It used to be that even the right price could not buy you an elegant custom haircut in Moscow. At the newly opened Jacques Dessange hair and beauty salon on Tverskaya Ulitsa, though, you can now have your hair washed, cut and set with all the circumstance you might be used to in the western world.


The Dessange studio, keeping up with the expansion of an already remarkable hair and beauty empire, which includes 500 salons worldwide, opened its doors to the new Russian market and has since been experiencing a steady stream of customers, who for the most part seem to include very well-to-do women, men and models. Coming as ambassadors of the culture of hairdressing, the staff at Dessange is showing Russia the intricacies of top-notch haircare and glamour.


Dessange boasts a professional staff of about 50 hairdressers and cosmetologists, all trained at the Centre de Formation Esth?tique et d'Etudes Capillaires in Paris.


"Of course our clientele is elite," says Olga Adamova, deputy director of Dessange in Moscow, referring to the statuesque figures wandering about the airy rooms of the salon. "But Russian women like fashion. We had to create a place that smells of fashion."


And that is precisely how it does smell. There are no pungent odors of peroxide or chemical hair treatments. The salon's smart, ultra-modern interior, designed by Philip Stark, covers 500 square meters of glossy granite floors and lends the studio a genuine air of haute coiffure.


A small boutique on the ground floor carries the newest line of Jean Louis Scherrer custom jewelry and neckties as well as the very haut de gamme Persol line of eyewear. Adjoining it is a cute cafe that also serves as a waiting room.


But despite its snazzy appearance, the trademark of the salon's style lies, apparently, in the simplicity of the haircuts and their low maintenance factor -- which can be kept especially low if you invest in any of the numerous Dessange haircare products for sale in the salon. You can buy bottles of detangling vinegars, protective gels, nutritive shampoos, deep-conditioning hair masks and plenty of mousses ranging from $6 to $40.


Haircuts start at 84,000 ($42) and go all the way up to 231,000 for a permanent, cut and set, depending on hair length. The men are better off, with cuts starting at 73,500 rubles and going up to 199,000 for highlights and a set.


The salon is also a full-fledged beauty institute, boasting the latest beauty technology from France, such as the Vibro Sauna, a high-tech capsule that in half an hour promises all of the beautifying effects of several hours in a traditional sauna. Or there is the vacuum massage that guarantees expert treatment of skin and underlying tissues. Dessange's own cosmetic line is on sale as well as the entire line of Phytomer sea-based products.


Beauty services are competitively priced. A simple facial starts at 42,000 rubles, hair removal runs between 10,500 and 126,000, massages start at 21,000 and manicures cost up to 42,000.


The salon holds claim to being Moscow's first and only exclusive, international hair and beauty salon, and compares more than favorably with others around town. For its sheer professionalism and true glamour, it is definitely worth a visit.





Jacques Dessange is located on 7 Pervaya Tverskaya Yamskaya Ulitsa, and is open Monday to Saturday from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. The salon accepts dollars, rubles and credit cards. Tel: 200-5744. Nearest metro: Mayakovskaya.