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Allure Magazine's Guide To Salons With Best Haircutters - 2007

Allure's 2007 Guide To Salons With Best Haircutters

California

*who: Adir Abergel; Hair by Adir

*phone: 310.397.0397

*what: Abergel is a kind and kindred spirit, understanding our attachment, but determined to rehabilitate our lank, stiff hair. he dispatched an inch off the bottom and sheared long layers all around that swung with the slightest head turn. now the only thing to call us is "the girl with the great hair" [$200].

los angeles, ca

*who: Chris Mcmillan the salon; chris mcmillan

*address: 8944 burton way

*phone: 310.285.0088

*what: jennifer aniston's guy delivers high style in a refreshingly laid-back atmosphere. the salon's andy lecompte is also a gem [$600 for mcmillan; $500 for lecompte].

los angeles, ca

*who: dre szucs; umberto camden salon

*address: 452 north camden dr.

*phone: 310.274.0393

*what: our straight hair, like our olive oyl-slim frame, tends to be shapeless and thin. stylists have tried creating long layers for oomph, but somehow, it still always looked limp. enter szucs, who produced intricate, long layers all over the back with shorter ones staggered in front, from temples to chin. at last, a stylist who managed to cheat mother nature, endowing us with the fullness we've always wanted [cut, 490 and up].


los angeles, ca

*who: frederic fekkai melrose place; adir abergel

*address: 8457 melrose pl

*phone: 310.777.8700

*what: many of his clients are celebrities - the rest just leave looking like one [$400 and up].

los angeles, ca

*who: gabriel mendoza; joseph cozza salon

*address: 30 maiden lane

*phone: 415.433.3030

*what: we have a reputation for being demanding, and that goes double when we sit down in a salon chair. our hair was months overdue for a cut, and while we wanted something different, we'd also grown attached to the shoulder-blade length. mendoza not only listened to every word, he actually understood our desires, a fact that became clear as he cut careful, chunky layers throughout the back and left a few strategic pieces long to keep the look casual. we left feeling several pounds lighter but not totally shorn. high standards never looked so good [cut, $85].

los angeles, ca

*who: lorenzo martin; jose eber atelier

*address: 224 n. rodeo dr.

*phone: 310.278.7646

*what: the '80s may be back in fashion, but nothing prepared us for the jose eber time warp [eber is the man who did farrah fawcett and liv taylor's hair in the '80s]. once we adjusted - somewhat - to the decidedly unsubtle decor, martin shared his philosophy: "love jagged, hate blunt. i want to give you sexy hair." to do that, he snipped angled layers into our previously straight-edged mane, then teamed up with his assistant for a lightning-fast, four-handed blowout, and set the crown in large rollers for extra volume at the roots. we left with a slightly shaggy bob that had just enough retro kick without seeming too kitschy. this blast from the past is well worth a future trip [cut, $250].

los angeles, ca

*who: neil george salon; cervando maldonado

*address: 9320 civic center dr.

*phone: 310.275.2808

*what: a genius with fine hair, his fans include reese witherspoon and renee zellweger [$280 and up].

los angeles, ca

*who: neil weisberg; neil george salon

*address: 9320 civic center dr.

*phone: 310.275.2808

*what: it's downright shameful: we live just 15 minutes from the ocean but hardly ever take a dip. to fake a bit of surfer-girl style, we approached weisberg with out wish list: give our sunny, highlighted hair a naturally windblown look. he surveyed our straight, shapeless locks and happily accepted the challenge, adding long layers from front to back with self-assured snips. a half-hour later, even our damp hair was pumped with body rather just hanging flat. we still don't spend time at the beach, but judging by our perfectly flowing hair, you'd never know it [$200].

los angeles, ca

*who: ken paves salon; ken paves

*address: 409 n. robertson blvd

*phone: 310.205.0087

*what: jessica simpson, eva mendes, and eva longoria are so enamored, the call themselves "ken-ites" [$500].

san diego, ca

*who: jason brandler; crimson chic salon

*address: 171 w. market st

*phone: 619.231.2442

*what: there's nothing like a man who really looks at us - who takes in our face, the shape of our head, even the cowlicks or unexpected waves. and brandler's gaze never wandered. once he made his assessment, he took out his miniature scissors ["for better dexterity"] and started shaping our dense, overgrown bob. he cut long, nearly invisible layers in the back and whittled more sharply angled ones in the front, each pruned to lift our cheekbones subtly. after nearly two hours in the chair, we admit to feeling restless, but this brit's charming, chatty demeanor kept us quite entertained. and judging from our haircut's rave reviews, we'd better get used to having all eyes on us [$70].

san francisco, ca

*who: cowboys and angels hair salon

*address: 207 powell st.

*phone: 415.362.8516

*signature service: runway inspired cuts - stylists train seasonally with bumble and bumble instructors in new york city.

*best bonus: 15-minutes scalp and neck massages.

*top pros: louise baranowski and tracey mcalister [stylists]; emily wheeler and katie casey [colorist].

san francisco, ca

*who: daniel freeman; the red chair salon

*address: 1808 union st.

*phone: 415.346.3939

*what: we'd always wanted long hair. after years of patience, we finally had it - and not a clue about how to style the shoulder-length mess [without relying on a mountain of pins and barrettes]. freeman immediately pointed to our blunt ends as the primary culprit and set about crafting graduated layers. before sending us on our way, he got down on his knees to snip away the last bit of unruliness. our newly sexy, tousled mane was still long - especially on style [$95].

san francisco, ca

*who: joseph cozza salon; alvaro herrera

*address: 30 maiden lane

*phone: 415.433.3030

*what: he doesn't say much when you're in his chair - but his precise cuts speak volumes about his talent [$85].

Florida

miami, fl

*who: jean-marc choffel; pipino salon; the shore club

*address: 1901 collins ave.

*phone: 305.695.3296

*what: it may not be fashionable to admit, but we like our hair big [not dallas big - bardot big]. at first it seemed that choffel was thinking small, as he sneered at our current style, insisted we curtail our product use, and recommended a dry haircut, something we'd never experienced. we became less wary when he showed his scissor skill - rapidly trimming section by section, adding nearly imperceptible layers. the look was exactly the way we like it - full of sexiness and intrigue, with substantial life all over. the style wasn't just big, it was beautiful [cut, $175 and up].

miami, fl

*who: oribe salon; kevin apple

*address: 1627 euclid ave.

*phone: 305.538.8006

*what: he can completely transform your texture [if not your life!] [$200 and up].

miami, fl

*who: thierry beatrix; nikita paris salon

*address: 5832 sunset dr.

*phone: 305.662.9200

*what: something about french accents always turns us to mush. after just five minutes of beatrix's lilting vowels, we were sold on his idea for our curly hair: a v-shape. ten minutes, and a headful of layers later, he'd finished. he spritzed us with a styling lotion, coaxed frizzy strands into neat curves, and sent us on our way. while we were a bit baffled bu the ten-minute encounter, two months later, our curls are still bouncy. to that - and the unbelievable price - we say merci [$55].

miami, fl

*who: vidal sassoon

*address: 660 collins ave., miami beach

*phone: 305.672.3600

*signature service: bobs and other short, sculpted haircuts with bangs.

*best bonus: a ten-minute scalp massage with every shampoo.

*top pros: keith ayotte and audra billingsley [stylist]; marion velez and jesse mendoza [colorists].

Georgia

atlanta, ga

*who: janelle sellers; rockit salon

*address: 1604 dekalb ave., n.e.

*phone: 404.378.0988

*what: our pixie cut had started out cute and cool, but after a few months, it was shaggy and shapeless. so what did sellers tell us once we sat down? "the first time i cut your hair, it might not look too cool." uh-oh. sellers, whom our gorgeous pilates instructor swears by, got to work, cropping inches all around to leave a modern, even slightly punk style, free of straggly pieces. next time, sellers shouldn't sell herself short [$55 and up].

atlanta, ga

*who: rockit salon

*address: 1604-a dekalb ave.

*phone: 404.378.0988

*signature service: rock-star layers and bold swaths of color.

*best bonuses: neck massage during your shampoo; wine and beer during your cut or highlights.

*top pros: dana walker, janelle sellers, and tiffany freeman [all offer haircuts and color].

decatur, ga

*who: grow salon; rick burleson

*address: 627 - c e. college ave.

*phone: 404.373.7775

*what: face-flattering, earth-shattering cuts in record time [$60 and up].

Illinois

chicago, il

*who: duschan musikovski; salon u

*address: 2535 n. lincoln ave.

*phone: 773.327.2622

*what: despite musikovski's former career as a model, we decided to break our rule of not getting our hair cut by anyone prettier than us. after all, the very name, salon u, suggests that it's about us, not him. from the attentive reception [coffee, tea, champagne?], to the loaded video ipods, to musikovski's careful analysis of our hair, we were the center of attention. musikovski's didn't get too scissor happy though, obeying our edict to remove only about an inch of the length while shaping the curls so our head no longer resembled a neglected topiary. he gave us layers that fall just right, and now we're all about him [$71].

chicago, il

*who: fringe

*address: 1437 n. milwaukee ave.

*phone: 773.862.1000

*signature services: cuts and color for below-the-shoulder hair.

*best bonus: free 15-minute consultations for walk-ins.

*top pros: dawn bublitz, michael mullen, sanjoy ghosh, ludwig, and tania cubberly [all offer both haircuts and color].

chicago, il

*who: michael & michael salon; michael jacobson

*address: 365 w. chicago ave.

*phone: 312.951.0779

*what: his dry cuts create texture [$275].

Massachusetts

boston, ma

*who: james joseph salon

*address: 30 newbury st.

*phone: 617.266.7222

*what: swingy, layered cuts for long hair.

*best bonus: massage chairs at the shampoo sinks.

*top pros: maite lopez and eva mustafai [both offer haircuts and color].

boston, ma

*who: jessica vanaria; grettacole

*address: 10 huntington ave.

*phone: 617.266.6166

*what: when we heard that this salon's new star was just 23 years old, we were intrigued enough to make an appointment. after examining the texture of our hair, vanaria, indeed young and eager, set to work snipping lightweight layers in back and transforming some stragglers in front into modern, angular bangs. weeks later, the shape still looked fantastic, and we've been handing out her name ever since [cut, $65 and up].

boston, ma

*who: mario russo salon; mario russo

*address: 9 newbury st.

*phone: 617.424.6676

*what: after cutting, he teaches clients exactly how to style [$250].

Michigan

birmingham, mi

*who: anthony marsalese; antonino salon and spa

*address: 191 townsend st.

*phone: 248.258.5990

*what: when a last minute appointment opened up with marsalese - who's often booked a month in advance - we quickly cleared our own calender. but even with his popularity, he was generous with his time, carefully transforming our bulky, thick mop into a sexy, layered style - an adaptation of a look he said he'd spotted on the streets of paris just a few weeks earlier. for a haircut this good, we'll be sure to book ahead [$90].

detriot, mi

*bashar salon

*address: 250 martin st., birmingham, mi

*phone: 248.540.2200

*signature service: light layers and bold highlights.

*best bonus: an on-call personal shopper who will bring you clothes to try on after your service.

*top pros: bashar kallabat, cara hiddings, and jennifer hanna [all offer haircuts and color].

royal oak, mi

*who: alex emilio salon; jenny foumia

*address: 409 s. main st.

*phone: 248.414.7600

*what: long layers that bring bounce to flat hair [$45 and up].

New York

new york, ny

*who: ana paula cota; devachen salon

*address: 560 broadway

*phone: 212.274.8686

*what: we're not big joiners, so we were wary of devachen because of its cult following. the religion: waves and curls. cota converted us right away, explaining that she's be doing a dry cut so that each layer fell just right. nothing scary there - until she combed through our curls and made them bigger than diana ross's wig. fortunately, we were quickly whisked away to the sink, where traditional shampoo is forbidden and a light conditioner is applied to deter frizz. after more conditioning, copious gel, and some time under a bonnet dryer, we were mazed. in just over an hour, we'd gotten impeccable layers, springy curls - and become believers [$115].

new york, ny

*who: aurora; pashah salon

*address: 601 madison ave., nr 58th st, penthouse

*what: aurora at pashah salon is for the short-hair-baby step taker. she'll start off with a chin-length cut, then go shorter if you're feeling nervy [$120].

new york, ny

*who: april barton

*address: 222 w. 23rd st, nr eigth ave.

*phone: 212.633.1011

*what: april barton's always loved choppy cuts; she freestyles in suite 303 in the chelsea hotel [from $95 with a staff stylist, starting at $300 with barton].

new york, ny

*who: butterfly studio; kattia solano

*address: 149 fifth ave.

*phone: 212.253.2100

*what: a true whiz at working with hair's natural texture [$300].

new york, ny

*who: eliut rivera; salon eliut rivera

*address: 762 madison ave.

*phone: 212.472.3440

*what: after spending the past six months growing out a bad haircut, we didn't want sharp objects anywhere near our head. but rivera spoke four words that allayed our fears: "i love long hair." then he gave us the most perfect microtrim, delicately snipping away frayed ends and creating graduated layers from ear to chin. forty five minutes later, our hair looked bouncier, healthier -and, somehow, even longer than when we'd walked in [$300].

new york, ny

*who: garren

*address: 781 5th ave., nr 59th st.

*phone: 212.841.9400

*what: for anna sui's spring 2008 show, garren added purple and red streaks to his asymmetrical coifs [from $100 with a staff stylist to $700 with garren]. his impeccable cuts and seasoned eye launch modeling careers.

new york, ny

*who: john sahag workshop

*address: 425 madison ave.

*phone: 212.750.7772

*what: the precise dry-cutting technique created by the late sahag.

*best bonus: calm atmosphere enhanced by a waterfall.

*top pros: thomas clancy and karmela lozina [stylists]; frank reina and santino n. acquista [colorists].

new york, ny

*who: nick arrojo; arrojo studio

*address: 180 varick st., nr king st.

*phone: 212.242.7786

*what: nick arrojo cuts bobs with shattered looking layers on one side, and a smooth, side-swept graduated razor cut [from $68 with a staff stylist; starting at $500 with arrojo].

new york, ny

*who: nunzio saviano; oscar blandi salon

*address: 746 madison ave.

*phone: 212.988.9404

*what: we have a weakness for italians, so even if saviano had suggested a buzz cut we'd have consented. instead, we kept our wits and explained our conundrum: we have fine hair, but we want to keep it long. rather than chastise us for demanding the impossible, saviano trimmed an inch off the bottom and sliced long layers to give us the body we craved. by the final mirror check we were on the verge swooning - our new look was just that striking [cut, $185]. his layers are lush no matter what your hair type.

new york, ny

*who: orlo salon; orlando pita

*address: 34 gansevoort st.

*phone: 212.242.3266

*what: sophisticated cuts that hold their shape for weeks [$800].

new york, ny

*who: robert gloria

*address: 23 commerce st.

*phone: 212.488.3200

*what: because we wear our hair long and straight, cuts rarely offer any surprises. we gave gloria our typical cursory instructions ["oh, you know, about an inch off, long layers...whatever"], and found ourselves sucked into a fascinating conversation. forty minutes later, we were shocked to find that he chopped off at least three inches - not the kind of surprise we wanted. but after a few days, we were used to the more flattering length - and delighted by the unexpected [cut, $150 and up].

new york, ny

*who: roman kusayev; butterfly studio

*address: 149 fifth ave.

*phone: 212.253.2100

*what: friends had raved about kusayev, so we hoped he could bring the sexy back to our limp, chest length hair. he snipped about three inches off the bottom, cut long layers in the back to take off the weight, and delicately framed our face by slicing shorter pieces in the front. our hair was still a tad damp when we left - but we felt smoking hot [$100].

new york, ny

*who: roy teeluck

*address: 38 e. 57th st.

*phone: 212.888.2221

*what: we're the oldest child, so we're definitely not used to being bossed around - even by a hairstylist. but teeluck skipped the standard flattery and small talk, then nixed our request for "just a trim," insisting that a shoulder-length, piecey cut would give our baby-fine strands more oomph. we begrudgingly agreed, so teeluck divided hair into sections and layered the back and sides with a razor - an alarming sight, given our fine hair. but once we saw the result, we admitted that he'd actually been right all along. we left the salon with sex-kitten volume, perfect side-swept bangs - and spent the next day basking in the compliments from our little sister [$350].

new york, ny

*who: serge normant

*address: 30 e. 76th st., near madison ave; 825 washington st., near little w. 12th st

*phone: 212.879.1000

*what: serge normant created a lot of punky cuts in current editorial spreads, but an appointment with him is hard to come by, and expensive. his highly competent staff is a lot less [from $175 for a staff stylist to $500 for normant]. famously shears sarah jessica parker and julia roberts.

new york, ny

*who: shears hustle & blow

*address: 124 crosby st., nr houston st; and 111 third ave., nr 13th st

*phone: 212.219.9626; 212.388.9990

*what: ricky's pint-size shears hustle & blow salons [there are two chairs on third avenue, five on crosby street] don't require appointments or a lot of your cash for a choppy cut [from $50].

Pennsylvania

philadelphia, pa

*who: head area @ matthew izzo lifestyle; jojo clapson

*address: 1109 walnut st.

*phone: 215.829.0699

*what: the main line's mane man delivers flawless style every time he cuts [$90 and up].

philadelphia, pa

*who: jc mazza; closet fever

*address: 707 n. 2nd st.

*phone: 215.627.4600

*what: we try not to be judgmental, but our first glance at mazza - and her rainbow-colored, bat winged sleeved tunic - gave us pause. but we couldn't back out; our long layers were so scraggly, we hadn't worn our hair down for weeks. our confidence in mazza grew when she quickly pinpointed the problem. "did someone use thinning shears on you? no good! now all the volume and body is at the roots." mazza lopped off over two inches of frizz, cleaned up our long layers, and thinned them out - with regular scissors, this time, to create a more polished style. that's the last time we judge a book by its...tunic. $60 and up.

Texas

dallas, tx

*who: osgood-o'neil salon

*address: 6932 snider plaza; 3213 knox st.

*phone: 214.373.6336; 214.520.1117

*signature service: subtle color and long, layered cuts.

*best bonus: the patio out back, where you can get a service alfresco.

*top pros: bruce osgood and jeff o'neil [stylists]; jt osgood and natasha kahn [colorists].

dallas, tx

*who: salon three thirty, yancey smith

*address: 2510 cedar springs rd

*phone: 214.219.1100

*what: he gives short cuts swing and makes curly hair manageable [$130].

Washington, D.C.

washington d.c.

*who: kelly gorsuch; urban style lab

*address: 1341 connecticut ave., n.w.

*phone: 202.223.2066

*we'd banned the hot iron and blow-dryer for months, but you'd have thought we were styling our hair with a flaming pitchfork. the layers hung askew, and it looked wispy and damaged. gorsuch had a different take: "it's not as damaged as you think. the blond highlights just make it look frizzier, and the ends disappear and seem ragged." to counteract this, he cut about an inch off the tips so that they were swingy and smooth, and razored the front layers to lip level so we can tuck it behind our ears if we want. perhaps, rather than tlc, it was a tender loving cut, that our hair needed [cut, $100 and up].

washington, d.c.

*who: molecule

*address: 1800 m st., n.w.

*phone: 202.822.1588

*signature service: a fresh take on urban, hipster haircuts.

*best bonus: lengthy head-and-neck massage with every service.

*top pros: frankie sanderson and franck rihouey [stylists]; huda al-yacuoby [colorist].

washington d.c.

*who: odie odell; saint germain by molecule

*address: 439 7th st., n.w.

*phone: 202.824.0444

*what: we've tortured our hair with blowouts and curling irons, and the time had come to confront our past. we cringed as odell broke the news: "you're going to need to lose about this much," he said, stretching his thumb and forefinger as wide as they could go. but never did we imagine that enduring such penance would be so easy: odell removed every frayed end and sent us home with swingy, shoulder-skimming hair, not the joyless bob we'd feared. even a sinner can be redeemed. his scissors breathe new life into frayed or damaged hair [$90 and up].

State Of Washington

bellevue, wa

*who: madison thomas; gene juarez salon & spa

*address: 550 106th ave., n.e.

*phone: 425.455.5511

*what: when thomas hinted that our blunt-cut bob didn't just look stale, but also seemed more like a [gasp!] wig, we were taken aback. mostly because the truth hurts. she suggested adding a few layers to bring out the natural waves and shortening the pieces around our face to emphasize our high cheekbones. the revitalized style wasn't a dramatic change, but it still made a huge difference - all thanks to a stylist brave enough to dole out tough love [$60].

seattle, wa

*who: bosz salon; danny velasquez

*address: 1523 sixth ave.

*phone: 206.624.9134

*what: gives you exactly what you ask for, only better than you imagined [$160].

seattle, wa

*who: derby salon

*address: 6315 roosevelt way, n.e.

*phone: 206.526.1470

*signature services: shapely cuts and bright brunettes.

*best bonus: happy hour brow, a $12 brow-shaping from 4 to 6pm monday through friday.

*top pros: levi tigner and april cornell [both offer cuts and color].

source: allure / new york

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