I went to Salon Xavier on Saturday with a bridal party and it was an interesting experience. Let's start with the positives first.
The space itself is really cool; it's right by the water and the interior boasts exposed brick and beams. The atmosphere is definitely what I look for in a space. I went with the intention of having my hair blown out for the wedding, and while I did get a blow out, it ended up being so much better than I expected.
My hair is super fine and super thin, which makes for a deadly combination if you're looking for any type of body. Knowing this, I told Bernard (my stylist for the day) that I'd love for him to do whatever he could to put even an ounce of body into my hair. He ended up using a curing iron and having me sit with the curls pinned while he did another bridesmaid's hair so that mine could set. When he first took it down it looked big and felt a tad crunchy from the hairspray. But he gave me strict instructions not to touch it for an hour, at which time I should turn my head upside down and run my fingers through the curls to give it a perfect wave. I have to admit that I was a little skeptical. As I said, my hair doesn't hold a curl and I was worried that the hairspray might weigh it down too much that by the time the wedding rolled around it would be limp and bodiless. Nope. Not at all. My hair looked more full of body than it probably ever has before. Bernard was fantastic - not only in his skill level, but also in his personality and conversation. I'd recommend him for sure.
Oh, and the most important positive: the bride looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was perfect and her makeup was gorgeous. She had previously done a hair and makeup trial, so the hair stylist and makeup artist knew exactly what she wanted for her big day.
Now for the slightly less positives (although not too horribly negative, either).
From the moment we got there, it seemed like the receptionist was a bit stressed about fitting our entire group in during the time allotted. I didn't organize the appointments, so I can't speak to what the agreement was between our party and the salon, but I just felt like she was a little on edge, to an unnecessary extent. In fact, it felt like we were an inconvenience at times. Not how I want to feel when I'm spending money in an establishment. I totally get that it's her job to make sure things run smoothly and appointments don't run over, but I also think it's important to make the clients feel welcome and relaxed. I definitely didn't get this vibe from her until the very end when I paid and tried to make small talk. She was perfectly lovely then, but I just wish she had carried that demeanor the entire time we were there.
The salon is quite pricey. Now I don't know what the going rates are for Sag Harbor, so it very well could be on par with other salons, but I thought it was a little much. Makeup for the bridesmaids was $125 (I couldn't stomach that, so I chose to do my own). I've been in a few weddings and my makeup's never been more than $60. The makeup looked beautiful on those who chose to have it done at the salon, don't get me wrong, but it just didn't look any different from the $60 makeup jobs I've experienced.
All that said, Salon Xavier provided what we needed for my friend's wedding day, and everyone walked away looking perfectly put-together and beautiful. read more