I recently moved back to Orlando and have been on the prowl for a good place to get my hair done. I have a cut I really like and recently had my sister (who is a hairstylist in CA) do a color overhaul at her salon, so I was really only in need of a root touch up and a trim- a maintenance job that would allow me to go to a place that I didn't know without having to blindly trust someone I didn't know to do something drastic.
I've been to other salons in the area, (no names but one that has a very good reputation) and while I have no complaints, and even liked my experiences elsewhere, my sense was that the Colonialtown/Thornton Park area is so cool that I should be able to find a place that was truly awesome and really fit me. Well, I found that with Salon On Nine.
Salon On Nine is a small shop owned by a very pleasant, knowledgable, and hip local woman named Sheila. Inside, it's filled with really wonderful art from local artists, as well as some exemplary black and white photography taken by Sheila's son in New York. They played great music. You can tell that Sheila runs a good business by both the quality of the services and the pleasant vibe inside. Sometimes, especially in uber hip salons (like the one I am not naming) I feel a little uncomfortable. Know what I mean? Forced conversation with very image conscious people can be a little weird. There's none of that at this place. They've nailed being down to earth without compromising quality and creativity.
They took me last minute on a Saturday- major points but it was luck, too, because there was only Sheila and Daniel, who ended up being my stylist, there for the last two hours of their workday. Daniel has been doing hair for 33 years, and came out of New York. He's a really great stylist and very easy to talk with. He listened to what I wanted and needed, and I left there with hair looking better than it had when I'd initially gotten it done. While my hair was processing, he said "oh, do you want some wine? we have great wine here." Uh, don't mind if I do! And he was right, it was a very nice glass of wine! A perfect hour and a half of relaxation with good company.
After I visited I actually looked at the website and was pretty impressed with both Sheila and Daniel's backgrounds. He just told me that he worked in New York for Bumble and Bumble in the 80's, but way to not brag- his resume (and her's!) goes way beyond that.
Daniel matched my two different base colors perfectly, and as we were talking, I told him that while I do what stylists tell me to do in-between visits (my sister has trained me well) I am unwilling to not go in the water when I go to the beach, and want to get something done to protect my hair further. He talked to me about a keratin treatment, and did not give me a hard sell, but was realistic about what I could expect with the alternatives if I really want to be going to the beach. I appreciated it, and decided to go with the keratin. I've had so many compliments in the one day since I went there. My hair is now AMAZING. He nailed my color, my need for protected shiny hair, and fixed my cut flawlessly, adding a little jazz it had previously lacked. It appears that he doesn't even have to think about it too hard, either- that's what choosing to go with someone with this kind of experience gets you.
You don't come to open a little salon in Colonialtown that's such a cut above the rest by not knowing what you're doing. The breadth of experience these folks have is apparent in how good they are at both the craft and their interactions with people. Doing hair is more than a service- it's an art. Salon On Nine knows that. If you want a real artist to do your hair, in a beautiful salon, with interesting, engaging conversation, and actual creativity, skip the wanna be's and go to Salon On Nine. read more