Salons in Greenville

With its stately columns and spacious porch, the 100-year-old brick exterior of A Cut Above Hair Studio recalls a time when hair coloring was a luxury only beet farmers could enjoy. Luckily, the renovated house—which once belonged to the Payne family, owners of the Payne Music Company in downtown Greenville—now welcomes tresses of all professions into its homey interior. A brick fireplace invites guests to sit for a spell and admire the deep-maroon walls and hardwood floors, or hear antique wooden furniture talk about how long it would have had to walk if it had been able to go to school.

Though the decor is old-fashioned, the techniques and products used in the salon are not. When coloring curls, the experienced stylists focus not only on beauty but on the health of the hair, using the Goldwell line to gently accentuate natural hues. They also share their up-to-date knowledge with cosmetology graduates, helping them to jump-start their careers or newfangled gas-powered hair dryers.

Regency Salon & Spa's professional staff rejuvenates bodies from scalp to toe with a bouquet of services that draw upon products from Paul Mitchell, Matrix, and Abba. From lifeless ponytails to hissing coifs of snakes, unflattering cuts meet their match in the salon’s stylists, who frame complexions with precision haircuts, beach wave perms, glossing treatments, and vibrant highlights. Reflexology massages and soothing pedicures coax tension from weary feet, and organic medical facials leave faces glowing like a jack-o'-lantern’s nuclear reactor. Patrons can unwind on a plush couch or warm their freshly manicured hands beside the spa’s cozy fireplace.

High ceilings, plush leather furniture, and funky black-and-white decor lend an upscale note to Pomp Salon, where stylists follow the lead of owner and board-certified hair colorist Chris Foster. With experience styling for New York and Los Angeles fashion weeks and as a member of the Rusk Master Design team, he and his educated staff do more than simply ousting split ends. They consult with clients before shaping trendsetting new looks that can be augmented with Coppola keratin treatments and multidimensional highlights with the help of Redken and Rusk products.

Viviana Polo has an eye for style and hands that brings that style to life, but her work often begins with her ears. That’s because she listens to each client’s desires and personal style goals before bringing their utterances to fruition with cuts, coloring, and formal styling. She specializes in many types of hair, from fine to thick, from straight to curly, and from short hair to locks long enough to lasso an octopus. From her station inside of Identity on Congaree, Viviana also offers keratin treatments and Japanese straighteners, makeup applications, and waxing.

Within Trilogy Salon & Spa's homey interior—where subdued, earth-toned walls surround overstuffed couches, hardwood floors, and black-framed mirrors—are halls full of private treatment rooms. In these, some of the salon's most potent magic happens. While out in the main salon space men and women have their hair cut and colored, in these rooms Kodi beautifies the body beneath the hair. With a quick hand, she waxes away unwanted fuzz from legs, faces, and nether regions, and her spray tans darken birthday suits without the risks of UV rays or self-aware tanning beds.

A dynamic team of 15 stylists, two aestheticians, and two massage therapists powers a diverse slate of services at Trilogy Salon and Spa. Besides basic cuts and color, stylists dole out treatments for a wide range of hair textures, from smoothing treatments for frizz to relaxers for Slinky hair. Stylist Brandy Ray sculpts, colors, and retextures strands, informed by five years of hair-beautifying experience. In private treatment rooms, other staff provide mani-pedis, facials, and reflexology, as well as ear candling and seaweed body wraps.