HAIR Los Angeles: A Color Oasis for Transformation
In the middle of a gray hallway in a nondescript loft building in the Arts District, a door opens to reveal an oasis of color - HAIR Los Angeles. With tall ceilings and color awash wherever the eye can see, from the overhead pipes to the books and works of art that line every wall, HAIR feels less like a beauty salon and more like a hangout spot for transformation - and that’s exactly the intention.
For HAIR Los Angeles and its founder, stylist and colorist Daniel Moon, color is more than just a decorative emblem of the salon - it is more like a sacred language, and HAIR’s colorists are its master linguists, specializing in everything from natural colors to intricate multi-color hair art. Moon, who found his calling in hair and color shortly before he was discharged from the Marines, believes in the transformative power of coloring, not only seeing it first-hand but being the hand that enables that transformation in people. “Transformacoloring is almost like a glitch in reality. It’s an alternative, more colorful version of yourself, and a fun way to express that you’re open to trying new things and meeting new people,” explains Moon while sitting in the entryway of the salon, his hair colored purple and orange, his equally colorful outfit protected by a neon green vinyl Major Moon apron - his own creation. “Hair color and styling to us at HAIR is just meant to be fun, but done in a prestigious way. It’s like ready-to-wear editorial hair for every day of your life.”
Which is what led him to establish his own space after years of coloring heads (including the likes of Zoe Kravitz, Nicole Richie, Katy Perry, and Madonna) in some of the most prestigious salons in Beverly Hills. “It was important to start my own salon to invite people into my own world, which was limited in other salons. Here you get to be surrounded by the art we love, the music we love, and we get to work with the best natural lighting in the city. Now that’s fun. Because our transformations require a few steps we like our people to be comfortable and inspired while in the space.” Since branching off on his own Moon has continued to transform some well known figures’ strands, notably Kristen Stewart, Kanye West, Jewice from The Flatbush Zombies, and Hayley Kiyoko, to name a few, while also expanding his Major product line, which, aside from the aforementioned aprons, also includes fan favorite wearable glitter, called Major Moonshine (all available for purchase in the salon and online).
HAIR feels more intimate than other salons - a communal space where both new faces and a rotation of regulars can mingle during or in-between appointments. Stacks of books and magazines on art, color, and subcultures like punk, are displayed for inspiration. The walls serve as a gallery space where Moon and his girlfriend and Creative Director to HAIR, Nicole Reber, display their personal collection of work amassed throughout the years, which include pieces by Petra Cortright, Sandy Kim, Anthony Cudahy, and even some of Reber’s own art. Bright light filters through the huge windows, and the stream of water in an aluminum koi pond blends with everplaying music and the chatter of clients and stylists to create a cacophony completely of its own.
Every aspect of the salon is intentional - the role of HAIR being a haven where big change occurs not taken lightly. “It’s a sensitive space,” says Moon. “We like our people to be in arm’s reach of any of us. When it comes to working with bleach, the closer your stylist is to you the more comfortable you feel. To have people feel like they’re being taken care of is important to us. You’re never made to feel like you’re forgotten about, and we take pride in that.”
hairlosangeles.com | 1427 E 4th St, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Written by Ana Velasco | Photography by Robiee Ziegler
