Beverly Hills salon closes, Cortier reigns
Romi Cortier has had his own salon, Romi Cortier Design, on Larchmont Boulevard for 25 years. “I didn’t know what I was getting into when I opened the doors at 38 years of age!” The 900-square foot cottage that houses his salon feels both upscale and homey, with vintage chandeliers and wallpaper in the bathrooms made from photos he took in Italy of the Ponte Vecchio and of Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
ROMI CORTIER in his full-service salon at 425 North Larchmont Blvd.
I went to speak to Cortier because, as many of our readers might have heard, there was a devastating fire at Porta Via, 424 N. Canon Dr. in Beverly Hills, where the restaurant of 31 years suffered a major fire in the early morning hours of Christmas. As a result of smoke damage, the iconic Beverly Hills hair salon Umberto (next door at 416) has also permanently closed after 48 years servicing clients, including many locals of Windsor Square and Hancock Park.
Although Cortier doesn’t have room at his salon for more hairdressers, some having been there for over 15 years, he said there’s always a way to fit in new clients. “Larchmont used to have a large salon similar to Umberto some might remember, called Haas, on the south end of the street.”
Cortier moved to the neighborhood in 1993 from Bellevue, Washington. “There was a very affluent clientele in Bellevue,” he recalled, but decided to look for a more contemporary, hip clientele when he came here. He remembers when he first came to Los Angeles he interviewed with Umberto’s wife, Babette, but decided to work at Mauro Salon on Melrose. Mauro’s attracted movie stars of the era such as Roger Moore, of the “James Bond” series, and TV star Morgan Fairchild. “That’s where I cut my teeth in LA. It was celebrity, but not too chichi. Kind of cool.”
In 2001 Cortier opened his own salon at 425 North Larchmont. He credits the development of his clientele partly to the acting class he took where he made friends with local Hancock Park actresses like Sharon Lawrence and Tammy Polo. “They were my posse,” he said. In picking his location he said it helped that “people always loved Larchmont—low-key and off the beaten path—like a hidden oasis here.”
THE SALON has been in the same space for 25 years.
Cortier, president of the Larchmont Business Association, lives in Beverly Hills on Burton Way. “My husband is on the thread for Beverly Hills neighbors, and they are chatting about how many fires there have been recently [in the surrounding area] and how unusual it is to have so many fires happen over such a short amount of time.”
Umberto Hair Salon and Porto Via share a bit of history. In 2017, four continuous parcels went on the market, all owned by the renowned hair stylist Umberto Savone, for $100 million, including Porto Via, Umberto, Il Pastaio, and 410 N. Canon Dr. No sale was made of this once-in-a-lifetime prize property in what is referred to as the Golden Triangle of Beverly Hills. All the businesses in said location suffered financially through COVID-19 but have returned to pre-pandemic business levels, only to fall victim to fire Christmas morning. As the Chronicle goes to print, the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Beverly Hills Fire Department Battalion Chief Ettore Berardinelli.
Back here on the ranch, just like Umberto’s used to have…Cortier’s salon, albeit much smaller in size, provides the same full-service experience of hair and nails, and it even has a boutique, which Umberto was also loved for! Cortier’s shop includes prints of his own, which will be published in a book called “Gates in the Hollywood Hills.” Cortier said, “I like this as a boutique art space. Wish I had more space!” Rest in peace, Umberto’s, we will miss you.
BOTH PORTO VIA and Umberto have closed permanently due to the Christmas morning fire.
Category: News
