Advertorial: From The Ground Up

The story of PENZONE Salon + Spas’ award-winning transformation into the style-defining brand it’s become.

Words by Jack McLaughlin / Photography by Aaron Massey / Layout by Victoria Smith

When PENZONE Salons + Spas President + CEO Debbie Penzone began to describe the brand overhaul undertaken alongside the concept’s 50th anniversary, the word “rebrand” fell short to describe the effort.

Instead, she opted for something (like the brand’s turnaround itself), a bit more ambitious.

“It was a recreation,” she said.

In 2015, the brand began work on a new flagship salon across from the original Charles Penzone Grand Salon in Dublin. Before any aesthetic or functional changes, Penzone said, the business knew it wanted to shift its ethos. It did so by embracing the body positivity movement and stressing the importance of self-care on mental health and general wellness.

We didn’t just do a logo change, we dove deep into our pillars, our mantra, and who we are. We kept asking: What do we stand for?

A full-scale revitalization of the guest experience was next on the docket. Guided by previous passion projects, Penzone looked to The Royal Rhino Club Barbershop & Lounge and L I T Life + Yoga for inspiration. Pulling in full bar elements, including craft cocktails, and a social hotspot from the shop and then mindfulness moments and self-care opportunities infused from the studio.

“When we went back to the drawings of the rebranded salon, we realized we had to blow them up,” she said. “We saw it was missing those social spaces; that’s what we wanted to focus on.”

And that’s what the brand did, adding designated social rooms to each PENZONE location from that point on. These are spaces where guests can receive top-quality care, but also get to know others, meet someone new, or spend quality time with friends and loved ones.

Also inspired by L I T Life + Yoga, PENZONE now hosts events designed to bring communities together in an experiential way, through its recurring Evenings of Enlightenment and Sip + Shop events.

“Now it’s not just someone running in for a haircut, a husband and wife can come together on a date night and make an evening out of it,” Penzone said, adding that everyone from couples to corporate groups can create their own “spa days” by indulging in multiple PENZONE wellness services in a single session.

The barrier-breaking changes kept coming from that point on. In addition to adopting aromatherapy and a host of new relaxation elements, PENZONE locations now embrace a more open concept (with the addition of spacious patios). They’ve even adopted the paring down of the dress code for team members, which creates a more inviting atmosphere, for both guests and team members.

This evolution of the brand lead to PENZONE Dublin receiving top honors and being awarded as the 2019 Salon Today Salon of the Year and the North American Hairstyling Awards Salon Design of the Year in the same year. As PENZONE moved forward with new locations in new areas, it relied on this modern, open and experience-focused model as the blueprint for the brand.

Most recently, PENZONE opened a Gahanna/ New Albany location in the Hamilton Quarter development. The salon and spa, complete with a chic interior, sizable patios, local art and plenty of open space, boasts a Come as You Are theme. It’s working with the design Penzone helped create, while making sure every new space is unique in its own way.

Because, as Debbie Penzone and PENZONE Salons + Spas learned, you always have to be willing to adapt to provide guests with innovative experiences.

“Change is never easy, but it can be necessary. Now, you can look around at any PENZONE and see things going on that inspire you,” she said. “It’s become this whole community of sharing and inspiring.”

To learn more, visit penzonesalons.com