Walk into the light, bright, airy space that is Gavert Atelier in Beverly Hills – with a prime location, right across the street from Neiman Marcus – and you are immediately transported into a serene beauty sanctum.
Unlike many other top-notch salons that are noisy from the sound of blow dryers or otherwise frenetic, this one exudes a sense of calm, even during busy times.
After being warmly greeted by the friendly receptionist, we were welcomed into hair heaven, in the personages of two of the salon’s best, Mika Fowler and Toyomi Ishikura.
To begin, Toyomi did a masterful job repairing a base color that had previously been made too dark, and then she added highlights around the hairline in order to lighten things up a little bit more. We noticed that unlike others, her highlights turned out much more naturally than those we’ve had before.
The hair coloring by Toyomi has been called “alchemy,” and with good reason. The beautiful, natural colors she brings to her clients is not only stunning–her work maintains the health and vibrance of the hair. Toyomi developed the inspiration for her craft in Tokyo, Japan, where the world of beauty is exploding with color and creativity. Immersed in this vibrant vision, she brought her craft to Beverly Hills.
And then it was time to be handed over to the masterful Mika, whose fun and friendly spirit got us into an even better frame of mind. With long hair that is slightly naturally wavy, we have had issues with many stylists making it stick straight, which we don’t like– instead, preferring some body, movements and curl at the end.
Even though it was our first time in Mika’s chair, she “got” our hair right way and quickly. She immediately set out to styling it with a minimal amount of product and an expert hand.
Some of her other loyal clients include Annalynne McCord, Malin Akerman, Rosario Dawson, Joel Kinnaman, Cameron Monaghan, Olivia Munn and Emanuelle Chriqui.
Mika, who originally hails from Japan, says the inspiration of the hairstyles she creates come directly from her clients– their face, their style and their bone structure. She specializes in the “dry cut,” cutting tresses after they have been blow-dried so that she may see the hair’s natural chemistry along with its flow and bounce–without it being weighed down wet.
Mika prides herself on her craft and says her fulfillment comes from making sure the hair style adds to each client’s personal beauty and style. That’s why they keep coming back– and we will to0, to both her and Toyomi.
Talk about a good hair day. It was a great one.
Gavert Atelier, 9666 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, (310) 858-7898,
www.gavertatelier.com/designers/mika-fowler, www.toyomi.us
