Emerson Salon

The salon began in 2008 on East Pike Street as a commission-based salon under Matt Buchan and Alex Garcia. It moved to a booth rental model in 2012, when stylists began running their own businesses. In 2014 D'Arcy Harrison and Lancer Forney-McMahon took it over under B. Please LLC, and in 2021 D'Arcy took full ownership of the brand and moved the salon to a salon suite about seven blocks away on Capitol Hill. The salon says it won the Association of Washington Business Advance Award in 2019.

Every stylist is an independent booth renter rather than an employee, and each runs their own business. The salon lists practicality and ease, color and style, authenticity, honesty, integrity and human rights among its values. It supports gender affirming hair services and describes itself as LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC friendly, as a welcoming space for all identities and hair textures, and as womxn owned.

Appointments are required and walk-ins are not accepted. Parking is free for up to two hours in the garage inside Broadway Market. The booking page lists hours of Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm. Cancellations made less than 24 hours ahead incur an $80 fee. The salon sells paraben-free, sulfate-free, color-safe haircare from Amika, Moroccan Oil and Loma.

The salon is built around independent stylists who each set their own services, with values centered on honesty, integrity and inclusion.

A welcoming space that the salon describes as safe for every identity and hair texture.