XO Hair Lab

The salon opened in Chesapeake in 2019. Ash Fortis founded it to offer hair and skin care to the local community, and Ash still leads the team and works on growing both its stylists and the business.

Stylists work across four levels, and placement depends on availability, education, experience and demand. The system is meant to give team members career goals and room to grow. Every stylist, whatever their level or prior experience, attends in-house continuing education courses, which the salon says keeps quality consistent across the team.

Every visit starts with a consultation to talk through goals and settle on the cost. Menus list a starting price, and the exact amount is set at that consultation. Blonding, color corrections and creative color that run five hours or more are charged at an hourly rate. Jr. Stylists and Level 1 stylists do not perform color correction.

Booking is by phone only, at (757) 389-7166, and a credit card on file is required to secure an appointment. Cancellations or reschedules need at least 24 hours' notice to avoid a full charge, and no-call, no-show appointments are charged the full price of the service. Walk-ins are accepted in addition to booked appointments. Hours are Monday 12 to 7, Tuesday through Friday 9 to 7, and Saturday 9 to 5.

Education runs through the team: every stylist, at any level, attends in-house continuing education. The stylist level system is built to give team members goals to work toward and room to advance.