With a pounding headache perfectly matching my dull, dried out hair as a result of the previous nights' festivities, I headed down to the Privé salon conveniently located right next door to the hotel I was staying at, the Soho Grand. Privé is a salon that sits very cleverly on the line between pretentious and accessible. It looks super-cool, but the staff are friendly, the atmosphere is bustling and once you're in there you are never made to feel like you don't belong. Good vibes are felt from the moment you walk in. Everyone is familiar with the self proclaimed "luxury" salons, that greet customers with aloofness that should be reserved for other lines of business. It seems those salons don't understand that beauty care is a very sensitive subject, and a friendly and helpful staff is definitely one of the most important things that a salon can offer almost as important as the service itself -Privé in Soho pulls this off with ease.

Getting down to business, Privé is a full service salon and my first session for the day began with a massage by one of the salons’ top therapists, Olga. I was in pretty bad shape physically because I had made the decision the night before to drink and dance a little too much. Needless to say a massage was much needed. Olga’s hands were like a gift from God. No joke, I could feel the stress being roughened out of me as classical music gently played from the speakers -the perfect mix of musical and physical therapy. She massaged me from my skull all the way to the tips of my feet. When Olga turned on the lights signaling that the session was over, I felt as if the night before never happened and I had been all mended and brand new.

Next it was time to fix my hair which looked not too different from a bird’s nest. My stylist Elle took all of about three seconds to suss out my hair. It’s medium brown and not thick yet not thin, it’s half straight and half wavy (apparently this is very common, and you can tell hair like mine from its spongy feel) and I was pleasantly surprised to be told it’s in quite good condition considering the fact that it’s been colored countless times. After discussing what I wanted (She listened! And she didn’t try and suggest stuff that I didn’t want!) Elle got down to business and did her magic. I can honestly say without hesitation that the cut she gave me would go in the top 3 best cuts I’ve ever received in my life. I’m pretty much a wash, dry and go kind of girl and she understood this because she cut my hair in a style that looked good even when I woke up the next morning and the morning after and so on. I don’t throw out compliments so readily when it comes to many salons however Elle did an amazing job and I can’t rave enough about how impressed I was with her skills. I received at least five compliments within the next few days. That says a lot!

If you're curious which products Elle used before and after cutting and styling my hair, here is a rundown:

-Concept Vert rejuvenating shampoo and conditioner - high-yield, sulfate and paraben free product with innovative reusable packaging and patented air powered technology that makes for the ultimate in eco-friendly beauty

-Concept Vert Volumizing Froth – a next generation non-aerosol mousse which helps in the quest to reduce Privé’s carbon footprint provides incredible body, volume and definition while leaving hair soft, shiny and protected!-Privé Finishing Hair Spray - From straight hair to curly hair, Privé’s Finishing Hair Spray55 is strong enough to combat the strongest frizz but gentle enough to leave hair soft and flexible with a spring in curls.

Privé Salon is a full service hair salon and spa. Luckily you don’t have to be in NYC to experience Privé because there are multiple locations in the US including Miami and Los Angeles. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who has anything less than great to say about Privé. It’s a professional yet cool salon without the pretension. You can’t ask for much more.

Privé Salon Soho310 West Broadway New York, NY 10013-2225 212.274.8888www.privesalon.comwww.priveproducts.com