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You Rock!

The new Brannon Hair salon at the HRH Tower is tangible proof that good things come to those who wait. Brannon, the owner and namesake of the salon, knows the feeling all too well.

His previous salon at Hard Rock Hotel had him styling hair for five years in a space just over 200 square feet. That's about the same size of his new reception area.

"It was frustrating," Brannon says of the wait, "but, I knew I wasn't going to get it a day before I was really ready."

Peter Morton was the first to promise Brannon an expansion. When he sold the company, the celebrity stylist thought he'd never see the day his clients could shake out their hair without bumping their neighbor. But, as luck would have it, the new owner picked up where Morton left off. Two years later, Brannon has the kind of salon he dreamed about during those years he styled under sardinelike circumstances.

The Hard Rock flavor comes in loud and clear at Brannon Hair. Especially considering it has, according to Brannon, "the best (salon) sound system in the world." That's because it will double as a private party venue, equipped with a DJ plug-and-play booth.

But, the first order of business, of course, is hair (women's haircuts are $90 with a blowout). Stylists work in stations so spacious they can hold their curling irons out at arm's length and still not come anywhere near their neighbor. The design is clean and sleek and mostly white, with the exception of three Zoey paintings that awaken the space like a cold bucket of water. Representing "cut, color and style," each piece reflects the art performed in the salon, or "shop" as Brannon refers to it.

"I hate the word salon," he says. "I don't go to all those hair conventions, either. Too many fabulous people in one room, ya know?"

In the two years it took for his vision to come to life, three celebrity hairstylists opened new salons in town. Two on the Strip, one at Town Square. With each opening, the wow factor magnified. Leather on the walls, Swarovski crystals hanging from the ceiling, bottomless champagne -- you'd think Robin Leach drew up the plans. That's great for them, but Brannon's only interested in producing service that wows.

"Take the walls away and I have better people," he says. He kept his old staff with the expansion but also added a few through a rehearsal process that ended with one in every 50 stylists earning a chair at Brannon Hair.

The attention to detail here comes in the form of shampoo chairs that are actually beds, with flat screens on the ceiling. The idea was to encourage clients to put the Blackberry down and allow themselves to actually enjoy the service.

Inspired by the preparation philosophy Benihana uses, the salon opened up the color bar. It sits between the stylist stations and the shampoo area so clients can watch the chemistry process unfold.

Another new development: Smashbox makeup vanities next to the manicure and pedicure room. Clients can have the works done in one salon with the complete Smashbox collection at their makeup artist's fingertips ($60 for an application; $75 for a lesson).

The real distinction of Brannon Hair, however, is the waiting area that's just outside the salon. Clients check in at the reception area that doubles as the retail store, then have the option of scooting up to a bar. Wheat grass shots, fruit smoothies or tropical cocktails -- they can sip on their preferred beverage while their stylist prepares for them.

He's come a long way from 200 square feet, but if it meant getting this final product, Brannon would've waited even longer. "I picked that light fixture and that chair," he says, noting every last detail he had a say in. "I was nervous, but it looks even better than I imagined."

Locals get a 30 percent discount at Brannon Hair salon (693-5522) Mondays through Thursdays.

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