new hair from nouvelle athenes

la nouvelle athenes is one of those place i kept hearing about-- i had articles about this hot salon in my files, then a french friend told me she went and loved it, and to top it off, my hairdresser of five years retired, so it was time for a change.

the salon is set in a large, light-filled apartment behind the gare st lazare, and decorated with chic flea market furniture. no chop shop here, you really feel as if you are in someone's home. the owner, sylvie coudray, believes in looking at your face shape, hair texture, complexion, etc, before determining the best cut for you. i went in with a short cut that had gotten way overgrown, and was told that i needed a bit of hair on my forehead, less on the sides, that my color was wrong, etc. this, of course, was said in that oh-so french frank but convincing style, peppered with her saying ma belle and cherie repeatedly. who could resist? i was out of there two hours later with a new chic 'do, scared to death at first that i had bangs [but she was right, they do make my eyes pop!], and a shiny new vegetable-based color. the hair cuts [note that hair is cut dry to better see how it moves] run 65 euros and color is from 50 euros and up.

the petit plus? sylvie speaks english, having spent a year in florida. she also has great tips on products for the hair-- she recommended a great hand cream (yes, hand cream!) as a styling tool for my hair. trop genial!