Girls Gone Glam at Sweet & Sassy Salon

My five year-old Nina is an avid stylist. All of her stuffed animals are tricked out with hair bows, dresses and shoes, and her baby dolls sport make-up and glitter.

Recently, she started running an illegal salon in my playroom and charged my dad a nickel to restyle his comb-over.

So, when Nina Bean needed her own hair cut, I decided to surprise her with a trip to Sweet & Sassy salon in Old Bridge so she could get a few business ideas. After all, it’s never too early to nurture a child’s inner entrepreneur. Plus, the place is heaven for girlie girls. 

Maybe you’ve seen their bright pink stretch limo around town, picking up packs of little ladies and transporting them to the space’s tween dream birthday parties. While Sweet & Sassy is definitely a popular destination for princess, fashion and spa themed celebrations, it’s also a full service children’s salon offering hair cuts, up-dos, mini manis and pedis and ear piercing, With cuts starting at fifteen bucks, Sweet & Sassy is priced similarly to other kid’s salons, but here the experience is dramatically different.

Nina’s eyes light up as she is escorted through the salon’s accessory-packed boutique, past the mini pedicure sinks and fashion runway, and seated in a pint-sized purple salon chair. She is outfitted with a pink barber cape that reads, “Sweet Princess,” and Kim, her stylist, washes her golden locks with “Fairy Cute” shampoo and conditioner.

Then Kim proceeds to brush out all of Nina’s knots without eliciting so much as a whimper from my normally quite vocal daughter. Now my eyes light up. Kim’s secret weapon, I learn, is a special detangling brush called the Knot Genie, conveniently sold alongside other unique finds in the Sassy Shoppe. Apparently, we won’t be needing to request the Dorothy Hamill bob today after all.

Nina watches intently as her hair is expertly cut, blown out and braided. The stylist mistakes her silence for sadness, but I know my daughter is just soaking it all in, making mental notes of techniques to steal for later use on toy animals, grandparents and brothers. Then Kim asks if she wants fairy dust (aka hair glitter) and Nina can’t get the “Yes!” out fast enough.

Kim, who’s also the salon manager, tells me that at Sweet & Sassy, they go through gobs of glitter. They have to order it by the pallet. Enabling my own daughter’s sparkle habit, I decide to treat her to the glittery make-up application (five bucks!) and Nina can no longer contain her pink tinted, glossy smile as she flaunts her finished look on the catwalk.

Some say that this sort of girlie girl makeover reminds them of baby pageants, and prematurely perpetuates the beauty myth. Others think that dress-up, make-up and make-believe teach girls to express themselves, and can boost their self-esteem.

I just like to have fun with my daughter doing what she loves, whether it’s climbing trees or getting manicures. That’s the beauty of being a girl in post-feminist America. She can do both. And one day, she can even open her own girlie salon. Though she now says she’d like to be a fashion designer for dogs.

You go girl. Bring on the doggie glitter. 

THE DETAILS:
Sweet & Sassy At The Shoppes at Old Bridge, 3877 US 9, Old Bridge, NJ 08857; (732)-591-0020

Specials: Dance Makeover – (party up-do & glittery make-up) $19.95 until June 17

ALSO TRY: feather clip-on hair extensions, mini pedi with free toe ring