Alicia Beisel, owner of Avante

Alicia Beisel, owner of Avante, just reopened her shop in an expanded space at 61 Broadway, adjacent to her old location. With twice as much space and a lovely renovation, Beisel has expanded her salon to include full spa service, both massage and facial wraps.  The two-floor space is stunning, reminiscent of the premises of a five-star hotel, with its shiny wood floors, high ceilings, and architectural details. There’s even a secluded, leafy patio in the back.

Avante

Downstairs, there’s two separate rooms, one for hair cutting, the other for manicures and pedicures. Three massage rooms, including a deluxe space with a marble mantel, are on the second floor, which is a great place to get away from it all without leaving the city. Avante also does body waxing, spray tanning, and makeup, with a brisk business in wedding parties.

Beisel has eight employees, including hair cutter—artist might be a better word–Willie Lennon, who trained under Vidal Sassoon. She just hired an extra receptionist and esthetician (skin care specialist) and hopes to hire a female masseuse soon. The business celebrates its 13^th anniversary on July 15, by which time Beisel expects to be completely up to speed in the new location. She lived in the Rondout for many years and loves doing business in the area. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” she said. “It’s so quaint, with the river close by. It’s just a beautiful little area.”

Rage

Rage, located at 40 North Front Street, has three owners—Joe Perry, Susan Benincasa and Michael McGowan. They’ve been friends for many years and all worked at the same salon before deciding to open their own business 28 years ago. Rage also has three employees.

Besides hair cutting, hair highlighting and coloring is a big part of their business. Rage specializes in high-quality L’Oreal coloring products, and it is only one of two salons in Ulster County featuring the brand-new color line Inoa, according to Perry. He said that the Inoa line is ammonia free. “It doesn’t dry out the hair,” he said. “It’s an oil-based system and makes the hair healthier.” There also is no chemical smell. “We try to keep up in times,” said Perry. “Inoa is the newest thing in 40 years for color.”

The shop also offers Great Lengths, a service offering 100 percent human hair extensions. The natural extensions are bonded to the client’s hair, adding fullness and body to thin hair. Benincasa and McGowan are the two technicians who do the hair bonding.

Mark Ferraro

Next door, the eponymous owner of Mark Ferraro Hair Design, 56 North Front Street, has styled some famous hair: his clients include Chris Stein, the bass player of 1980s band Blondie, Robbie Dupree, and the CEO for Marc Jacobs, along with many other prominent musicians, including some of the members of Mercury Rev, which regularly tours the world. Ferraro, who trained with Paul Mitchell and worked in the city for some years, is sought out by hipsters everywhere for his creative way with hair. He said before it got popular he did the “upside down shag,” inspired by skater Dorothy Hamill. The sky’s the limit when it comes to hair styling, and Ferraro’s ahead of the game.

Ferraro, whose mom was a hairdresser, began cutting his friends’ hair when he was 12 years old, collecting payment in a coffee can. He said when the Dorothy Hamill wedge got popular—he calls it “the upside down shag”—the 17-year-old haircutter figured out how to do it and was booked solid for six months.

He has been cutting hair at his current location for 21 years and said he couldn’t be happier. “I feel like I’m in a village,” he said. “It’s like St. Mark’s Place upstate. I like that city vibe. I’ll do a homeless person off the street who doesn’t have five cents, then a person whose world famous for their art.”

Suzy Marello

Tangles Hair Salon, at 693 Broadway, is located in the only octagonal building in Kingston, so you can’t miss it. Owner Suzy Marello and an employee cut hair and do manicures and pedicures, earning a following for their reasonable prices. Marello opened the hair salon 11 years ago after she tired of running the Fountain Lounge, a bar owned by her family that had occupied the space for 30 years. (Before that, the building housed an appliance business.)

The building is one of a handful of octagonal structures in New York State, which were built in the 19^th century and promoted by phrenologist Orson Fowler, who believed the octagon allowed for better air circulation than the standard quadrangle. “People come from all over the take pictures,” said Marello. She’s open Tuesday through Saturday.

List of Hair Salons along the Kingston Corridor:

Abeel Street Hair Studio     105 Abeel Street     338-2251

Albrecht’s Hair Design      22 Broadway                339-8272

A Razor’s Edge                               290 Fair St                    331-2806

Ashe                                                   688 Broadway             331-2297

Avante                                               61 Broadway               340-4786

Caterino’s Hairstyling                 209 Hurley Ave          331-4314

Class Act Hair Designers            1 Albany Ave               331-8955

Cutting Corner Hair Salon         223 Boices Lane          382-2400

Cutting Crew                                   Kingston Plaza               339-2981

The Cut Off Point                           349 E. Chester              331-9008

Danny Kay’s Unisex Salon         87 St. James St.           338-6853

Dream Weaver’s                             34 N. Front St.             338-4552

Fashinista                                         474 Broadway             340-0672

Finesse                                               388 Broadway             331-1718

Mark Ferraro Hair Design          56 North Front            331-4547

Greenberry Hair Inc.                   275 Fair St.                   338-2100

Hair Affair                                         460 Albany Ave.        339-1111

Leshag Beauty Salon                     276 Fair St.                   338-0191

Joseph Roberts Hairstylist        159 Green                      338-4175

Rage Hair Salon                               40 North Front           331-2211

Secrets Hair & Nail Salon             504 Delaware Ave     338-1339

Anna Sembar Hair Designer       197A Boices Ln          336-4795

Majorie Shorter                               38 McEntee                  338-2413

Stylorama Beauty Salon            62 Guyon St.                   331-1485

Tangles Hair Salon                    693 Broadway                  338-9481

Taylor’s Haircutting                 162 Foxhall                       338-7887

Trends Hair Design 29 West Strand                 340-9100

A Touch of Class                         474 Broadway                 331-5676

Uptown Elegance                       333 Wall Street                338-6595

Village Nails                                 49 N. Front                       339-6323