New York - May 22, 2003

Making the Cut

Sparkle Beauty Studio

Who greenlit the whole hair-salon-as-nightclub concept?

All you want is a trim and you end up on a monthlong wait list for an appointment. When you finally get into the chair, some snotty self-proclaimed “artiste” shames you with a do-you-realize-how-bad-your-hair-color-is sneer.

The alternative? A pathetic done-at-home shag do for the DIY crowd. Sparkle Beauty Studio for everyone else.

Sparkle’s an old-fashioned beauty parlor where personal attention and pampering are everything. Cofounders Gabriel Trujillo and Jeffrey Fernandez (formerly of Red Salon) have given Sparkle a cozy backstage-dressing-room feel (the place seats only two at a time) and a Pillow Talk style (tunes by Doris Day and Billie Holiday). Clients get a pre-wash oil treatment, scalp and hand massages, and a deep conditioning — before anyone even picks up a pair of scissors. Men and women are welcome, and both pay the same amount for a cut.

Because, really, no one should deny themselves access to dazzling locks.

Sparkle Beauty Studio, 3 Charles Street, at Greenwich Avenue (212-645-4745).