Local Salon Wins 'Salon Of Distinction' Award

Couture 360 salon is celebrating a couple of big milestones – its 8-month anniversary and being named a Salon of Distinction for 2011.

The salon awarded the title by Salon Today magazine’s July 2011 Salons of the Year competition. Criteria in the judging included color, lighting, use of space, consistency of design, overall aesthetics and flooring. Rose DePaola, owner of , said her salon placed in the top 20 out of 970 entries.

“We’re pretty proud of it,” said DePaola, who noted that an anonymous person nominated the salon for the award. “We’re proud of the space. It’s very relaxing. We like to have (clients) feel like they’re guests in our home.”

Couture 360 salon offers a serene, inviting atmosphere with separate areas for coloring, cutting and styling, and manicures and pedicures. The salon offers free wireless Internet and serves beverages.

“We like to make it like a party,” said DePaola.

An area that DePaola is particularly proud of is the “lather lounge,” a softly lit room where soothing music plays while clients have their hair washed.

“The favorite part of getting your hair done is the shampoo,” said DePaola. A head, neck and shoulder massage is standard. Clients also can opt for a 20- to 30-minute hair-conditioning treatment, which includes a hand and arm massage.

“It’s very tranquil and relaxing,” said DePaola. “You can forget about the stress. We have guests that come in specifically for the treatment in this room.”

A serene treatment room offers everything from chemical peels to massages.

“When designing and decorating the salon, I consistently kept in mind that it was not about the employees, but rather the comfort and atmosphere of our guests,” said DePaola. “It is an extraordinary honor to receive an award for what I felt was a warm and inviting yet creative place to enjoy.”

She expressed gratitude to the salon’s interior designer, Loren Reid Seaman, for his “inspiration, creative ideas and whimsical spirit throughout the building and designing process.”

Couture 360 has grown over the past eight months to have a client list of about 1,500 people, DePaola said. The salon is celebrating its 8-month anniversary from 5:30 to 8 p.m. today with a special soiree, featuring entertainment, sponsors, gift bags and more. She added that since every event at Couture 360 is tied to a charity, guests tonight will be invited to donate $25 to Home of the Sparrow, a McHenry-based shelter for women and children. In return, donors will receive five tickets for tonight’s raffle. DePaola said a raffle drawing will be held every half hour.

For more information, call the salon at 847-540-5500.