Cheryl Shops

In praise of the pricey haircut
As some of you might know, my dear hairdresser of four years, Paul, moved to Los Angeles last October, and I was very distraught about it. After much research, I went to Space salon in Soho and spent close to $300 on a very bland, boring haircut and slightly orange, very fake-looking highlights. Clearly I wasn't going back there. Earlier this month, my hair started to get shaggy, and I started to get nervous. Then I read a really silly story in US Weekly about how you can go to fancy salons and get a cut with a junior stylist for about a third (or less) of what the salon's top stylists charge. One of the salons mentioned was Sally Hershberger Downtown, home of the $600 haircut. Now, I remembered, back when I worked at Maxim that when we had a smokin' hot Gina Gershon on the cover, someone from Sally Hershberger did her hair, which was shaggy and totally sexy. So I thought, "Hey, what can I lose?" and I made an appointment for last Thursday. The salon is quite lovely--minimal decor, flattering lighting, very serene--not at all the usual loud, bustling salon environment. And everyone there was totally nice to me, which I was not expecting at all. My stylist, it turns out, is Sally's assistant, and he cut me a totally sexy, wash-and-wear shag (yes, I don't even have to blow it out--a first for me) that I absolutely love. Seriously, words cannot describe how happy I am with this haircut. It was $150 with tip, which, I know, is a bit ridiculous, but to me, it's worth it, especially after the trauma of my last salon visit. Two funny things: 1) I sat next to Jane Krakowski, of Ally McBeal fame, and tried to eavesdrop, but she kept her conversation confined to her hair; and 2) the salon exclusively uses John Frieda products (Frizz Ease, Sheer Blonde, et al.) which are sold at drugstores nationwide--so no more dropping an extra $60 on styling products whenever you get your hair done. My next challenge? Scrounging up $250 for highlights.