New salon offers alternative to NYC

Danielle Purifoy Guest Writer

Two Saturdays ago, my friend Kiki Krucks ’06 got her hair cut in Poughkeepsie. From most of what I’ve heard about the barber shops and salons surrounding Vassar, this would not be a good thing. Kiki had been nervous about it, too. After all, the most drastic thing she had done to her long hair since sixth grade was highlights.

So, when she, our friend Alice England ’06, and I walked into the Gallery, a quaint, clean,and new salon on Raymond Avenue, we weren’t quite convinced that she wouldn’t be better off going to the city. And when Noemy D’urso, the stylist, chopped off Kiki’s ponytail without warning (“Goodbye Kiki’s hair,” was all she said), all we could do was sit uneasily in our chairs and wait. An hour and several cuts later, we were all convinced that the city had in fact come to us. And cheaper.

“I got started in the hair business 16- plus years ago,” owner of the Gallery Laurie Fracasse said. “I had brain surgery four years ago while I was pregnant with my second child, and owning a salon was my dream. So, when [my daughter] got old enough I decided to start a salon. My kids were too young to live in the city, so I decided to open one here.”

Beautifully decorated and furnished with chandeliers, live plants, cushiony chairs, and the works of local artists, the Gallery’s environment makes one instantly comfortable. The ambience, combined with free cold drinks, good music, and warm hospitality, certainly made me feel at home.

“The concept here is giving back to the community,” said Fracasse. “No one seems to do that anymore. We do fundraisers for different benefits, and I allow local artists to display and sell their work here. Whatever they sell, they get to keep all of the profit. I just want them to get their work out there.”

Unlike many salons in the area, the Gallery’s stylists are trained to do hair of all types and textures. The hair care products used for washing, styling, and color, such as Paul Mitchell, Swartzkoff, and Nioxin, are all environmentally-friendly and can be purchased in the salon. But perhaps the best news for Vassar students is that, unlike any other salon in Poughkeepsie, the Gallery is a V-card merchant.

“In Poughkeepsie, there are many separate salons that do only white hair or black hair,” said Fracasse. “Everyone needs a beautiful place to go to get everything done, so we do every hair type. My staff [of five stylists] is excellent and extremely friendly.”

In addition to the whole spectrum of hair services, the Gallery also offers makeovers, skin care treatments, and waxing. By January, Fracasse said that she hopes to offer facials, full massages, and full waxing services.

“The make-up line we use is called Franche, and they are mineral and vitamin-based cosmetics,” said make-up artist Ashlee Johnson. “The products are light, highly pigmented, water resistant, and have great staying power. They also have a natural SPF 20 rating. I’m always looking for models, and would like to have young, hip people in my clientele. I can make them happy.”

Makeovers cost $35 and include a skin care treatment with the popular and 100 percent organic Australian line Jurlique. As for hair services, coloring starts at $40, hair designs for women are $25 and up, men $20 and up, full perming is $60 and up, and waxing starts at $10.

As a part of the job, all the artists are required to attend education classes on advanced cut, color, style, waxing, and other services to insure not only that they do their work correctly, but also to keep them up-to-date on the latest trends and styles.

For D’urso, who has been in the business for eight years, and who, on the day we were there, was overbooked, the work is more than enjoyable. “I love it. I don’t feel that I’m working. I feel that I’m having fun here,” she said.

As for Kiki, well, let’s just say that she won’t be going to the city anytime soon.