Salons are some of our favorite places in the world to visit and stylists, some of our favorite people. The beautifying services we may have taken for granted just a few months ago now mean to us than ever—as momentary respites of self-care rituals, a chance to check in with trusted experts about ways to address our beauty concerns, and a time to interact with people who make us feel good and look better, albeit safely.
That's why we're so thrilled that our FEKKAI SoHo salon has reopened. Not only do we get to reconnect with our loyal customers and become a new hair destination for those who are just learning about the FEKKAI brand, but our stylists are back practicing their craft and infusing magic into your hair. We are taking a slew of precautions (we'll get to every detail later), but we just renovated the space to give you some eye candy and Instagram-perfect spots that will make your next visit an amazing luxury experience, with memories and healthy, shiny hair that will last long after. "We get rated by our clients as they leave and we're getting five stars every time because customers are feeling safe," states our Vice President of Salons, Kimberly Callet, of our flagship salon that was opened back in January 2007.
Customers today are more informed than ever and they already know what safety protocols should be in place, as well as those that will make them feel their most comfortable. "How we used to measure luxury standards from a customer service perspective has completely changed because those amenities that people considered 'luxury' are second priority," states Patrick Coombs, Director of Education and Retail Salons. "It's all about what we're doing to make our customers and staff have safe experiences. So, now it's all about getting that self-care in a completely safe environment."
Making every client feel special has been part of our founder Frédéric's ethos from the start, along with having a staff that's kind and warm—bucking the "diva" stereotype that has long existed in the beauty industry. Having the in-salon finished look last long after a client has left the chair is also a FEKKAI trademark. It's why Frédéric created FEKKAI to give the salon-quality experience right in the home of every customer with high-performing, clean, vegan, and sustainable products.
Another aspect that makes FEKKAI stand apart is technical ability when it comes to training and education. "It's an intensive training program that includes the hair cutting and color signatures of the FEKKAI brand," Patrick reveals. "The hair cutting technique comes from Frédéric and it's a French hair cutting technique that is efficient, quick, and precise. Our hair coloring process is balayage: we don't do any foil highlighting. Frédéric really brought balayage to the United States thirty years ago when he opened his salon." The technique gives the hair a more natural, sun-kissed look that doesn't compromise the hair's integrity. "We only use FEKKAI brand in our salons as well, so as the brand has solidified its commitment to clean beauty, so have its salons. We're all telling the same story of sustainable hair care."
Location is also paramount for the FEKKAI brand and though Frédéric was born in Provence and trained in Paris, New York City is the destination of his first-ever salon atop the iconic Bergdorf Goodman department store. SoHo is an iconic neighborhood in the Big Apple and our flagship is housed in a former loft space, so it has that quintessential downtown chic look and feel. FEKKAI SoHo is also right next to Ladurée and a whole host of other shops whether your pleasure is grabbing a coffee and some macarons outdoors, or safely stopping by your favorite store for a bit of retail therapy.
"When Frédéric opened FEKKAI SoHo (the fourth salon the brand opened), he really wanted to be able to cover the city," Kimberly recalls of the salon's history. "At the time, we had our Henri Bendel location and our flagship had always been in Midtown. When we opened SoHo, we were coming from the mega salon era when with Chanel, we had 7 floors, 200 employees, and 500 clients a day. When we opened our space in Henri Bendel, we were only slightly smaller than that." With SoHo, Frédéric wanted to be planted in the neighborhood's former artists community, along with bringing the neighborhood flair to the salon. "So, we kept the exposed beams and the pipes," Kimberly states of the salon's design. "We want each of our spaces to be an accessible neighborhood location that provides convenience for New Yorkers who may not want to travel far for their beauty services. The space is big, open, and airy with big windows on each side."
Frédéric always wants people to feel like they're entering into his home so when SoHo opened, it was one of the only salons that had its own separate shampoo area with screens so that customers could truly relax. "We had the reclining shampoo chairs that many salons hadn't had before," Kimberly reminisces. "Now after our renovation, the waiting area really does look like someone's living room to give it that residential feel. The coffee tables are gorgeous and the sofa and bar stools are super inviting. We're at 50% capacity right now and for the foreseeable future, but eventually when it's safe, it will be a great place to hang out."
FEKKAI SoHo is located at 394 West Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10012.
HOW WE'RE KEEPING OUR CUSTOMERS AND STAFF SAFE
Cleaning Standards: All salons are being thoroughly cleaned and disinfected as part of our reopening process. All workstations are disinfected after each appointment. We are cleaning stations after every client and our staff is required to wash their hands after every client. We also have hand sanitizer available throughout the salon.
Plexi Privacy Barriers & Sneeze Guards: Every other station is unoccupied and plexi privacy barriers have been installed at the shampoo stations. The front desks have been equipped with sneeze guards to protect our reception staff and clients.
Social Distancing: We have reduced occupancy by having our staff work in shifts, extending appointment times and working in every other chair.
Masks: All of our staff is required to wear a mask. Clients must wear a mask as well and we ask that you wear one that secures behind the ear.
Touchless Greetings: We are not shaking hands or touching at this time.
Touch-free, contactless payment: You are required to provide a credit card to secure all appointments so that we can check you out and email you your receipt.
No beverages: We are suspending our beverage service indefinitely.
No magazines: Magazines are longer be available so please bring your own reading material.
Coat check rooms and service are be available. We are handing you a robe at check-in along with a plastic bag to keep your belongings.
Makeup services and testers are not available for the time being.
No guests or walk-ins: Only those clients with an appointment can come into the salon. No pets are allowed either.
Waiting areas are no longer be available: please arrive at your scheduled appointment time, not earlier.
Cashless Gratuities: You can now put tips on credit cards or continue to use Venmo. We are no longer able to make changes or provide tip envelopes. We are charging a $10.00 COVID surcharge on every ticket to cover the costs of our PPE and sanitation procedures.
