The competition is stiff, but not head-to-head.
The owners of new beauty salons in Lansing may be rivals when it comes to recruiting hairdressers, who are in great demand, but each of the shops has its own special market niche. While all of the salons offer complete hair care, The Head Room, 106 E. Grand River Ave., in Lansing’s Old Town, puts its energy into giving a "really great cut," according to owner-operator Kendra Cosme, while Kroma, 615 E. Michigan Ave.., Lansing, specializes in hair color. The aah Spa, at 107 S. Washington Ave., offers head-to-toe treatment packages.

Finding the right kind of "talent" for his shop is challenging, says Doug Finley, 31, who opened Kroma, which means "color" in Greek, with his partner, John Chora, in August.

"Hairdressers have to be educators, too," Finley explains. "They have to be, number one, excited about being hairdressers and, second, understand the importance not only of learning, but of teaching and sharing."
Finley says that being a hairdresser involves continuing education. Technology, not just styles, is constantly changing. "You have to have a strong chemistry background," he said.

Raw talent runs a close second to education and experience in the industry. Cosme, 31, says she’s happy to give inexperienced hairdressers a tryout. She, herself, credits her own mentor, Charles Morgan of Personal Image Hair and Nail Salon, with her progress in her profession.
At the peak of his or her career, a good hairdresser can make up to $60,000 a year in the Lansing market, according to Finley.

Haircuts, including a blow-dry styling, range from the $20s to $40s at the new shops, and color costs $30 and up. All three salons take walk-in clients, but encourage patrons to make appointments to avoid waiting.
For from $55 to $280, the aah Spa offers day spa packages. The top-of-the-line "get-away", says co-owner Michelle Woodard, includes a hair style, two-hour facial with foot, hand, neck and shoulder massage, a pedicure and manicure, make-up application, catered "light lunch" and a $100 certificate for the Yellow Strawberry clothing store. Yellow Strawberry, also owned by Woodard, 33, and her partner, Karlyn Wickham, 36, is in the same building as the salon.
The aah Spa also offers nail acrylics and gels and waxings.

"There’s a very big demand in the downtown area for waxings, and no other salon does that," Woodard points out. She also stresses that the spa is "very environmentally conscious" and sells only hair-styling products that do not use animal products or testing.
"We want clients to walk in and leave their troubles at the door and to feel completely pampered and refreshed when they leave," Woodard says.

Cosme thinks of her salon as a place for "extended family" to congregate, including a mixed-shepherd dog, Sophia, and a cat, Esther, companions of Diane Burns, Cosme’s landlady and developer of the forthcoming Temple Club, down the street from The Head Room in Old Town. Kendra’s 15-month-old daughter, Miranda, also is frequently on the scene, and Cosme’s parents, Bonnie and Ed Martinko, are her "other four hands," she says.
A Lansing police officer, Cosme’s husband, John, checks up on the salon at night and even had final say on its color scheme. Kendra had opted for red, and John strongly preferred the more muted avocado and butterscotch shades that prevailed.
"We finally agreed to consult an interior decorator, and she recommended the same colors he [John] wanted," Kendra said.

The salon owners use words such as "soothing," "friendly" and "de-stressing" to describe the atmospheres they’ve tried to create for their clients. Aside from color, natural wood and brick, thick carpets and high ceilings are among the varying features of the salons that contribute to the overall effort to help their customers relax and enjoy themselves. Music is important, too. Cosme prefers jazz and blues, while Finley and Chora lean toward a contemporary mix and "hot dance" tracks. The aah Spa plays anything from jazz to Enya and serves all-natural juice to their patrons.

Environments that are conducive to creativity give salons an edge in competing for stylists, as well, Finley says. His partner Chora also credits a hands-off management approach with employee retention. Kroma tries to find people who will complement each other’s specializations and also click as a team.

Finding your niche as a hairdresser is one of the elements that makes the market so competitive, says Teri Parks, owner of Bohemian Barber in East Lansing. Parks, who has been operating her salon for eight years, says hairdressers have their pick of many shops that she has seen come and go in the Lansing area.

"Fitting in isn’t that easy," Parks says of a hairdresser’s quest to find a professional home. "Also, even if you’re working in a plush salon, it may take a big cut out of your income." Salons work one of two ways with their associates, either taking a percentage of their earnings or renting booths to them.

Another factor that contributes to a shortage of hairdressers is simply ability. "Everyone can’t do it," Parks explains. Her perception is that she is one of a very few fellow graduates in cosmetology who, after a few years, were still supporting themselves doing hair. Some aspiring hairdressers see the career as a stepping stone, Parks said, while others find they aren’t cut out for their calling outside the classroom.

"They told us in school that actual coloring and cutting skills are the smallest amount of what brings customers back to you," Parks said. Interpersonal skills are what makes or breaks a hairdresser’s career, she added.
"That’s not to say skill and technique aren’t important because if a customer has a lousy color experience or bad haircut, she or he is not going to come back," Parks said.

The new salons can be reached at the following numbers: aah Spa, 267-1487; the Head Room, 485-6563; and Kroma, 827-3040.