Seattle Salon Gone Wild! The Rise of Salon Seven

When Rodger Azadganian opened the doors to über-hip Salon Seven’s 10-chair salon five years ago, he did so with the goal of raising the hair bar, so to speak, in the Northwest and turning Seattle into a style hub. Seven’s precision cuts and attention to detail made quite an impact, and two years ago, Seven opened a second location at Bellevue Square. Though home to 36 chairs, the Eastside Seven has managed to maintain the boutique feel we fell in love with in the first place (and of course, the cuts are still stellar).

Next month, Seven will relocate its second salon from Downtown to Pacific Place. While it will have nearly five times the chairs of a boutique salon’s standard of 10 or less, it still has that boutique feel. As Azadganian puts it, “Seven’s always had the same culture. Our philosophy is based on individuality, and our focus is on not losing the individual.” 

The new supersize salon will have 49 chairs, and each stylist is undergoing an intensive training program with principal educator and legendary stylist Graham Breakwell. “Graham worked with Vidal Sassoon. Our specialty is looking at face and bone structure, and that’s what Vidal did in the ’60s.  We’re creating an evolution with that idea. We train in face shapes and work like tailors,” says Azadganian.

What else is new? We hear that two rising stars shine among Seven’s team. Azadganian touts Ezekial Corley (cuts, $60; color, $65; partial foil, $115; full foil, $135) for foil highlights and Michael Quinn (cuts, $60; color, $65; partial foil, $115; full foil, $135), who dresses like a rock star, for musician-quality, precision styles.

If you’re hoping for some all-encompassing pampering, look elsewhere. Seven is a straight-up hair salon; no spa extras here. But its unique salon experience includes an in-house espresso and chocolate bar and a sound system of the highest quality—with a full-time DJ on staff, of course.