Honeyed haircuts and dulcet cupcakes in Silverlake

November 28, 2009

LOS ANGELES, USA – Swung by The Hive today for a much-needed haircut. This boutique salon in a hip pocket of Silver Lake has been creating a lot of “buzz” since its opening a year ago. The owner is stylist Lissa Renn, who made last year’s Los Angeles magazine “Best of LA” list as Bargain Stylist for her expert scissor work at Rudy’s Barbershop. All that attention prompted her to realize her dream of opening her own salon. She’s now cutting for $48 (short cut) to $68 (long cut) instead of the $24-$30 cuts at drop-in-only Rudy’s, but the amenities and individualized attention at The Hive are totally worth the price bump.

There are five stylists in total, but of course I had to give Lissa a try. It was easy to get an appointment with her on a Wednesday afternoon. The space — which doubles as a gallery and also a sometime music venue (check their Facebook page for event announcements) — is spare and modern, with concrete floors, exposed beams, and rotating art on the walls. I was greeted by offers of water, hot tea, coffee, and even wine (!), and was pleased with my choice of lightly sweetened Moroccan mint tea in a glass mug — perfect for a fall afternoon with a hint of crispness in the air.

Lissa is young, sweet, and pixie-ish, with absolutely no ‘tude despite her press-worthy cutting chops (she also has an adorable bee tattoo on her arm, which inspired the name of the salon). Her assessment of my hair was spot-on: it needed weight taken out. After a shampoo and condition with Davines products (yummy), Lissa got to work on my overgrown mane. She’s into slide-cutting (“opening up the scissors and carving into the hair”), a trick for unburdening thick locks. It’s a creative alternative to mere layering, which is supposed to lighten the load but can really just create a stack of weight. Lissa also paid incredible attention to the texture of my strands, telling me my hair lacked elasticity and was feeling a bit like cotton candy at the moment. She recommended a mask of protein and moisture twice a week to restore its health and gave me tips on how to avoid damage when coloring it at home. After a blow dry, my hair felt luminous, swingy, and light as the autumn breeze.

The salon sells Davines products as well as vintage sunglasses, handmade jewelry by Cloven Hoof, and — in keeping with the bee theme — God Save the Queen honey made by local honeybees. If that’s not sweet enough for you, pop into Lark Cake Shop around the corner for an indulgence. On Wednesdays, you get a free cupcake with a minimum $1.50 purchase. All in all, a dulcet deal.

The Hive
1402 Micheltorena St.
Los Angeles, CA
(1) 323-665-1028
Website
Map

Lark Cake Shop
3337 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
(1) 323-667-2968
Website
Map

Learn more about Lark Cake Shop on The Purple Passport