It’s New to Us by Jean Stratton

WARM AND WELCOMING: “We offer professional service in a friendly, welcoming setting. The way we treat people — both the clients and the staff — is special. Clients recognize the warmth of the atmosphere and see the staff is happy, and then, they feel at home too.” Amy Kaczowski (left) and Heather Rizzo are co-owners of Salon Pure.

Salon Pure, A Paul Mitchell Focus Salon, Has Moved to New Palmer Square Location

There are lots of places to get your hair cut, colored, and styled. Hair care is big business today, especially as increasing numbers of customers opt for color changes more and more often.

Heather Rizzo and Amy Kaczowski, owners of Salon Pure, which recently moved to 31A Hulfish Street (on the second floor, just above Mediterra Restaurant), have made it their priority to offer customers the highest quality service in a relaxing and congenial setting.

“When you step inside our salon, we invite you to sit back, relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy the time that belongs to you. You, our guest, are our priority, and we want you to experience all that we have to offer.”

What Salon Pure has to offer is full-service hair care, focusing on Paul Mitchell techniques and products, as well as manicures, pedicures, waxing, and make-up application and lessons.

Heather and Amy worked in the Princeton area for several years before opening Salon Pure in 2007, and then this past September, they moved to Palmer Square. “This is a better spot, more exposure and more opportunities,” says Heather. “It’s been great here. Since we moved, our business is up 30 percent.”

“We also added nail care and waxing, and expanded our staff,” adds Amy. “Our staff is very professional. They have been trained by such experts as Vidal Sassoon, Paul Mitchell, and others, and we strongly believe in the importance of on-going professional education. We have two different classes here every month for our staff, and we attend workshops and seminars in Las Vegas and other locations.”

Spacious Salon

As she points out, there are new advances all the time in color and cutting techniques, and they must stay up-to-date with the latest directions in the industry.

The spacious salon offers customers an attractive setting, with many windows and natural light. Services are grouped in areas, according to category: color, cuts, manicures and pedicures, waxing, etc.

A major focus in hair today is color. No longer just to cover gray, it has become, for many, a fashion statement, changing with the season. “Color is huge,” points out Heather. “It is very safe now. It has built-in conditioners, and it’s no problem to have hair colored often. Five to six weeks is common, but it can even be done more often.”

Amy points out that Salon Pure also has an “extensive color bar” so that clients can know how the color is selected and prepared.

Highlights, lowlights, multi-dimensional color are all popular, and many clients are not afraid to experiment. Brunettes become blondes, blondes become redheads, and vice versa.

“It is a generalization,” points out Heather, “but as people get older, it’s better to go lighter.”

Dramatic Coiffure

Whether customers want an unaffected natural look or a highly dramatic coiffure, they can be accommodated at Salon Pure, whose professional experts are prepared to help clients perfect their ‘look”.

“For style and color, we try to guide a client in the right direction, based on her hair texture, skin tone, facial contour, and life-style, but it’s ultimately the client’s choice,” points out Amy. “We always encourage having an in-depth consultation to determine their taste and life-style.”

Easy maintenance is especially important today, adds Heather. “Color and cut are important for maintenance, and we also instruct people on home maintenance, including proper blow drying, use of gels, mousses, etc. People don’t have a lot of time today. They really want easy care.”

Treatments and recommendations in style for different types of hair are offered, she continues. “We can add highlights to finer hair so it will appear fuller. Also, a perm or body wave can help fine hair.”

An important new keratin treatment for straightening hair and reducing “frizz’ is also offered now. “It’s natural, without chemicals, and highly recommended,” point out Amy and Heather.

In addition, for those who have had a bad “do-it-yourself” coloring experience, corrective color is available.

Fashion Show

Hair designs and styling for special events are a popular part of the business, as are bridal packages — for the bride and the wedding party. These packages can be customized as to price and timing, according to the size and needs of the party.

“We also just did a fashion show for Palmer Square, and we styled the models’ hair,” report Heather and Amy.

Make-up is another area of expertise, and is also offered for special events and for bridal parties, including on the wedding day.

Prices cover a wide range at the salon, with haircuts from $30 to $85, depending on the experience of the stylist. Color starts at $65. Gift certificates for all services and in any combinations are available.

Clients are women, men, and children, and both Heather and Amy are pleased with the direction their salon has taken. “Going out on our own has been an amazing journey,” says Heather. “Our clients are such nice people. They are really like family.”

“This is such a great job,” adds Amy. “We have fun sharing information with people, and we love helping them to feel happy. When they look good, people feel better. We also have a very strong work ethic. We all work hard. We look forward to keeping our clients happy and giving them our best service.”

“This is a very creative business in all ways,” points out Heather. “It’s very important to keep on top of everything so it all runs smoothly, which also is reflected in a happy staff and happy clients. In keeping with our welcoming atmosphere, we offer coffee, tea, cookies and other refreshments, and we encourage walk-in customers. We also continue to welcome new staff. We want everyone to get to know us. We want to be really well-known in the community and be a part of it.”

Salon Pure is open Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 8:30 to 5. (609) 683-8384. Website: www.salonpureprinceton.com.

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