A great hair salon is a place that generates confidence and self-esteem in the client, and brings out the creative and professional passion in the stylists. Love Hair Studio, in the Sawmill Village of northwest Albuquerque, is that place. Lots of attractive wood accents, an eclectic music playlist, and an extensive stock of professional hair care products makes it a comfortable and engaging atmosphere for something as personal as grooming.
Owner Desiree Montoya says, “We’re a small boutique salon that prides itself on the fact that our main priority is customer service for both men and women. We’re by appointment only with no walk-ins. That way we can ensure that there is adequate time to give the client the attention that they are looking for.”
Stylist Joshua Garcia says, “Many male customers are at first apprehensive about going into a boutique salon. We spend time discussing what they’re looking for in a cut and put them at ease. We also consider the lifestyle of the customer. A lot of younger guys are going for the ‘skater look’— tousled and textured on top—however a professional who works in an office wants a more classic contour cut—a soft fade with a defined part line. We spend a lot of time keeping up with modern trends in styling. We go to conventions and trade shows to constantly update our knowledge.”
Ramiro Cardenas, another stylist at Love Hair Studio, says, “It’s important to establish a relationship with our clientele. There’s a consultation at the onset. Styling hair is an art form so we make sure that we’re on the same page when someone sits in our chair. We give them advice on products that keep the cut looking like it did when they left the salon. Every stylist in the business has had someone come in who’s nervous because they had a bad haircut somewhere in the past, so we need to make sure we spend the time discussing what they’re looking for. We’ve actually had customers that have just had a session somewhere else —I mean literally just got out of the chair in another salon—and are not happy with it and asked us to fix it!”
Some of the current styles in men’s haircuts are: “fades”—the sides and back are tapered as close as possible, then fade up to longer on top, sometimes with a pompadour. The “slick back”—the hair is combed straight back and has pomade applied to make it sleek and shiny. The “induction” or “military style”—varying degrees of a really short haircut, sometimes with a little more hair on top, but not shaved down to the scalp.
Love Hair Studio gets a lot of great reviews on Google. They are located at 1751 Bellamah Avenue, NW, suite 2103. Their phone number is 505.554.2300 and are open by appointment.