Neihule Salon
Never underestimate the incredible value of sincere and reliable customer service. As soon as you push through the sleek glass doors of the Neihulé salon, you’re instantly welcomed by a cheerful employee handing you a flute of champagne — there are no moody stylists or morose estheticians to be found here. This is likely due to married co-founders Yvonne and Atouzo Neihulé’s unique approach to their staff, or what they prefer to call their “family.” Each member of the Neihulé Salon family undergoes a “testing process in which I mentor and build them, in order to ensure the Neihulé standard of service,” explains Yvonne. Yvonne has an extensive education in hair coloring along with years of experience at L’Oreal. While the training at Neihulé Salon is rigorous, the staff enjoys annual retreats with their co-founders, both in the summer and winter. “We bring everyone to Palm Springs and Mammoth where we can cook together and enjoy an incredibly happy environment, which is necessary to create good art,” says Atouzo. Paramount to the Neihulés is creating a palpable aura of happiness and camaraderie — this year, for example, everyone came in early to clean and decorate the entire salon to surprise the salon cleaner for her birthday. “We also pitched in for an extra bonus and sent her to the Ritz-Carlton spa for the day. Many members of our salon family have been with us since day one, and I think that speaks to our treatment of employees and customers alike,” says Yvonne with a sense of pride.
This incredibly welcoming and intimate salon culture is reason enough to visit, but still, the appeal does not stop there. The Neihulé menu boasts everything from colors, and cuts to spray tanning, and eyelash extensions. Some of their most popular services include eyebrow microfeathering and a designer nail bar complete with luxury polishes. “We’re a one-stop shop, a mothership of sorts,” quips Yvonne.
Despite the salon’s sleek, modern design and luxurious amenities, “We aim for a very downto- earth, unpretentious experience — we want customers to feel comfortable, not intimidated,” the Neihulés explain. Their reasonable prices reflect this concept, as does their music and conversation-filled salon space. “This was originally a completely raw, abandoned space. We had to design and build everything, from the layout to the wall paint,” recounts Atouzo.
It is exceedingly rare to find a salon of this breadth built on every level with a personal touch. From the salon’s structure to the staff culture, the Neihulés have ensured a standard of excellence and personality unprecedented in Los Angeles. Their name means, “to live a happy life,” and that’s precisely what you’ll get at Neihulé Salon.
Written by Lucy Rogers-Ciaffa
Photographed by Caleb Thal
