Hair Salon Magic at Matthew Morris in Denver

The Four-Handed Blow Dry at Matthew Morris Salon Denver

I don’t know how I ended up having long hair for so long. Up until the time I moved to Colorado–now over thirteen years ago–I mostly had short hair. I’m talking about super-short, pixie-cut-like hair. My shortest was from a top stylist in Paris who once said, “Very few women look good in long hair.” Mon dieu, tell that to all the American ladies from New York to L.A.

The Very Dapper Alan la Noue

Mom and Alan

Alan and Me

My first short haircut was from Alan la Noue, my Mom’s stylist of the past forty-five years or so and owner of Hair by Alan. Yes, he’s like a member of the family and I’m  thrilled when I’m able to see him and have him do my hair on trips back home to upstate New York. He christened me with a short “do” when I was nine, a cheeky little cut complete with a widow’s peak à la Liza Minnelli in “Cabaret.” I’ve often been told I have a face best-suited for short hair yet in the West, long, almost hippy-like hair takes center stage.

Mom and Me Meeting Up with Alan for Lunch after Being Coiffed

So here I am a not-so-young lady anymore with locks long enough to donate to Locks for Love, or a similar type of organization. We often have Locks of Love events here in Telluride, so I think the next time one happens, I’ll step up to the chopping block. For now though I struggle with the maintenance required of long hair, the lengthy shampoos and conditionings as well as all the exhausting contortions required when I decide to step it up and smooth my hair with a long, arduous blow dry. No wonder the French call it un brushing.

My Finished Look at Matthew Morris

Close Enough to See the Glossy Color

So you can imagine my delight when I found myself at the Matthew Morris Salon in Denver, luxuriating beneath a four-handed blow dry. Wow! Not only did my hair come out the best ever but it also felt like a scalp massage par excellence. And this is part of the regular treatment clients receive at this salon.

The Color Bar at Matthew Morris

My Matthew Morris experience began with a glass of bubbly (which was topped off several times throughout my appointment). Stylist Chrissy Neidig then consulted with me about what look I was going for and began to mix up the color using the salon’s oil-based, ammonia-free products from INOA. With the help of her assistant, they transformed me into a real head turner. (Or at least, I thought so.)

Toasting Matthew Morris Salon

With thirty-five stylists and ten assistants between two locations, Matthew Morris has become the “it” place to go in Denver for hair and a palette of other beauty treatments including eyelash extensions and eyebrow shaping. The South Broadway salon I went to back in the middle of ski season–when I needed pampering the most–is a huge, loft-like space, a converted grocery store, punctuated by lots of cool details such as old mining carts converted into hair styling stations and airplane wings serving as the reception desk. They are innovators in every respect and I’m happy to say there’s not an ounce of pretension to be found here (unlike at many other top salons around the world). This location is a bit out of the way, but the trip is more than worth it. I normally don’t talk prices but I have to add that I found their rates to be very reasonable for the quality of the service provided.

Cheers to you Matthew Morris! Now I wonder what you’d do if I decided to go short.

Visit Matthew Morris Salon and Skincare for more on this salon, their new location in RiNo, their services and news about their many scintillating events.

Rosa Lea, from Salon 7, is my go-to stylist in Telluride. She does a great job as well.

Rosa Lea and Jackson from Salon 7