New in Town: Flirt Salon in Tempe

As any gal knows, the task of finding a new salon can be daunting even without taking into account relocation. I loved my hair stylist in Boise. She became a good friend so when I moved here and it came time to have the hair done again I started to have separation anxiety topped with the normal switching stylists anxiety because what I had in mind was a little scary to let just anyone do. When I moved here, my hair was quite dark (like my soul) but thanks to all the time I was spending out in the lovely sunshine, since this is after all the valley of the sun, my hair was lightening in a non attractive way (brassy orangish highlights are so NOT in this season). I needed to find someone that could take me from the dark reddish brown back to a blonde that not only can withstand the sunlight but that also looks good on fair skin.

I did what every mildly computer savvy person does: I googled salons in the Scottsdale area. Not being overly impressed by the prices or reviews of the salons in my city (apparently my zip code would indicate that people can get by with charging more for the same service based on location alone), I broadened my search to the neighboring communities which is how I stumbled upon a gem of a place in Tempe known as Flirt Salon. I thought the name was charming, the online reviews were fantastic, and they have awesome deals for new clients. I was impressed that there were reviews specifically regarding the salon's ability to successfully execute extreme color changes since that was what I was looking to do. I contacted the salon via email in order to get a couple of questions answered and had a response from the owner, Yani, within 24 hours so I opted to book an appointment with her. I arrived for my appointment and was immediately impressed. Not only in the salon beautifully set up and tidy, but the friendly receptionist offered me something to drink and a brownie right away. Water and chocolate? Woohoo for Flirt Salon! Now let's see what they can do about my hair, right?

Yani took the time to talk to me about what I wanted to do and to feel the texture of my hair. She gave a price quote up front so there were no surprises at the cash register. The new client special I chose was the free haircut with color (duh), but there were others to choose from as well. I let her know up front that I was nervous because while I have done extreme change like this before, but I have had my color totally messed up before as well. Despite my skittishness, Yani was fabulous. Not to mention that her salon features a product line that does not trash your hair in the color lifting process. Anyone who has done what I am talking about here knows that your hair has a tendency to feel like straw when it has been bleached. Not in this case. My hair felt softer than it had prior to the color processing. I was amazed because Yani is not only a miracle worker, but she is also a color genius. I walked out of the salon feeling like a rock star. I also walked out of there with a bag of product samples and a discount for my next appointment just for booking the appointment in advance.

After my next appointment, I knew I wanted to write about this place. I wanted my hair lighter than before and more blonde, less red (my hair will pick up red tones like it's going out of style). Once again, Yani worked her magic and managed to achieve a color I could enjoy without the hair feeling dried out. Our chemical experiment had turned into gloriousness on my strands. As a result, I would recommend this salon to anyone in the area looking for a stylist who has great attention to detail, patience for "difficult" hair (such as mine since it is fine but there's a lot of it to contend with), and who is truly passionate about what she does. The pricing is reasonable for the level of service as well. Flirt Salon can be found online at http://www.flirthairsalon.com/.