Meet Amy Jones of Salty Blonde Salon in Melrose

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Jones.

Amy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started doing hair 13 years ago. Actually, that’s a lie. I started doing hair sometime around the age of 5, filling a glass with water, then dipping a comb into it to style my Dad’s hair while he watched the news on the couch. The next phase was cutting my friends hair at sleepovers and dying their hair with Cool-Aid (I was subsequently grounded a lot in elementary school).

Okay, fast-forward to 13 years ago. I graduated hair school, moved to the North End, then got my first gig working at Acote on Newbury Street. These were the days before social media, so I remember walking up and down Newbury Street and Comm Ave putting flyers on people’s windshields as “advertising”. I learned how hard hairstylists really have to hustle and keep things moving in a super busy salon. Newbury Street Salon’s are really kill or be killed. There is so much competition, being mediocre isn’t an option. It was a great learning experience but I had my sights set on an even more cut-throat place – New York City. A job offer came along to work in a high-end, small salon located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Needless to say, I was on the next Peter Pan bus with like, $40 to my name. The Salon was in a beautiful brownstone by Park Ave. It had much more of an exclusive “boutique” type feel. It was such a refreshing change from the chaos of Newbury Street. The French owner, Yann Varin, was the ultimate perfectionist. With Parisians, it’s all about quality over quantity. Everything from clothes, to food and yes, to hair.

I spent almost 5 years in New York City, really perfecting and polishing my craft. (Along with thickening my skin.) We did everything from regular young professionals, to old-money socialites. I was fortunate enough to even do hair for Oscar De La Renta and Carolina Herrera for their bridal lines during Fashion Week. Over time, I started to get burnt out and I missed my family, so I headed back to Boston. I, then settled into a suburban salon in Reading for several years. It was a nice change to work in a more neighborhood, less-stressful environment. The salon was massive and I honestly lost track of how many stylists worked there. I used to drive my boss crazy with how long I spent on my clients, but it was hard to change the mentality that I had known and loved in New York.

After several years there, my husband’s job brought our family to Galway, Ireland. We spent 18 months there. I spent that time traveling all over Europe and really figuring out what I wanted to do next with my career. It was a great opportunity to get a feel for what was going on in Europe and London in regard to hair and fashion. I took a few classes while I was there – including one with Jen Atkin and Chris Appleton (the people behind the Hair of the Kardashians, Chrissy Teigen and J-Lo to name a few. When we moved back, I had decided I really did not want to go back to a traditional salon atmosphere. I wanted to do hair on my own time, in my own way, with my own standards. So, I started Free-Lancing. Which brings us to today. I am based out of Melrose, but I travel around the Boston area doing hair remotely. Apart from my regular clients, I also do a lot of weddings in the area. I love being able to give clients a true one-on-one experience. They get 100% of my attention at all times. Any of my clients know, it’s not going to be an in-and-out situation and all of them would tell you they prefer it that way. Ultimately, I’d like to open a brick and mortar somewhere in Boston, but still keep it super person and boutique-y. Absolutely no factory line feels that a lot of salons have on a busy Saturday. That’s just not for me and not for my clients.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I feel like with most things in life, no career worth having exists without struggles along the way. That’s what makes or breaks people and the best ones rise to the top. It’s a kind of natural selection. I went from watering flowers and sweeping Hair on Newbury Street then building up a clientele there, to then moving to NYC without a single friend or client, working my tail off for 5 years building my clientele, to then start from scratch essentially back here in Boston. Throw in a few stints in Europe just to shake things up. I feel like all of those experiences and obstacles I faced in term have made me more dynamic as a stylist and as a person

Salty Blonde Salon – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I always wondered how hairstylists can keep track of 5 clients going on at once. The truth is, I really don’t think they can. And if they do there is just no way to guarantee the best quality for each and every client. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to hair. I don’t care how long it takes, I’m getting it perfect. There is no better feeling as a stylist then when your client leaves feeling like a million bucks. To see that change, to make people genuinely feel beautiful and confident. It’s just the best. I always say most people know what it feels like to have a haircut/color they hate, but not many know what it’s like to have one that they absolutely love. That’s my goal. My name is on that hair when I’m done so I won’t allow anything subpar walking around. How many times have you left a salon looking amazing, then the first time you attempt to style it yourself, it’s a hot mess. I want to make it easy for my clients to recreate what I’ve done once they get home. I want it to be less work for them, but with better results.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success for any hairstylist is obviously to make your client happy. I want to give them their best hair ever. For me personally, it goes much further than that. I’m my own worst critic and even if someone leaves happy, if I don’t LOVE what I’ve created it’s not going to sit well with me. There are a million different ways to get from A to B and I want to make sure, I do it in the best way possible. I do every clients hair the way I would expect someone to do mine, which is slightly OCD but that’s exactly how I would want it.

Contact Info:

• Email: amy@saltyblondesalon.com
• Instagram: @saltyblondesalon

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.