An artistic red heart on the outside of the salon gives clients a hint the salon is committed to holistic beauty.
The building's windows beckon the outside in.
The salon's front desk.
A bold blue wall, drop-planked ceiling and lavish artwork create a soothing place for clients to wait for a service.
The salon's Beauty Zone invites clients to play with product, and the room frequently hosts client events.
The coffee and juice bar also retails healthy snacks.
The salon's color bar is located in one of the salon's five hair zones.
One of the salon's private stations.
In the Nail Zone, community tables are available for polishing and drying. Pedicures are offered in the same space.
The salon's Lather Lounge features shampoo bowls with cushioned neck rests and foot rests. Two lay-down shampoo stations are available for longer scalp treatments.
One of the salon's seven spa treatment rooms.
PENZONE Salons + Spas
Dublin, Ohio
penzonesalons.com
Owners: Debra and Charles Penzone
Salon style: Modern, innovative, intentional
Square footage: 14,000
Stations: 42
Treatment rooms: 7
Manicure stations: 10
Pedicure stations: 8
Equipment: Takara Belmont, Continuum
Furniture: Eurisko, custom cabinets
Total Design Investment: $6,000,000
Retail lines: Davines, Alterna, L’anza
Color lines: Schwarzkopf Professionnal, Davines
Design by: Meyers & Associates
Architects: Meyers & Associates
Photographer: Cory Klein
As a salon company, PENZONE Salons + Spas celebrated its 50th anniversary, April 1. The anniversary arrived soon after the unveiling of the company’s newest salon in Dublin, Ohio. The 14,000-square-foot, single-story new building replaces one of the companies former locations, which was a three-story, 18,000-square-foot grand salon.
Although Charles and Debra Penzone are extremely proud of their heritage, they also understand how important it is for a company to evolve and stay relevant.
“We don’t want to be seen as grandma’s day spa, so it was important that the design for the Dublin location be modern but not cold,” Debra Penzone says. “We wanted to create a holistic approach to beauty that is warm, welcoming and feels like its own community.”
An artistic red heart located on the exterior of the salon is a guest’s first visual indication that this salon will be different. Designed with Feng Shui in mind, the overall space integrates elements of wood, metal and living plants, to help clients feel personally centered upon entering. Another indication of holistic wellness is the Free Sips station where guests are encouraged to rethink their drink.
“We’ve partnered with The American Heart Association to help guests sip smarter,” Penzone says. “Instead of soda, guests can enjoy infused spa water, hot tea or our Crimson Cup coffee.”
Keeping with its community vibe, the salon’s Beauty Zone is located within the welcome area. The space’s Beauty Bar offers a unique opportunity for a quick add-on service, such as express facial, waxing, eyebrow threading or eyelash tinting.
Within this relaxed environment of the Beauty Zone, hands-on stations invite clients to play. For example, they can try on a new lip color at the Pucker Up Lip Bar. The Beauty Zone also hosts customer appreciation events. Event themes such as “Peels + Pinot,” “Sip ‘n Style” and “Microblading Mapping” have nearly all sold out.
With floor-to-ceiling windows and two large living plant wallscapes, the Social Room invites the outside in. Acting as the heart of the salon, the social room is where guests gather before, after and during appointments. At the café, guests can purchase wine, cold-pressed juice cocktails, upgraded coffee beverages from Crimson Cup Coffee and grab-and-go food. Guests can read a magazine, do a little work, grab a bite to eat or catch up with a friend. In the summer months, they can take the get-togethers outside onto an adjacent patio complete with fire pit and white lights.
“For our food options, we paired up with a local plant-based purveyor Juice & Co because we know that nutrition and external beauty are closely linked,” Penzone says.
More than 125 hair artists work at the Dublin location, so the Penzones were careful to make sure the hair experience still was a personalized one. The space was designed so that a maximum of 10 artists work in one of the five hair zones. The space, which has zoned music specifically for an upbeat vibe, includes a color bar that was created to showcase the talents of the artists.
The salon’s Lather Lounge elevates the shampoo experience. The lights are dim, the music is soft and the scent of the space is welcoming. The shampoo bowls feature cushioned neck rests and foot rests, and two separate lay-down shampoo bowls are available for longer treatments. Shampoos are elevated with aromatherapy, hot or cold towels, cranial pressure scalp massage and a hand massage.
For guests looking for a quiet moment before a spa experience, the Spa Zone delivers soft lighting, music and a relaxing scent. In the Nail Zone, the Penzones embraced an open space with community tables for both polishing and drying. Pedicures are offered in the same space with new additions to the menu, including a dual mani/pedi.
During the construction process, the Penzones hit a seven-month setback when the city revealed plans to build a road right through the middle of the property. The delay was frustrating, but Penzone says their vision evolved over those long months and the resulting salon is different than what was originally intended.
“Whether it’s a mindful moment, an amazing service, some time for self-care or even a healthy bite to eat, our new concept helps guests uncover their confidence and live beautifully from the outside in,” Penzone says.
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