Local Salon & Spa Named One of Country's Best

Summer is all about setting goals and accomplishments, right? Well Fort Lee’s very own can rest easy, at least for a little while. The salon was recently named the fifth best salon (third runner up) in the country in a “Modern Salon” contest by Salon Today Magazine, an industry magazine that focuses on all aspects of salons across the nation.

”Once a year they have this contest,” salon owner Larissa Miron explained. “When we first opened we were mentioned in magazines…this is our first contest.”

The contest focused purely on the aesthetic design of salons, so although the employees are talented and ingenious, their great work wasn’t what the judges were looking for. The judges were only paying attention to the architectural design, décor, layout and client-pleasing design of the salon. The judges were comprised of high-profile New Jersey salon owners, industry magazine editors and others in the salon world.

“They had six judges on there,” salon manager Kris Fidler-Ballard told Patch. “They did photos, write-ups, they did research, and they [looked for things] things they thought were inviting but also very functional. One thing this year they did different was looking for a place that was not only client-friendly, but also employee friendly [in terms of layout].”

What’s especially interesting to note is that 5 Salon & Spa placed ahead of Manhattan in the contest, considering The Big Apple is what Miron and Fidler-Ballard consider their “biggest competition.” In fact, Manhattan didn’t even make the top 10!

Both Fidler-Ballard told Patch that the magazine judges like the way the three-storey salon is arranged around an open staircase.

“They liked the levels,” Fidler-Ballard explained. “How you can see all three levels at once.”

Miron added, "They liked the friendliness, the employee friendliness."

“They said that our neon sign near the shampoo area was really cool, they said it was very urban sleek with a modern contemporary style,” Fidler-Ballard said.

Fidler-Ballard said another reason the salon in Fort Lee was chosen was because they stand out from other New Jersey salons due to their big city feel. The manager explained that a number of salons in the area still adhere to the “Jersey” standard of hair trends – chunky highlights, big hair and long acrylic nails, for example – but that 5 Salon & Spa encourages a more city-friendly, sleek and chic look.

“Our [salon] is just a lot more kind of modern, upscale, swanky-sexy-cool,” Fidler-Ballard said.

”We’re very proud to be acknowledged. We did amazingly for our budget,” Miron said. “I think in many ways we stood out because we did a lot of [the décor and design] ourselves. We were very creative. We created a space that really compliments the whole picture.”

The salon also has changes happening all the time. Recently, they remodeled their own recent remodel and added two new stations for their stylists. They are up to date on all the newest fashion trends in the beauty industry and have added a variety of new services, including feather hair extensions seen in fashion magazines everywhere. The salon is also featuring a variety of new healthy body treatments, from stem cell facials to organic body sculpting wraps.

”Keep checking the website,” Fidler-Ballard suggests.

Fidler-Ballard and Miron are pleased with the contest’s results, and both feel proud to confirm their beliefs in 5 Salon & Spa. Fidler-Ballard told Patch that their placement in the contest reinforces their plan for the salon and spa.

”We had a plan for the whole year,” Fidler-Ballard said. “And it just validates that we’re going in the right direction and doing what we’re trying to do.”

5 Salon & Spa is located at 1643 Schlosser Street. You can reach them at 201-944-8011.