At the Elite US Open Salon, Everyone Wants Curtain Bangs and Lobs
I, with the rest of NYC, have been posted up at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center watching the the U.S. Open this week. But unlike the rest of NYC, I’ve had access (beauty editor work perks) to an exclusive area of the venue: Julien Farel’s eponymous pop-up. A tiny salon tucked away in the players’ lounge, where the biggest names in tennis get match-ready.
Julien Farel’s pop-up salon in Arthur Ashe Stadium began in 2007, but he’s been snipping and styling hair on Park Avenue at his spot in the Loews Regency New York since 2001. He’s the official hairstylist to the players, giving them a special VIP moment to experience a lil TLC before hitting the court. At the salon, players can get haircuts, manicures, pedicures, hairstyling, and braiding from a team of skilled experts helming from Farel’s Park Avenue salon.
Regulars at the salon include Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, and Novak Djokovic. Last year, Coco Gauff found herself inside the salon for a hair and makeup appointment before winning the final. Farel’s favorite moment from the salon ever, though? Chopping off Rafael Nadal’s long hair in 2010, just before he won the tournament. Some even consider a cut with Farel a good luck charm.
On the third day of the Open, I met up with stylists Jonn Rhamani and Gia Burgos as they were finishing haircuts for the day (including one for Guy Fritz, legendary tennis coach and father to Olympian and quarter-finalist Taylor Fritz—nbd). The first two days at the salon are the busiest because you only have access while you’re still in the tournament. (Hence why someone came bursting in after closing time begging for a quick trim—of course, Rhamani obliged.)
According to Rhamani, curtain bangs have been the most popular haircut amongst the athletes. Personally, I was surprised by this, thinking that you’d want to keep your hair away from your face as much as possible during a match, but Rhamani says players like a longer, swoopy fringe they can pull back while playing, then pick out of a bun quickly afterward. (The ol’ day-to-night look, just make it tennis.) Rhamani says many people have asked for lob haircuts (long bob, for the uninitiated) because it can be put into an updo or ponytail but feels trendy at the same time.
As for nails, the salon largely does natural polish—not gels. I asked if players are concerned about their nail polish chipping quickly while they’re playing without gels. Rhamani says yes—a lot of players ask if they offer gel-X nail extensions or Shellac nails for the longevity, but the salon prefers to keep things on the natural side with traditional polishes and a long-lasting top coat.
In 2024, though, Rhamani says men are getting mani/pedis more than ever before too. Colorful nail looks aren’t necessarily the go-to (yet!), but transparent, groomed, fresh nails are the move, he notes.
Rhamani says spending time at the pop-up salon puts athletes in a meditative, calm state before their matches. Plus, they get to interact with other players from all over the world. “A player from Spain will talk about a product she loves that she can only get in her country, and someone from America will write it down to pick up next time she’s there—they’re all sharing recommendations when they’re in here,” Rhamani says. They basically get to connect over two seemingly universal languages: beauty and tennis.
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