Michael Angelo's Wonderland Beauty Parlor

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Make no mistake: Michael Angelo's eclectic fantasyland is not kitschy. It's actually a calculated snapshot of everything he loves—from the neon pink Wonderland sign blinking next to his pillowy reception desk to mermaid Barbies floating in plastic bubbles above the shampoo bowls and indie cinema flicks projected from a DJ booth onto the rear wall. Since the salon opened in 2005, the Prive/Stephen Knoll/Robert Kree-groomed Angelo has been the go-to guy for hordes of high-profile model types; perhaps his years of styling manes backstage at Bryant Park inspired the trunk-like pink and black cutting stations that can be wheeled away at a moment’s notice to tape another episode of the Bravo series du jour. The place shouts party, not pretense, which happens to be the owner's intent: to transform clients from frumpy to Bungalow 8-worthy within hours. The couturewear and high fashion accessories for sale nicely complement the understated, Gisele-esque highlights that Angelo paints. In addition to a mini tray of coffee or tea, you may also be offered an iPod nano to groove to while in Wonderland's clear plastic lawn chairs. — Molly Noonan