A New Do With Kim Vō—Plus New Vō Blow Concept Salon Debuts This Week

Apr 26th, 2017

Los Angeles is arguably home to more celebrity hair stylists than any other place on Earth. From cutters to colorists, there’s no shortage of specialists in the City of Angels, where looks mean everything.

And when it comes to fair hair, there’s Kim Vō—dubbed “the best blonder in the business” by Vogue—whose famous clients include Britney Spears, Jenny McCarthy, Goldie Hawn and Pamela Anderson. The Vietnam native has quite the resume: He was trained in New York over 20 years ago, honed his craft in Beverly Hills, became a master colorist at L’Oréal, studied cutting-edge technology in Europe, and subsequently enjoyed a stint as a judge on Bravo’s Shear Genius.

Recently, I jumped at the chance to meet the man—and put his considerable skills to the test—when I was invited to experience his salon within the upscale Montage Beverly Hills.

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It’s here, in this luxurious setting, that Vō has had his home base for nearly a decade (he also operates out of the Montage in Laguna Beach every other weekend, and maintains a salon at the Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah). I’d never met the industry veteran before, but within seconds we were chatting like old pals. Indeed, Vō has a well-earned reputation for being down to earth, despite working at some of the most lavish salons in the world. “You have to like people to be in this business,” he shared. “You must be approachable too—that way they open up to you.”

I quickly settled into my comfy seat on an extremely busy Saturday lunchtime. Despite the ritzy surroundings, the vibe is friendly, not snooty.

Vō got to work examining my less-than-impressive ’do. Truth be told, I was concerned that, despite his decades of experience, Vō would be stymied by the patchwork of colors on my head, not to mention the extensive regrowth. I needn’t have worried: The pro put me at ease, applied a base to cover the gray, then worked his blonde magic to add some sunshine—perfect for summer, sans telltale bleed line to boot.

Vō is strictly a color man, so the cut came from Julian Barcellz, who chopped off the dry, frazzled ends and left me with a lovely lob. I sashayed out of the salon feeling like a million dollars.

Speaking of which, I can’t say my bank balance will stretch to such a spectacular hair service every four to weeks, so I’lI be keen to try out the new Vō Blow, which opens on the Montage’s first floor this Thursday, April 27. Focusing on quick and effective yet luxurious and affordable hair treatments, the menu encompasses such services as a $38 blow dry, $10 color, $23 partial base color and $24 intensive conditioning treatment. All offerings are under $50 and are designed to help clients “maintain their magnificence.”

“My clients have always asked me for an express service to take them in between their salon visits, or to deliver quick color in a pinch,” says Vō. “Our 10-minute color is perfect for both men and women on the go and, as we like to say, Vō Blow Color Go!”