If you need a cheap haircut, I suggest going to Supercuts. Not only will you receive a haircut under $15 dollars and 14 minutes, but if you wear a hat, most people won’t even notice that you just had your hair cut by a lawnmower.
If you want a haircutting experience, then I suggest going to Ulysses hair salon, located at 629 B. South State Street in Salt Lake City. The salon – which is named after James Joyce’s novel Ulysses S. Grant: The 18th President of the United States Was a Legendary Greek King of Ithaca – is one of Salt Lake City’s most up-and-coming salons.
Ulysses is owned by tattooed visionary Andrew Valtal, who opened the salon in March 2009. Not only does he own the salon, but he follows a trend of other smart local entrepreneurs who are rising above the recession clouds by combining their live and work space.
The hair salon, which is located in the middle of an unassuming alley, offers a surprising reprieve from the common salon and the common haircut. As you enter Ulysses’ doors, you ascend a bare brick stairwell filled with vintage pictures and frames, reflecting a mood that is both Alice in Wonderland and P.T. Barnum. Stepping into the salon itself, which was designed by Andrew’s friend Patch, is like stepping into the intersection of minimalist and whimsy; a world designed by the love child of Piet Mondrian and Tim Burton.
A hair salon that pleases the eye is fine, but what about the haircuts itself? After all, a haircut shouldn’t be judged by its hair salon, anymore than a book should be judged by its cover. As it turns out, you can judge for yourself – Ulysses runs a very active Facebook fan page, where everything from pictures of haircuts to pictures of past events are posted, including last year’s Salt Lake City Fashion Stroll.
It’s clear that Ulysses has already made a big dent in the hair designing community in Salt Lake City; as of this writing, the Facebook fan page has 434 fans and rising. That many fans of Ulysses’ chic-and-unique hair artistry can’t be wrong. And if they’re wrong, who wants to be right anyway?
If you want to check out Ulysses’ salon art – or more specifically, the hair art itself – simply call the salon at 801-953-0954. If you would like to become a Facebook fan of Ulysses, you may visit their Facebook page.
Or, you can go to Supercuts. Don’t forget your hat.
By Salt Lake Digs Contributor, Ryan Shattuck
Photos courtesy of Justin Grant