By Erika Luft
As my lab-rat of a roommate and I climbed into the miniscule elevator I could see the words dancing on her mouth, “I’m going to kill you if this turns out horrible.”
But all’s well that ends well, right?
And this trip into the city ended very well. Our evening at the Federico Salon on East 57th was one of the most enjoyable I can remember. We were greeted with smiles, hand shakes, and warm introductions.
We were the latest participants in the Federico Salon’s training nights. This high-end salon is extending their expert skills to college students in the New York metropolitan area at college prices. Salon owner Federico and his partner, Robbie Contreras said, “We decided to begin these training nights as a way for our assistants to perfect their technique, work independently, and to ultimately help them advance their careers.”
College students can go to the Federico Salon the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month and receive a hair cut or single process color for $30 or highlights for $45. Their services usually range from $85 to $300. Federico and Robbie put each possible assistant through a lengthy interview process. Contreras said, “We don’t want to hire someone who only wants to learn how to shampoo hair. We want to hire someone who wants to learn the techniques and ultimately become a lead stylist.”
At first, I was leery in hearing that assistants were doing the hair, but after hearing Contreras’s comments, I realized this was a very legitimate and professional salon, and the assistants were to be regarded just as highly as the lead stylists.
“I didn’t feel as if someone was learning to be a stylist as they we working on me, but rather they were already one,” said Caitlin Cissne, a sophomore broadcast journalism major and my lab rat for this project. “Both Federico and Robbie oversaw the entire thing and made me feel completely comfortable and confident.”
Caitlin received a single-process color, wanting to work her way back to her natural hair color after many years of being blonde.
“I had been thinking about going darker for a while, and then this opportunity came up, so I figured why not?” Ms. Cissne mused. “I have to admit, I had my doubts, but in the end my hair look great and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
I had the utmost confidence in Federico, Robbie and their entire team (although that’s easy for me to say, as it was not my hair on the line), but none the less, Caitlin’s hair turned out nothing short of magnificent, and from what I could see, so did everyone else’s in the salon that evening.
“I would go back anytime! I was stunned by how fantastic my hair looked-these men definitely know what not only is in style, but what looks great at each person,” Cissne raved once more.
“It was such a great opportunity for any college girl to be able to get such specialized treatment from such experts for such a low price,” Cissne continued “Federico, Robbie, and the rest of the team made me feel like I was one of their everyday important customers, not just some college kid who was getting a deal on a haircut.”
Come on girls-can any of you really pass up this kind of opportunity? We all want that big city look at small town prices, and that is exactly what these gentlemen are offering. So grab a Starbucks, hop on the LIRR, and let the hair make-over begin!
“Training Nights” will continue as long as there are stylists to be trained and students for them to work on–so don’t let this fabulous opportunity pass you by!
Federico Salon is located at 36 East 57th St (between Madison and Park Avenues) on the fifth floor. If you would like to schedule an appointment call (212) 262-3027.
The hair stylists at Federico Salon in Manhattan during training nights give professional style haircuts at a fraction of the price. (Erika Luft/The Chronicle)