Unconventional Hair Salon Returns After Devastating Fire

When fire destroyed their salon  at 3185 Babcock Boulevard in Ross Township  on May 18, it took the owners of the Studio Raw Salon just four days to get back in business at a new, temporary location, about a mile up the road at 3471 Babcock Boulevard. 

Now, more than 10 months after the fire, Studio Raw is back at it original location, inside a gleaming, new two-story salon that offers everything from hair coloring to cupcakes.

"We have 13 stylist stations upstairs for cuts, coloring, any hair treatment imaginable," said Rohn Neugebauer, Studio Raw's Chief Financial Officer. "Downstairs, there is our "man cave," where four more stylists will cut men's hair."

While Neugebauer takes care of the business end of the operation, his partners Lorraine Burda and her son, Dan, are in charge of the hair styling. But the new Studio Raw offers much more than just hair treatments.

"Downstairs we offer aesthetics skin care such as facials, pore cleansings, and microdermabrasion," said Neugebauer. "We also offer makeup services and a full scale nail salon. We also have Dr. Amy Hursh, who does Botox and other facial treatments."

The salon, decorated in what Neugebauer calls "industrial glam," features a kitchen, where customers can enjoy a snack or even a beer or a glass of wine. There is an outside deck where customers can wait in the fresh air while their hair color is processed. 10 flat screen televisions hang from various walls, along with custom paintings by Seneca Valley art teacher Jason Shorr. There is also a video lounge where customers can relax.  

In the middle of the salon sit a baby grand piano. “It was basically the one thing were able to salvage from the fire because the water didn’t come down in that particular spot, amazingly,” said Neugebauer.

There are also the cupcakes. "The Kimmy Cupcake Company is moving next door and will provide fresh pastries every single day. Their menu will be on our website, " said Neugebauer.

Studio Raw revels in being unconventional and a little bit naughty. The staff has posed naked and shaved their heads  to raise money for charity. A pair of pink handcuffs hangs from one of the stylist stations with no explanation.

To celebrate their grand opening, Studio Raw is hosting a "Flirting with Fire" Party on May 11 starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and include food and drinks, with the proceeds benefitting cystic fibrosis. Dan Burda says the party will have a very special main event.

"At 8:45 there will be a hair show where we're going to use a chainsaw to cut somebody's hair off."

Unconventional indeed.

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