Natalya Anderson named her Salon Alya after a small star – a hidden gem – in the Theta constellation, which is associated with healing and restoration. That also describes Natalya’s aspirations when she came to the U.S. from Ukraine in 2001.
The salon’s mission is to be true to clients, and kind to the environment. They work with advanced products (https://alyasalon.com/image-skincare-products/) and follow all the latest trends from high fashion, in the U.S. and abroad. They specialize in corrective color, balayage, creative blonding, fashion color, curly hair cuts and color, hair extensions, wedding and special event styling and makeup.
What appealed to her about becoming a stylist was that she saw hair creations as an art form, a concept shared by other stylists in her salon. Some of her more avant-garde, celebrity and wedding hair creations landed her in a range of glamour magazines, and her career took off – but not without a lot of hard work and the willingness to learn from others.
Now, as the owner of her own Alya Salon & Spa in Vienna, she regularly brings in experts to share their knowledge about hair color, blonding and balayage, the latest hair styling techniques, new facial and back skin treatments and whatever else she thinks will spark creativity and an atmosphere of learning among her stylists and aestheticians. They appreciate it, one saying that what drew them to work at Alya was the sense of camaraderie and self-improvement.
The upshot is that several Alya stylists say they have mastered multiple techniques, though they may have their specialties, as Natalya herself does for long hair and “stylish up-dos.”
When war came to Ukraine, Natalya’s emotional turmoil was plain to all her associates, who worked hard to keep her spirits up, and offered whatever assistance they could to Natalya’s family. Natalya responded with characteristic stoicism. “We look to Alya to be a place of healing and rejuvenation,” Natalya says: “A place where women and men can come and know they will look more beautiful, more handsome and more relaxed when they leave us.” For that reason, she masked her concerns for the most part saying, “I don’t want to bring my sadness to work.”
Her team adds to the Salon’s international flavor, featuring associates and stylists from as far away as Nepal, Azerbaijan and El Salvador, alongside those who grew up and go to school nearby. Natalya also likes to make room for local cosmetology students who appreciate being made part of a team where they can learn alongside others who are further along in their careers.
“We like to help others, you know, the younger generation, to see what their future might be like. It is good for us,” Natalya affirms. Ivanna, one of those students, says she likes being around “hard-working, independent women, it’s really uplifting, plus it's really helping me figure out what I want to do career-wise and it's honestly a great place to learn.”
As is also often characteristic of women-owned businesses, Alya takes every opportunity to deflect the spotlight that falls on her to her associates, preferring to let others meet her crew. So, here they are. We hope you take the opportunity to get to know them too. See https://alyasalon.com/.
“We look to Alya to be a place of healing and rejuvenation,” Natalya says.
