Salon du Monde is a hidden retreat perched quietly above the din of Farwell and Brady. After ascending the winding steps to the second floor at 1437 E. Brady St., the first thing I notice as I enter the salon is that the walls are painted a soothing blue, not unlike a wide-open blue sky. Owner Gail Grider greets me as I enter. She designed and decorated the salon herself. Red accents grab your eye while shag pillows on the waiting room couches add a touch of whimsy. “Some people walk in and feel more comfortable right away, not intimidated like they might feel at a larger salon, where there are lots of people,” said Grider. “If people could see this from outside, I think they’d be more intrigued to come up.” Sitting in the waiting area, my eyes travel across the walls. The 12-foot-high ceilings leave plenty of room to display pieces of art by MIAD students and other local artists. A nice mellow blend of old and new music is playing. In the time I was there, I heard the latest from Beck, as well as something old by Roxy Music. Another feature of the salon is the outdoor porch overlooking Brady Street, a nice place to take a break for staff and customers alike. The salon, which opened in September of 2000, handles a wide variety of clientele, nearly a third of them men, and has a lot of loyal customers. “We tend to know all our clients, and unlike a busy salon, we have the time to acknowledge people as they walk in the door,” Grider says. There are currently three stylists working at the salon, and they’d like to add one more. The salon offers everything from haircuts, coloring and styling to facial waxing. Product lines include Sebastian Trucco makeup, shampoos and conditioners by J Beverly Hills, Artec, and Pureology, a vegan line of products for haircolor. The salon is open Tuesdays through Saturdays. And while walk-ins are welcome, they do recommend appointments. Grider, a Riverwester for almost ten years, loves the area and the interesting and varied types of people she meets. The name Salon du Monde means either Salon of the People or Salon of the World. Grider explains, “The first pertains to the way we treat our clients, the latter pertains to the melting pot of ethnic groups found around the Brady Street area and Riverwest.”
