Gallery, Cafe, Hair Salon All-in-One on Melrose
ARBITER OF COOL: owner Todd Jameson.
VINTAGE FURNITURE and moveable pieces are featured in the salon.
The neighborhood just got a little hipper with the opening of Nue Studio salon and cafe at the Hollywood Historic Hotel at 5156 Melrose Ave.
According to Yelp, owner and stylist Todd Jameson is a veritable hair god and rock star in Miami, where he opened the original Nue Studio in 2008. Features at his shop, which was voted among the top 100 salons in 2011 by Elle Magazine, include art-covered walls, album covers used as flooring and a DJ booth.
The new Nue has all that and more, including a cafe with posted hours of “7 a.m. till we feel like closing.” Breakfast is served all day, and there is something for everyone on an extensive and interesting menu that is broken down into “Westside” and “Eastside” offerings.
Customers seeking healthy fare can choose from a variety of smoothies and salads with ingredients like kale, quinoa and Brussels sprouts. For carnivores and heartier appetites, there’s Philly steak and Momma’s meatball sandwiches.
An adjacent room where Jameson performs his specialty-a dry-cutting technique dubbed “the naked haircut”-is nothing like your typical hair salon. Decorated with vintage furniture and eclectic artwork, its shelves display a variety of cool stuff for sale, from vintage clothing and handmade jewelry to Jameson’s own line of perfume.
Most pieces, including the DJ booth, mirrors and swivel chairs, are moveable, and shelves are hinged and can be folded up so the space can be converted into anything from an art gallery to a dance floor.
“We don’t specialize in just one thing,” said the affable Jameson, a Silverlake resident and father of two with one on the way. “It’s a celebration of hair, art, food, photography, fashion and music.”
Recent offerings included Cinematic Tuesday screenings of “Dazed and Confused,” where those wearing old concert T-shirts were promised a free brownie, and “The Big Lebowski,” where patrons who showed up in bathrobes and bowling shirts got a free drink.
Upcoming events include a regular Wednesday karaoke night; the recent Friday evening “Bluesbilly Bash” featured live bands and DJs with no cover charge.
Jameson envisions Nue Studio as a local hangout spot and the coolest place ever to get a haircut.
Category: People
