through Sept. 4. Train rides take families around the Outlets at San Clemente. Rides are $5 and the train runs daily.
outletsatsanclemente.com | San Clemente
EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER
Best Day Spa
Glen Ivy Hot Springs
Every parent needs time to relax and recharge at some point, and Glen Ivy Hot Springs is ready to deliver. The ultimate getaway destination features a full treatment menu of spa services, therapeutic pools, mud therapy and more. The Grotto takes guests into a secret cave and paints them with a warm aloe vera, coconut oil, eucalyptus, shea butter and lavender masque. The wellness transfers to the restaurants, with fresh, clean, California dishes.
glenivy.com | Temescal Valley
EDITORS’ CHOICE WINNER
Best Pet Vet
Yorba Regional Animal Hospital
VCA Yorba Regional Animal Hospital and Pet Resort offers comprehensive veterinary and pet care for dogs and cats. They offer general services including vaccinations, spay and neuter, and wellness exams, along with advanced services like cold laser therapy, ultrasound, laparoscopy and reproduction. They also offer acupuncture and herbal medicine, pet boarding and grooming. The hospital is in the top 17 percent of small animal practices in the country accredited by the American Animal Hospital
Association.vcahospitals.com | Anaheim
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