At what point does a hair salon become so much more than simply a salon? One sure-fire answer to this question can be found when stepping over the threshold of the luxuriant and spacious Define Hair Studio in Vaughan, Ontario. The breathtakingly beautiful salon and spa treatment destination is the vision-made-real of sassy and energetic entrepreneur Julie Brocca, who poured her heart and soul into creating a space that would enable visitors to shine both on the inside and out.
At Define Hair Studio, not only is a cornucopia of services—including hair extensions, balayage, wigs, facials, and microblading; to name but a few—on offer, but also an immersive experience that has been curated to truly super-charge the soul. Playful and lifting interior design elements set the perfect scene for Brocca’s vibrant and talented all-female team to work their transformational magic. Read on to discover a little more about how the stunning interior was created and what drives the wow factor that awaits within!
Fun, Flow, and Florals
The first thing you’ll notice upon entering Define Hair Studio is the beauty of the light. The second is its bright, joyful, and airy open-plan design. At 3,000 square feet, the salon is unusually expansive, but there’s more to manifesting such a charming interior than space alone. Fresh white walls, 30-foot ceilings, and lofty skylights are complemented by a funky floral theme and an eclectic selection of additional design features that reflect a true artist’s eye.
Ultra-modern pendulum and wall lighting are married seductively with invitingly plush gold and velvet touches, and glorious vintage-feel salon chairs. A perfectly-lit sensorial feast can be discovered wherever the eye is cast, making it no surprise that visitors cherish every second spent in the stylist’s seat!
Credit for conceptualizing the mesmerizing interior goes to Brocca herself, who enlisted the help of Sandra Fiore—celebrated local interior design maestro of Fiore + Greco—to help her realize a whimsically inspired vision that is bound to pique curiosity. Brocca’s muse for the space was in fact a treasured portrait of a woman; a sizeable painting that today hangs behind the salon’s custom-made reception desk.
The portrait’s subject looks out at the viewer from before a white background, unabashedly radiant, with newspapers and flowers in her hair. As that striking aesthetic flows onward from the artwork itself, it quickly and seamlessly morphs into both decadently resplendent interior design and a team of hair and beauty specialists who are as unquestionably gorgeous as they are highly skilled!
Speaking of flow, there is also quite an art to making such a large interior feel both palatial and intimate. To pull off such a feat, Brocca collaborated with Fiore to realize the space’s potential. They harnessed playful use of angles and created cleverly partitioned areas so that those having their hair colored or trying out the latest wig could enjoy the kind of privacy that allows deep relaxation and reveling in the process.
As a seasoned superstar in the beauty biz, Brocca knows exactly how to make her clients feel valued and pampered, and as such, no detail is left to chance. This fabulous flair for finesse is reflected in the salon having been voted both top-three in North America and top-100 worldwide for salon design since it opened in 2019.
Delight in the Details
We all love the experience of feeling at our most fantastic, and with that in mind, it’s time to turn our attention to how the salon’s team facilitates that covetable feel-good factor! It comes as no surprise that the personality behind the show-stopping interior of Define Hair Studio is an expert in unleashing glamour and elegance on behalf of her clients too. Among the salon’s most popular services is balayage, an on-the-pulse hair coloring trend that involves the delicate free-hand painting of graduated highlights.
This French-named technique, pronounced “bah-lee-ahge”, gives locks an alluringly soft and natural fade of lightness, creating a sun-kissed look that readily frames the face. The specialist service appears within a dreamy menu of rejuvenating and aesthetic-enhancing hair and beauty options, including contemporary cuts, hair extensions, luxury facials, nail treatments, and much more. Truly, a one-stop-shop for the contemporary woman.
Adding to an already-impressive lineup of services, Define Hair Studio also offers high-profile branded products and treatments, such as Oribe, Kevin Murphy, and Bellami Hair Extensions. For the latter, a privacy suite is available to those experiencing concerns of hair loss. Why? Because Define Hair Studio is also a sanctuary for women navigating the challenges of chemotherapy or facing health challenges such as alopecia. While recent media coverage of bold and glorious celebrities such as Jada Pinkett Smith are empowering those experiencing the complexities of hair loss to feel more comfortable on their journey, many feel most at ease with the compassionate support of a salon team in the know.
Whether these skills are sought needfully or simply for fun, the salon’s large interior is base of operations for Define Hair Studio’s sister enterprise, the Toronto Wig Studio. Here, women can rediscover their most confident selves—or perhaps even reimagine a new self entirely! This, as a team of highly trained stylists and wig specialists offer private one-to-one consultations with the goal of making each client look and feel amazing as never before. Whether wigs, toppers, or goddess hair extensions are the order of the day, expert guidance is on hand to help women reclaim or redefine their autonomous sense of beauty.
Returning to the surrounding space once again, it’s impossible not to draw parallels between the level of attention paid to Define Hair Studio clients’ many wants and needs and the deft combination of visual touches. An adept eye is required to unite industrial elements and vintage touches; the lux-modern, and the alabaster minimalist: all within one interior. Not to mention, the salon is also a veritable Shangri-la for social media devotees. Visitors can steal an epic photo opportunity on the studio’s gilt-edged and florally decorated transparent hanging egg chair—known to visitors as the flower swing—or perhaps before its colorful and snap-ready wings painting. In such perfect lighting, who wouldn’t want to capture their own fresh glow, moments after metamorphosis?
Embodying Feminine Empowerment
Undoubtedly, as an impassioned female entrepreneur, Brocca is dedicated to bringing unparalleled positive experiences to life for her clients—and apparently so-too for her team. This sentiment emanates through the presence of the studio’s commanding, family-like, and synergistic all-female team. The kick-ass vibe is contagious, and with specialist hair-related skill sets that encompass the latest techniques in color and cuts, balayage, hair extensions, color corrections, deep conditioning treatments, blowouts, styling, Bellami, and wigs, the sky is the limit in terms of potential looks and claiming an emboldened sense of feminine self.
Those fantasizing about some dedicated “me time” will relish the presence of an on-site medical esthetician ready to meet their skincare needs, while all questing for nails that dazzle can indulge in a manicure or pedicure before choosing their favorite finish. Beyond the everyday or indulgent treat, why not make an appointment at Define Hair Studio ahead of your next big event? Whether for a glittering party or an elegant wedding, the studio’s makeup artist helps clients realize the look that will really make them sparkle!
Of course, for women with cause to celebrate in the wider Toronto area, Define Hair Studio is also an ideal place to host bachelorette parties and pamper days with friends. A roomy reception area, as well as substantial seating within, ensures that groups can transform self-care into an envious event. When gathering against a backdrop that features floor-to-ceiling flower murals, Hollywood-style mirrors, cherry blossom trees, and exuberant mantras like “All things pretty”, and “Do what makes your soul shine”, it’s all but impossible not to smile. What could be better than facials, manicures, and makeovers while ensconced within such a charming and friendly space?
Together, this medley of factors creates a very welcome sense of je ne sais quoi for clients walking into the studio. Brocca describes the feeling as a “floral spring feeling 365 days a year,” and, perhaps most aptly, as “heavenly.” These seem to be pretty on-point assessments, because the space pops with both passion and serenity, which—as it turns out—is the perfect combination for deeply recharging one’s personal batteries and rediscovering the sensation of blossoming.
Lilting voices, laughter, and a sense of abundant encouragement lend a positive charge to the air in the Define Hair Studio. A striking and flirtatious aesthetic makes the space even more enchanting, while the gold-star services that the interior hosts serve as the ultimate experiential finisher. Positive transformation begins when you walk in the door and continues to evolve long after you’ve left—because visiting a hair and beauty studio like this one is bound to leave a lasting impression. So, returning to where we initially began, when does a hair salon become more than simply a salon? Visit Vaughan’s Define Hair Studio and you’ll be sure to find out!
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