Posh Salon Spa and Beauty Bar at 150 Lawrenceville-Pennington Road in the 1st Constitution Plaza aims to bring a touch of New York City to central Jersey with its upscale approach to hair and beauty. Owned and managed by Kim Seidl since 2013, the staff, which includes Kim’s daughter Kolby, strives to provide top-notch service in a welcoming environment.
With six stylists and one esthetician providing a variety of specialties, this light, bright salon with many spots of color sets out to meet the beauty needs of all customers. Kim comes from a long line of barbers and salon owners and previously owned Rialto Barber Shop in Princeton and Rialto of Lawrence before opening Posh Salon.
“Growing up around barbers and stylists, I’ve come to the conclusion that this naturally runs in my blood,” Kim said. She became a stylist in 1996 after graduating from Gordon Phillips Beauty School in Lawrence. Shortly after, she opened Rialto. Expansion came when she opened a second Rialto location in Lawrence, her hometown since 1990.
Kim smiles as she recalls visiting her Uncle Len’s barber shop as a child and young woman. “I’d go there with my dad and watch my uncle work and laugh with his clients, and I thought, ‘How can this be work when Uncle Len is laughing and having a good time?’ That’s where I learned it’s not work when you love what you do.”
Kim stressed her goal of a family atmosphere, saying, “We believe styling our customers is only half of their experience. We build long-lasting relationships with our clients and many of them feel like family to us.”
Kolby joined her mother at Posh shortly after graduating from Rizzieri Aveda School in Voorhees in 2013. Kolby specializes in full facials, full face and body waxing and in makeup applications.
“I specialize in brow shaping, which I have a real passion for,” she said. “I’ve just started offering airbrush tanning and lash perms which have been a real hit. I love what I do, and I’m so glad I get to offer my services to all the women and men in our area.”
Growing up in Lawrence, Kolby attended school here from elementary through high school before graduating from Monmouth University.
Melanie Chelton, Lisa Bidwell, Nicole Danley, Ivor Hugh, and Jami Ward, Posh’s newest staff member, round out the team, each with their own specialty and long periods of training.
Kim is proud of her team, which has mostly been together since 2013. “All of our stylists are highly trained and phenomenal in all service,” she said. “Melanie offers relaxers and Jami has taken extra classes to perfect her updos.”
Bidwell, Danley, and Chelton attended the Vidal Sassoon Academy in Los Angeles with Chelton, who enjoys working with all types of hair, receiving advanced training in London. All of the stylists are already specialists in, or working on certifications for, coloring with the L’anza color line. The stylists all work at coloring, cutting, foils and balayage.
The major product lines at Posh are L’anza and Schwarzkopf, and they carry Goldwell products, as well.
“We do Brazilian blowouts and hair extensions, both of which you need to be certified in,” Kim noted. “We also use Dermalogica and Circadia skin care products. We have educators from all of our product lines come to the salon to give us classes on the color hair products and skin care products.”
The staff at Posh, especially Bidwell, Ward, and both Kolby and Kim, enjoy servicing bridal parties and do everything they can to ensure their part of the bride’s day is special for her. Champagne and fruit are on hand while the stylists do hair for the party, and Kolby takes care of makeup for the bride and all the attendants. The team also does airbrush tanning and packages for weddings and for prom season.
Emphasizing training, Kim always familiarizes a new stylist with the salon’s color line and products. “I will usually have a new stylist start off as an assistant while they are getting comfortable with our salon, how it runs, and everything we use,” she said. “I also offer them classes to take to continue their education because this industry is always evolving, so it is important to stay current with the new trends. I like to start a new stylist off assisting a more senior stylist for a few weeks and then they start as a Level 1 and move up one level at a time when I see they are ready.”
Posh Salon, 150 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd., Lawrence. Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone: (609) 219-0800. Email: poshssbb@gmail.com.
Kim Seidl (left) owns Posh Salon in Lawrence. Her daughter, Kolby, (right) works at the salon as a stylist.,
