For any reality show gurus out there, you might recognize Arzo Nazamy from her days on season three of Bravo’s Shear Genius. “I rocked that show,” she said. “It was a killer opportunity.”
These days, the Bay Area native has left the cameras behind to run her own San Francisco salon. And after a few years running her downtown location, Arzo is opening up a second salon location at 265 Laguna St. in Hayes Valley.
“I wanted street visibility and I love Hayes Valley,” said Nazamy in her new 500-square-foot retail space that features window seating, six stylist chairs and a station she's calling “DIY” for customers to primp on their own.
Arzo’s original salon, Arzo Hair Culture, is located in the Beauty Building, the self-proclaimed historic tower on Geary and Stockton home to specialty salons and anchored by Jimmy Choo. A change in ownership and negotiations regarding a new lease prompted Nazamy to keep her eyes peeled for another opportunity. “I was really interested in buying an existing salon,” she said. This month, she's taking over the space formerly occupied by Salon 265.
A stylist for 20 years, 16 of them spent in Pleasanton working alongside her mom, Arzo doesn’t have any qualms about moving across town. While she admits she’s finally starting to love Union Square, her clients are from all over the Bay Area. “My biggest goal is to provide a place that offers excellent service and is giving a great product," she said. "People find their home [in my salon]. I have a methodology as a hairdresser that I now get to share in Hayes Valley."
The new salon's simple and clean design aesthetic, with pieces and fabrics selected meticulously by Nazamy herself, will create a welcoming and warm environment, she said. “I want people to feel really comfortable when they come here, and I want to feel comfortable as a hairdresser—like keeping in mind my body posture and positioning.”
Arzo will be working alongside a number of hand-selected stylists and her mother, who she’s been working with for years. “My mom is so cool! I’ve worked with her my whole career.”
To learn more about the new location, visit Arzo Hair Culture online and check out the new digs at 265 Laguna St.—a soft opening is expected later this month.
