Best Hair Salon

One-stop beauty spots are all the rage these days, and it’s easy to see why: Hitting up one place that offers blowouts, makeup application, waxing, and more is perfect for those trying to live that “work smarter, not harder” life. One glam outpost doing it right in ATL is the much buzzed-about salon DREAMDRY in the heart of Buckhead. They offer a signature blowout, complete with a scalp massage, washing, conditioning, drying, and styling that’s garnered fans such as famed local author Emily Giffin, as well as mane-tamers who can give you a trendy ponytail, top knot, braid, and fishtail style in addition to makeup and hair removal services. Plus, they offer extension application, hairstyling classes, and they’ll even come to you via their mobile service options if you’re super pressed for time. What more could you want? 3722 Roswell Road N.E. 404-549-8007. www.dreamdry.com. less...

There’s an old adage that you get what you pay for, but if you’re like most people slogging through the recession, you’ll take your chances to save a few bucks. At the AVEDA INSTITUTE, however, you get much more than you pay for. Sure, your coif becomes something akin to a school project, but students are eager to please and diligently overseen by instructors. Your cut might take a little longer, but at the bargain-basement price of $15 for a cut and style, the money you’ll save is worth the extra time in the chair. Did we mention the complimentary scalp and hand massages? 3402 Piedmont Road. 404-649-7119. www.avedainstitutesbb.com/atlanta. less...

Finding a stylish but unpretentious salon in Atlanta ain’t easy. Some spots are so snooty, they may as well have a velvet rope outside. Others start out quiet and cozy, then end up overrun and overbooked. Thankfully, as of this writing, neither scenario could be found at MARIEMARIE HAIR SALON. The new cuttery in Kirkwood – owned by pixie-cute Marie Hansen, formerly with Van Michael – is tiny, quiet and comfortable. Hansen is the perfect coiffure conversationalist, friendly and nonintimidating, never jabbering on and on while absentmindedly chopping off inch after inch. She’s a coloring expert. And instead of giving you the usual noncommittal shrug, she has ideas when you ask, “What do you think I should do with my hair?” less...

If Ernest Hemingway’s reanimated corpse somehow found itself shambling down Powers Ferry Road in desperate need of a shave and haircut, it would surely stumble into ROOSTER’S, where old-school collides with new-school in an explosion of manly awesomeness. Decked out like some hunting lodge from the 1920s, this boy’s club oozes enough machismo to make Papa Hemingway plenty proud. Antique golf clubs, stuffed deer heads and ducks adorn the walls alongside flat-screen TVs, and there’s a table full of lad-mag reading material from Maxim to Details — and, fittingly, the forever-quotable screenplay of Caddyshack. If all that isn’t enough to get you there for your next trim, here are two important words: Free. Beer. less...

Actually, SALON RED AND SPA in Candler Park is probably the only place to get waxed by a winner of CL’s annual Lust List. In addition to being nominated by readers earlier this year as one of the city’s hottest service-industry workers, Kristen Standish has the skills to match. Expertise, efficiency, a calm demeanor and steady handwork are wonders for novice spa-goers, and informed advice about avoiding ingrowns and cooling down that telltale redness is refreshing to the more experienced among us. You won’t feel pressured to buy any products, and the salon’s overall vibe is laid-back. So relax, sip some cool water, breathe and let Kristen and her colleagues Kaci Chandler and Anissa Jones do their thing — for a reasonable $30. We just hope the guy or gal who nominated Kristen won’t be too disappointed that she became officially committed to her lady love in August. less...

It’s barely a year old, but Inman Park’s ADORE HAIR STUDIO & SHOPPE has attracted a — dare we say it? — adoring clientele, and deservedly so. The handsome, minimalist loft space, decorated in shades of chocolate with leather armchairs serving as the styling seats, has drawn talent from some of the city’s most popular salons, Many former clients of those salons have followed suit. Adore carries the coveted Bumble and bumble product line — a sign of its chops — and several stylists trained at the prestigious Bb University in New York City. Stylist Brenton Anderson has been featured on two episodes of Fox’s “Ambush Makeover,” and he and others at Adore have styled the hair of actors, models and rock stars. More importantly, the salon’s website states, is the work it has done on “moms, dads, sisters, brothers, cousins and you!” As several beatific clients have pointed out, the only thing missing at Adore is the attitude. less...

If Ernest Hemingway’s reanimated corpse somehow found itself shambling down Powers Ferry Road in desperate need of a shave and haircut, it would surely stumble into ROOSTER’S, where old-school collides with new-school in an explosion of manly awesomeness. Decked out like some hunting lodge from the 1920s, this boy’s club oozes enough machismo to make Papa Hemingway plenty proud. Antique golf clubs, stuffed deer heads and ducks adorn the walls alongside flat-screen TVs, and there’s a table full of lad-mag reading material from Maxim to Details - and, fittingly, the forever-quotable screenplay of Caddyshack. If all that isn’t enough to get you there for your next trim, here are two important words: Free. Beer. less...

Actually, SALON RED AND SPA in Candler Park is probably the only place to get waxed by a winner of CL’s annual Lust List. In addition to being nominated by readers earlier this year as one of the city’s hottest service-industry workers, Kristen Standish has the skills to match. Expertise, efficiency, a calm demeanor and steady handwork are wonders for novice spa-goers, and informed advice about avoiding ingrowns and cooling down that telltale redness is refreshing to the more experienced among us. You won’t feel pressured to buy any products, and the salon’s overall vibe is laid-back. So relax, sip some cool water, breathe and let Kristen and her colleagues Kaci Chandler and Anissa Jones do their thing - for a reasonable $30. We just hope the guy or gal who nominated Kristen won’t be too disappointed that she became officially committed to her lady love in August. less...