Michael Duenas giving Jess a great blow-out after cutting her hair in her apartment
On Saturday morning, I headed over to my best friend Jess's apartment to observe her hair prep for a wedding that afternoon. Normally I don't need to be a part of my friends' getting-ready rituals, but she was having celebrity stylist Michael Duenas come to her apartment to cut and style her hair, and I was dying to talk to him about his new Hair Room Service company. Duenas, an editorial stylist and national educator for Schwarzkopf (and an all-around great guy!), came up with the idea for on-call beauty services when he overheard a woman at a hotel asking about nearby salons. He offered her his services, and Hair Room Service, which brings the salon experience directly to the client, was born just months later. "There are so many hotels and apartments in New York City, so it just makes sense to have this level of convenience," Duenas told me. Hair Room Service offers hair cut/color/styling, facials, nail services and men's grooming—all at prices that are competitive with area salons. He also mentioned that they've been starting to offer group classes for blow-outs and makeup, and have added fashion stylists who will actually take clients shopping.
Jess, who found Hair Room Service through LocalBooking.com, was thrilled with the way her hair turned out and really appreciated the fact that she didn't have to waste an hour of her busy day traveling to and from a salon. Because going into someone's home or hotel room requires a level of trust and professionalism, Duenas only hires staff members who have worked with celebrities in the past. "When you work with celebrities, you learn how to deal with people and be both professional and discreet," he explained. After the little gossip session he heard us have that morning, I certainly hope that's true!