Hair Stylists
Vartan Vartali
Ruben Gaitan
Bogunia
Piet Sinthuchai
Masato Tsuneki
Mika
Alan Manson
Rosa Amoedo
Marie Nicole
Colorists
Michael Stinchcomb
Anna Page
Louise Coombs
John Del Guidice
Skincare Specialists
Tatyana Gubanov (Waxing)
Hair Stylists
Vartan Vartali
Vartan doesn’t just cut hair. He sculpts and carves it to flatter the contours and angles of the face. Trained in France by the acclaimed Alexandre de Paris,
Vartan came to the United States in 1976 and worked with Xavier at Cinandre and John Sahag at his namesake salon. In 1979, Vartan struck out on his own and 10 years later, he opened the shop on the corner of 57th and Park Avenue. The rest is history.
According to Vartan: “When I first started in the business, the Farah Fawcett look was in vogue. Everyone wanted layers and highlights, no matter what type of hair they had. Many of my clients came once a week for a wash and blow dry,” he explains.
“Today, no one wants a cookie-cutter look. My clients want hair that’s easy to maintain and offers a number of styling options. I like a cut that swirls, twists and falls into place and doesn’t fight the hair’s natural texture or growth pattern.”
“I have many clients who have been coming here for 30 years. We’ve grown up together. Like a good marriage, a long-term relationship with a client requires trust, understanding and creativity. You’ve got to keep it fresh and exciting, so the client leaves feeling confident and happy.”
Vartan trained as an artist and studied at the Art’s Student League in Manhattan. His keen visual sense is evident in his work as a hairdresser and in artworks he displays at the salon. Every month, he chooses one young artist and showcases his or her work on the walls of the salon. “The artwork inspires our team and our clients, and it’s a great way to support up-and-coming artists.”
Piet Sinthuchai (Creative Director)
Creative Director Piet Sintuchai hails from Thailand, “the land of smiles,” known for its rich tradition of arts and culture. Before committing to a career in cosmetology, Piet studied fine arts, advertising, and communication, and it’s not hard to see how each of these disciplines informs his work as a top hairstylist and makeup artist.
Piet’s skill as a precision cutter underlies every style he creates, from classic bobs to today’s trendy updos. His versatility as a stylist is evident in the range of the effects he creates from long, loose blow-dries to softly sculpted roller sets and fashion-forward short cuts.
His feel for color, light, and form guides his hand when choosing just the right shade to flatter a client’s complexion or to enhance her bone structure.
Many of Piet’s clients come from the worlds of television and theatre where hot lights and camera angles can magnify fine lines and cast unflattering shadows on the hair and face. Piet is adept at camouflaging flaws, creating age-defying natural looks or dramatic effects that are perfect for special events, like weddings.
Piet’s life-long fascination with skin care led to the founding of “Piet,” his new line of treatment products made with all-natural ingredients.
When he’s not doing hair and make-up, Piet plays a leading role in Vartali’s marketing and social media efforts. He has connected the salon with many local charities and community service programs and helped form partnerships with Miss New York State and other high-profile entities. Piet also served as a co-producer of the 2013 documentary film, “Shoot Me,” about Broadway legend and long-time client Elaine Stritch.
Mika Geudelekian
Mika, a rising star in the Vartali pantheon, started working in the beauty business when he was just 19. Now, with six years of styling experience under his belt, this native New Yorker brings his passion for beauty, his fashion-forward eye and pleasing personality to work for our clientele.
Mika believes the most important part of any cut begins with the consultation. “I love creativity, and I enjoy coming up with ideas for a style. But the client has to be happy, and that means collaboration is a must. “ He says, “It’s my hair while you’re in the chair, but its all yours once you leave the salon, so the end result has to stand on its own.”
Mika’s clients are young and active, with busy lives and little time to spend in the salon. They need looks that offer low maintenance care and multiple styling options. Most want a cut they can wear straight or wavy, styled or natural, up or down.
Next time you visit the salon, have a chat with Mika about a new style direction
Drawing upon 30 years of experience (16 at Vartali),Tatyana offers a complete menu of waxing services for both men and women. Expertly trained in the science of epilation, the results she achieves are always smooth, soft and personalized to complement the clients’ skin type and lifestyle. Her gentle touch, speedy and precise technique ensure a relatively painless experience and a flawless result, with minimal risk of irritation.
Ruben Gaitan
“This is not just a job for me, this is a personal passion,” says Ruben. “I’ve always enjoyed helping women find what works best for them and bringing it out for the world to see. Whether it’s their eyes, their skin or the texture of their hair, the right haircut and style can accentuate their best feature and enhance their overall look.”
Ruben, who hails from South America, began his career with three of the world’s most legendary stylists: Clive Summers from England, Suga from Japan and Madison Avenue’s very own Mr. Kenneth. At Kenneth’s, Ruben’s clients ran the gamut from movie stars to socialites. He styled the hair of Park Avenue doyennes, power moms and working women on the move.
His tenure at Vartali harks back to the 80’s. Here, he has built his reputation on precision cuts that hold their shape and support soft, loose, natural-looking styles. A big believer in body waves and loose perms, Ruben likes to use milder lotion and larger rods to give straight or fine hair some texture. He also likes to add rollers in combination with blow drying to lend some extra height and volume to a finished look.
Bogonia Minucci
“Cutting and shaping hair is a very personal experience. Balance, proportion and versatility are the key elements to a great look. I might have a vision in my mind about what I want to create and how I want the finished style to look, but the client’s participation in the process is essential.
Every cut is a co-creation and starts with a consultation. Even if it’s a client I’ve known for years. I still try to get a sense of where she is right now and how she wants to look when she leaves the salon. Is she a mom who’s constantly on the go? Is she a high-powered business executive who needs a polished look? Does she travel? Is she daring; does she like to experiment with fashion? I look at the texture of her hair and the shape of her face. I ask about her skill with a brush and a blow dryer and we decide together how to proceed.
Bogonia considers Vartali her second home. She’s worked at the salon for 24 years – almost as long as she’s been in the business. “I’ve seen a lot of changes in styling techniques and hair fashion trends since I’ve been in the industry, but one thing that stays the same is the feeling I get when I see the smile on a client’s face when she’s happy with her cut. That’s my greatest joy! That’s the magic of this business.”
Masato Tsuneki
Born in Osaka and trained in Tokyo, Masato apprenticed with the legendary Japanese hairstylist, Momotaro, who schooled him in the highly disciplined art and innovative techniques that revolutionized the salon industry back in the 1980s.
A master of precision haircutting, Masato is also an expert in Japanese straightening and smoothing. His cuts are carefully sculpted to frame and flatter the face. His skill with thermal straightening processes is evident in the great conditioning results he is able to achieve for his clients’ hair time after time.
According to Masato, “The difference between Japanese and American clients is that Japanese like to change their style every time they come to the salon, and Americans don’t. I think change is good. Once I know a client and have her confidence, I often suggest a subtle change to add a fresh note to a classic look.”
Masato is a stickler for conditioning products and believes that every cut can benefit from the addition of a great conditioning treatment.
Alan Manson
Alan Manson is a master hairdresser whose cutting and styling skills never fail to wow! Born in Brooklyn and trained in New York and London, Alan has worked at top Manhattan salons including Henri Bendel, Bruno Le Salon, The Spot and Gerard Bollei.
It was at Britain’s legendary Toni & Guy salon where Alan developed his 3-comb method of layering long hair and perfected his precision scissoring technique for creating short, spiky and punky looks.
“Toni & Guy revolutionized hair fashion back in the 80’s and 90s and they still have a profound influence on the techniques and trends we see today,” Alan says.
Alan’s career in hairdressing has always been influenced by his love of fashion. He takes inspiration from Japanese designers like Rei Kawakubo and Juno Watanabe whose Comme des Garcon label has a fresh and innovative aesthetic Other long-time favorites, Sonya Rikyiel and Steven Burroughs, have also inspired Alan’s preference for timeless, tasteful design.
“Classics never go out of style, he says. “Take the bob – it’s bigger than ever this season. Whether straight or wavy, long or short, graduated or not – it’s right on trend.”
Colorists
Anna Page (Haircolor Specialist & Director of Haircolor Division)
With so many fabulous shades of blonde to choose from, how do you know which one is right for you? Just ask Anna!
Anna Page is the consummate blonde colorist at Vartali. For over 18 years, she has specialized in creating the prettiest palette of blonde looks on the planet. From icy platinums to sandy beiges or rich butterscotch golds - Anna does all that and more.
She's adept at sun-kissed highlights, subtle lowlights, shadow rooting or the trendiest dimensional hues on the runway.
She says: "l have a number of clients who prefer a natural look and simply want me to enliven or enhance their particular shade of brown. I love adding lowlights in deep smoky mocha or burnished cinnamon to give brown hair more depth. In other cases, a lighter shade like caramel or honey blonde can make brown hair gleam."
Anna believes that a client's complexion, personality and lifestyle should dictate color choice. "Some people like bold looks; others prefer a more natural or understated effect l'm happy to go either way, as long as the result is right for the client.
"lt's up to the client to tell me what kin of look they're going for - but, it's up to me to make it happen. And, for that I need to factor in the texture of their hair the line of their cut, their eye color, skin tone and their appetite for maintenance."
Anna sees haircolor as a fashion accessory and gets inspiration from art, film and popular culture. She loves the outdoors and always finds nature to be a fresh source of ideas for hair color.
Michael Stinchcomb (Senior Color Specialist)
Part chemist, part artist and part magician, Michael Stinchcomb has an innate ability for choosing the perfect color to complement a client’s skin tone and the technical expertise to deliver the desired result. His clients say he consistently improves upon what Mother Nature gave them by finding the exact blend of shades that enhance their appearance and reflect their personalities.
An industry veteran, Michael started his career alongside the legendary Rosemary at Saks and then moved to the tony Yves Claude Salon on Madison Avenue. Michael possesses years of technical experience culled from working in the laboratories of the top manufacturers testing and developing a wide range of products used for chemical services. He has been instrumental in helping companies reformulate products and create the application techniques that are used by colorists across the country.
“I work in a very precise and technical manner. Ninety-nine percent of my clients are professional women who don’t have time to waste and would shudder at the thought of returning to the salon for a color correction. Michael’s clients are quick to concur. Here’s what three of them said about him recently: “He makes me feel safe.” “I’m relaxed when I come here.” “I can sit back, close my eyes and enjoy the experience without worrying about the outcome.”
Developing a loyal clientele is not something Michael takes lightly. Getting to know my clients, building relationships and having clients collaborate with me to arrive at the right color and the desired effect is probably the most satisfying part of my job. Michael is proud, but protective of the high-profile clients he has worked with over the years – grand dames of the Broadway theatre, the Metropolitan Opera, noted broadcasters and well-known fashion icons. However, he is quick to point out the daughters of long-time clients who occupy chairs beside their mothers. He admits that he takes great pleasure in being able to give each generation a look that’s fashion-forward and age appropriate.
Louise Coombs
The self-anointed Queen of Conditioning says there’s never a reason or a season to refrain from treating your hair to a restorative conditioning treatment. Whether you’re a regular color client or a newbie to Japanese straightening or smoothing, Louise recommends a deep conditioning treatment immediately following your chemical procedure. Even if you just wash and blow dry your hair several times a week, conditioning is critical to restore natural oil and moisture and add shine.
“I recommend conditioning treatments for men and women, alike, regardless of the length or thickness of their hair.” Louise says.” “A little touch of gloss or polish just makes every head look healthier.”
John Del Guidice
Fresh from a star turn at Gerard Bollei, multi-talented stylist, colorist, make-up artist and hair extension specialist, John Del Giudice joins Vartali. An industry veteran who ran a world-class salon in Englewood Cliffs and mentored a “Who’s Who of Top Stylists and Makeup Artists” over the course of his career, John brings a practiced eye and an artistic approach to his work.
His expertise in the area of hair extensions expands the Vartali repertoire, giving our clientele even more options to choose from. As for John, he’s as enthusiastic about joining our team as we are to have him. He says: “I love people, I love to create; I
I love the magic of coming to work everyday.”
Skincare Specialist
Tatyana Gubanov
Drawing upon 30 years of experience, Tatyana – our depilation diva -- was born in the former Soviet Union, trained in the US and serves an international clientele. She offers a complete menu of waxing services for both men and women, from the barest Brazilian to bikini, leg, under-arm or full-body waxing treatments. Expertly schooled in the science of skin care, the results she achieves are always smooth, soft and personalized to complement a client’s complexion and lifestyle. Her gentle touch, speed, and precision ensure a relatively painless experience and a flawless result, with minimal risk of irritation.
A whiz at eyelash tinting and eyebrow waxing and contouring, Tatyana counts many royals, models and moguls among her clientele. She always has something special up her sleeve, so make sure to see here next time you’re at Vartali.