Michael Angelo's Wonderland Beauty Parlor

Profile

Make no mistake: Michael Angelo's eclectic fantasyland is not kitschy. It's actually a calculated snapshot of everything he loves�from the neon pink Wonderland sign blinking next to his pillowy reception desk to mermaid Barbies floating in plastic bubbles above the shampoo bowls and indie cinema flicks projected from a DJ booth onto the rear wall. Since the salon opened in 2005, the Prive/Stephen Knoll/Robert Kree-groomed Angelo has been the go-to guy for hordes of high-profile model types; perhaps his years of styling manes backstage at Bryant Park inspired the trunk-like pink and black cutting stations that can be wheeled away at a moment’s notice to tape another episode of the Bravo series du jour. The place shouts party, not pretense, which happens to be the owner's intent: to transform clients from frumpy to Bungalow 8-worthy within hours. The couturewear and high fashion accessories for sale nicely complement the understated, Gisele-esque highlights that Angelo paints. In addition to a mini tray of coffee or tea, you may also be offered an iPod nano to groove to while in Wonderland's clear plastic lawn chairs. — Molly Noonan