Joelle Anisse’s nickname is “The Vault,” and an ironclad one she is at that, for in the manner of hair stylists – who are, after all, entrusted not only with your tresses but often with your confidences – she said, “I’m a very good listener….Secrets go in, but they don’t come out.
“And we’re in a bank no less,” Anisse added, smiling at the irony. She’s referring to her new, first salon in Hartsdale, which opened May 17, her husband’s birthday, in a former JPMorgan Chase branch. Those who banked there will no doubt be stunned at the transformation, a two-year project. Gone are the cubicles and teller windows with their office furnishings. In their stead are 10 white sinks with comfortable black headrests and 23 stations with modern black furniture and custom cabinetry offset by a floor of gray porcelain tiles from Spain and white Venetian plaster walls with black and camel graining running through them, the camel being picked up by the color of the suede sofa that helps command the reception area of the 2,500-square-foot space.
Everything about that space – created by Anisse, a Yonkers resident, with her builder-husband, Mohamed Faitrouni – is designed to convey a luxurious experience. The salon area is flanked by two changing stations. The color, washing and styling areas are all separate and staggered so that no one is bumping into someone else. That includes the four stylists and the clients – half of whom come from Scarsdale, where Anisse worked for 10 years; a quarter of whom come from the Edgemont section of Greenburgh, 15% from Bronxville and 5% from as far away as Connecticut, Manhattan, Long Island and New Jersey.
A room for hair-smoothing treatments, including keratin, is enclosed in glass so clients can peer in – “it’s a selling point,” Anisse said of the design – but with high ventilation as keratin has a strong smell.
A beverage and pastry station entices. In a back workroom, colorful tubes of hair dye stand at attention, waiting for use. But for those who love a good powder room, the accessible restrooms are things to behold, with textured Venetian plaster in black, fashion books, silver female figurines, flowering plants and fashion illustration-style portraits of women, tendrils of hair caressing their glamorous faces.
The look of the place and Anisse’s own – fitted black pants and top; long, straight dark hair; olive eyes; high cheekbones; and red lacquered nails – are calling cards for the kind of cutting-edge service – pun intended, as Anisse said every great hairstyle begins with the cut – her clients receive. Take the large TV screen in the back, tuned to a YouTube channel featuring the runway shows from Europe.
“We as hairdressers get our sense of fashion – and hairstyles – from Europe,” she said. “It’s the first place to spot the trends.”
Trending this season – long hair after a period of Bobs and lobs (long Bobs). Straight hair is back, too, after a flirtation with beachy waves. As for color, warm blond is in, added Anisse, whose head colorist, Kal Diaz, is a L’Oréal ambassador. L’Oréal Professional products line the shelves of the reception area, while Anisse and her team keep up with the latest techniques and products at L’Oréal classes in Manhattan.
Not that she’s a novice. Anisse has 16 years of experience as a hair stylist. “I’ve always wanted a salon,” she said. “It was a matter of when to pull the trigger.”
With three children – now 9, 8 and 2 – that took a while. When she and her husband saw the listing for the former bank, they jumped on a visit to the property. “Right from day one I saw it,” Anisse said, narrowing her eyes as she once again glimpsed her vision of a sleek yet comfortable environment.
Now Anisse has the space and the stations she wants. And while she’d like to add a men’s hairstylist – her clientele is made up of women, mainly ages 18 to 65, and children – she’s in no rush to enlarge the team.
She is selective, she said, for as a stylist she knows that it takes time for anything of value – a great head of hair, a successful business – to grow.
Joelle Anisse Salon, 232 E. Hartsdale Ave., is open Tuesdays through Saturdays. For appointments and more, call 914-713-3070 or email info@joelleanissesalon.com.
