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For individualized hair services in a tiny, laid-back atmosphere, Soon Beauty Lab has got both the east and west side of downtown covered. Owner Melissa Soon staffs her two locations with stylists that channel your chatty girlfriends, and has created venues that cater to neighborhood patrons and walk-ins as well as models, actresses, and local celebrities. The salons' interiors are simply, Mod-ly decorated with white armless chairs, sherbet-colored walls, and oblong mirrors at every station. Soon opened her East Village location in 1997, her second a few years later. In both spaces, she personally trains stylists, keeps the operation small and informal, and concentrates on hair services. Her desire to maintain a limited menu also helps keep the salons focused on doing what they do best: cut, color, and style at reasonable rates, with no pretense or attitude. Every stylist is trained to both cut and color, so there's no separation of labor, and a specialty of the house is the quick “in-between” trim—a steal at around $10. They use and sell products by Mop and Davines. They also offer makeup applications and tutorials and do temporary and semi-permanent perms, which last up to twenty shampoos or three months, respectively. — Trang Chuong

Training sessions vary weekly; sign up for a particular service that you're interested in and a stylist will call you back when the training session is being offered.

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