Sombra Salon

Sombra Salon sits next door to Salon Centric on East Semoran Boulevard in Apopka. It works as a team of independent stylists who build their work around lived-in, personalized hair, and the owner styles hair there too.

Visits begin with a consultation. The stylists emphasize education and long-term hair upkeep, and they treat the client experience as seriously as the finished hair. Product suggestions are part of each service, and haircare products are sold in the salon and through an online shop.

Booking runs through Vagaro, which offers mobile booking and an app for viewing or changing appointments. New guests must start with a shaping appointment before they can book color. Curl services need hair dry, down and in its natural state, without buns, ponytails, heavy product or hair more than one to two days old, and a $45 charge applies at checkout if hair arrives with excess product or is damp. Color and other services need clean hair.

A $50 deposit is requested at booking; it is non-refundable and applied to the service. Same-day cancellations and no-shows are charged the full price of the service, and a $25 late fee applies at checkout. Guests and children are not permitted at appointments, while clients are welcome to bring food. Photos and videos of services may be shared on social media unless a client tells the salon beforehand. Credit cards and Apple Pay are accepted; cash and gift cards are not.

The salon is also set up for independent stylists. Rental options run from two days a week at $116 per week to six days at $276 per week, with part-time and full-time arrangements available. Stylists have luxury chairs and stations with Minerva shampoo systems, two vintage-style hooded dryers with seating, a dedicated color room with storage and a sink, and a break room with a full kitchen, lounge and retail area. Towels, capes and robes are provided with laundry service, and the building has a safety alarm and ample parking. Stylist perks include maternity leave, a vacation week and a yearly branding shoot.

Consultation, education and long-term hair maintenance come first, with the client experience weighted equally against the hair results.

A clean, comfortable and professional setting.