Mallory Fenn Robinson said the women down at Malibu Hair Spa at 811 Robb St. in Summit are the kind of girls who have “each other’s back.”
Her crew of stylists say it’s that salon harmony that makes coming to work every day in downtown Summit fun and rewarding.
“One thing I like about working here is the comraderie,” said stylist Mitzi Wallace. “We have clientele who are just as comfortable going with Mallory as they are me and vice versa. That really helps when someone has to be out.”
“The client doesn’t have to miss their appointment,” Robinson said. “We all are willing to work with each other’s clients and we work well together.”
Stylist Holly Spillman adds, “We are laid back with a good clientele that’s always growing. It’s fun work.”
Wallace thinks that makes it a plus for clients.
“One of my customers said one of the reasons she liked coming here is that, ‘I know if I bring a question or a problem to you, y’all are going to talk about it together and make sure you’re giving me the right answer, ’ ” Wallace said.
Malibu Hair Spa is located in an old bank building with original turn-of-the-20th century tin ceiling tiles. Robinson’s chic decor and the quiet run of Robb Street make sitting in the parlor of her salon a relaxing experience.
“I like this salon so much,” said Wallace, who has been with Robinson at Malibu since she opened in early 2008.
“It amazes me how much it’s grown,” Robinson said of downtown Summit.
Robb Street has seen an upswing of businesses and boutiques moving in.
“I love it because it has a small-town feel,” Robinson said. “We shop in all the other shops on Robb Street, and everybody knows everybody. It’s nice.”
“We have a lot of clientele,” Wallace said, “but, it’s quiet here and it’s a beautiful salon. When I travel, I visit other salons, and I’ve never seen one as pretty as this one. I like coming to work just because of how pretty it is here.”
The women say the holidays will bring in a lot of extra work because everyone wants to look great for parties and events.
“People are coming in a lot now for hi-lights — to get ready for the holidays,” Spillman said.
Robinson said a big trend now is Cinderella Hair. And for the holidays they have special fashion color extensions available.
“You can go from short hair to long hair in a couple of hours,” Robinson said. “It’s amazing. It’s not damaging to hair at all. It’s 100 percent human hair. You can wash it, brush it, blow dry it, do anything you would do with natural hair.
“Some people add it to their hair to have a fuller head of hair and, of course, some people use it to have long hair.”
Extensions up to 24 inches are available.
“We have a line of hair extensions in fashion colors,” Robinson said. “We will probably do a lot of that this season. Most people just want one small section. It’s something fun and inexpensive to do.”
The stylists say another thing they do a lot of this time of year is keratin collagen hair treatments.
“It’s like a facelift for your hair,” Wallace said.
Robinson said the treatment takes about an hour and restores the keratin and collagen that hair loses through daily processes, such as blow-drying and ironing, and returns it to its virgin state.
The salon has gift certificates available for holiday gift-givers.
“We always try to offer specials through our gift certificates, like incorporating spa manicures or pedicures in with the purchase of a gift certificate.”
Robinson said the salon is beginning to pick up holiday momentum so making an appointment now is best, but she welcomes walk-ins.
