UCSD’s first on-campus salon will open at Price Center this Winter Quarter. The salon, which will be called Salon 101, is currently under construction on the second floor of Price Center East.
Salon 101 will be located next to Zanzibar Cafe and the Loft performance venue.
A soft opening is expected late in Fall Quarter, followed by a grand opening early Winter Quarter. The soft opening will allow the salon to have a short break-in period before publicly announcing its grand opening. An exact opening date cannot be confirmed due to possible changes in construction timelines.
Salon 101 will offer hair, skin, and nail services such as haircuts, coloring, highlights, trims, blow-outs, facials, waxing, manicures and pedicures at affordable prices to all members of the UCSD community.
The salon will be run by Claudia and Tony Azar, who already own another full-service salon and spa, Salon de Claude. Salon de Claude offers a variety of hair, skin and nail services and is located in 4S Ranch, a planned community in unincorporated San Diego County.
The Azars signed a five-year contract for the retail space, paying a market rate on either a square foot or percent of sales basis. They will have the authority to design the space and invest in the construction and equipment. Salon 101 was chosen through a public request for proposal process in 2011. The selection committee, which included student members of the University Centers Advisory Board, reviewed the bids and ranked them on student-friendly prices, services, sustainability, products, sales and atmosphere.
“The hair salon concept has been a topic of discussion ever since my first day on UCAB, which was winter quarter of 2010,” UCAB Chair Albert Trujillo said.
The idea for a salon came from a student survey that was conducted before the University Centers expansion. The survey focused on students’ needs and interests in both food and non-food retail services.
“Respondents demonstrated interest in services such as a bank, grocery market and hair salon, which all became part of the retail plan for the expanded Price Center,” Interim University Centers Director Sharon Van Bruggen said.
UCSD created a hair salon committee after receiving bids from hair salons interested in opening a business on a college campus.
Salon 101 was selected for its lease proposal, services, expertise and student-friendly philosophy. UCAB has participated in giving feedback to the salon’s logo, which has not yet been determined.
“This is currently my third year on UCAB and each of those years have seen the salon concept on the UCAB agenda,” Trujillo said. “It has been a long process, as is the case with establishing any new retail concepts in University Centers, but it is really exciting to see the construction of the salon taking place and finally coming together.”
