Goldwaves Salon

Judy Rice opened the original Goldwaves salon in late 1988, three blocks from the current location. The business moved to 5137 El Campo about four years later, and renovations over more than twenty years have added space and facilities there. Earlier, in 1972, Rice opened Just Hair, which the business describes as Fort Worth's first cut-and-blow-dry salon; it later became Birchman Place. She also started a wig and hairpiece business in Fort Worth.

Rice trained in cosmetology at Trimble Tech High School in Fort Worth and holds a state license. She reports a number of awards from local and state competitions earned while working in a local salon. Her other experience includes working as a hairstylist on an ocean liner out of New York and teaching at a Paul Mitchell school location in New York. She also studied business leadership at Neil Quality College in Hammond, Louisiana. With her daughter, Rice completed a three-year program at Strategies in Centerbrook, Connecticut, beginning in 2001, and they graduated in 2004 as Certified Strategies Coaches. According to the salon, a Strategies coach who travels the country has shaped its training program.

The salon works as a team. Clients can book with any stylist at any time and are not placed on a waiting list, and they are encouraged to try different stylists. Each specialist has their own areas of expertise, and staff complete an in-salon skill certification program along with ongoing education after their formal schooling.

Every service starts with a consultation, where the stylist talks through the process and the products to be used. Guests are asked to share allergies, medical conditions and concerns at that point. Some requests take more than one visit, and corrective color may need two to three visits. Guests are asked to arrive a little early and to give at least 24 hours' notice for cancellations. Service refunds are not given because of the consultation process. Only the person receiving a service may be on the styling floor, and other guests wait in the reception area. Beverages and recent fashion magazines are offered to early arrivals, and the retail area sells Aveda products.

A teamwork model in which clients are encouraged to try different stylists, with each specialist working within their own areas of expertise.

The salon describes its atmosphere as welcoming change and encouraging growth.