WEB EXCLUSIVE! After a recent day of trekking the hot streets on the Las Vegas Strip, I was more than happy to settle into star stylist Brooklyn Dunn’s chair for a hair-apy session at ARCS (A Robert Cromeans Salon), a Paul Mitchell focus salon in Mandalay Place. For years I’ve heard whispers—or more accurately, cheers of glee—when it comes to Robert Cromeans’ salons and their Wash House luxuries. And let me say, my entrée into this particular salon’s Lather Lounge did not disappoint!

As soon as I settled into a chair (there are no assigned seats for stylists—they may float about from station to station as they wish), Brooklyn presented me with a menu of Lather Lounge options, the majority craftily themed around the zen aspect of different aromas: lavender for relaxation, citrus for energy, and so on. Now, me being Little Miss Indecisive, I had trouble choosing which regimen I wanted (though I am a sucker for anything lavender!), so Brooklyn catered a treatment to suit my individual needs.

When I rested my head into the shampoo bowl and closed my eyes, I met bliss: After slowly inhaling/exhaling the fragrant lavender oils, Brooklyn set to work giving me a therapeutic massage that rocketed both my mind and scalp into fifteen minutes of heaven! Though Brooklyn’s blow-out was—in a word—spectacular, and the salon was the very essence of modernism (equipped with the super-hip FreeStylist system), it is my experience at the Lather Lounge that will remain unforgettable.

When working with clients, you’re not merely making them look good—you’re also forging a lasting impression. Whether you make this connection through genuine conversation, a little added service to make them feel special, or through the incredible power of touch at the shampoo bowl, strive to forge a bond that will leave clients begging for more—and forever returning to your chair!