Sprays, creams, gels, newfangled brushes and buckets full of sharp objects meant to shape and style hair into beautiful masterpieces mean salons are magnets for industrial-strength clutter.

If it’s “all about the products,” it’s easy to see why hair salons can look overrun with the by-products of their labor. Yet who hasn’t been turned off by the salon-of-old, with the mounds of hair in the corner, unswept since the morning’s first cut? The deluge of cans on crowded counters? The stacks of dog-eared, well-worn magazines thrown carelessly in the corner?

Fortunately, clean aesthetics and a clutter-free mantra are the order of the day for a relatively new salon, established in November 2008: Trichology Salon Inc., 14101 N May Ave. Neat and orderly, hip and high-tech, it’s a space that not only Mr. Clean would be proud of, but that stylish women clamor for: breathing space for the beautiful.

As your mother says, “neatness counts.”

Owned by Greg Welchel and Tammy Cox, Trichology – meaning the study of the health of hair – has a crisp and fresh feel, perfectly matching its credo to provide stylish looks to its patrons.

With pops of bright color, a soothing palette of white provides the airy aura of the 2,800-square-foot space, accompanied by careful organization. The ever-important products flank both sides of the shop’s entrance in neat rows, beneath flat-screen television sets broadcasting a fashion show.

A red-framed Mac computer sits atop the receptionist desk, and singular floral arrangements provide a sense of natural beauty to the room. Two rows of seating, 10 chairs on each side, European-style wash stations and stainless steel dryers – all below a larger flat-screen TV – fill the primary space. Using the latest technology was important to the owners, such as the Italian-designed chemical hair processors.

“They look like pieces of art,” Welchel says of the sleek, Logika-brand machines. “The inspiration comes more from the designer boutiques off of Madison Avenue. I love to look at their lighting, the way they display their retail, the type of music, and how they exude fashion.”

RAISING THE BAR
The glamorous experience at Trichology includes a coffee and juice bar, complements of the salon, and an Internet bar in the far right corner, where customers can check their e-mail and conduct quick bits of “have your people call my people” business.

It’s all about connection at Trichology, which is one of the first salons to embrace social media to promote its brand, build its client base, and make its Web site a centerpiece of its booking. With 24/7/365 booking available online, a customer doesn’t have to wait for a stylist to stop working on a client to answer the phone and fumble through the booking calendar, or even worse, to get a call back.

“A client can book their appointment from anywhere in the world, and some have,” Welchel says, adding that currently about 15% of its bookings happen online, but that number is increasing each month. “In this business, word of mouth is everything, and social media is word of mouth on steroids. The big plus is that it’s fun ... and free, for now.”

Trichology uses both Twitter and Facebook to build community and awareness of what it has to offer. The salon recently opened its doors to nearly a hundred women as host of a “Trendy Momma Tweet-Up,” which was heavily promoted via social media. Welchel also has started a Web video series showcasing special hairstyles and tips while working on real clients, all shot in the salon and viewable online via the uVizz video-sharing platform.

In building Trichology, Welchel and Cox have strived for – and accomplished – an energy that is positive, upbeat and fashionable.

“We love it when a client walks in and comments how it just ‘feels good’ or has ‘great energy.’ It reaffirms that what we wanted to create is working,” says Welchel, formerly a designer at DK Salon and Duncan Bros. Salon. “We think the key ingredients to our space are the design, music and dress. It’s important to us to look, act and feel like we are in the fashion business. Our brand is all-encompassing and runs full-circle, therefore, completing the entire picture.”