Sal Misseri | International Award-Winning Hairstylist & Educator, Founder of Reverie Salon Chicago & Kaizen Education

Sal Misseri, founder of Reverie Salon and Kaizen Education, Chicago hair stylist and international educator

Sal Misseri — International Award-Winning Hairstylist & Educator, Founder of Reverie Salon Chicago and Kaizen Education

Most stylists look at your hair. Sal looks at you.

Before a single decision is made he is reading the shape of your head, the proportions of your face, how you hold yourself, the colours and weight of what you wear, the watch on your wrist. All of it says who you are and what will suit you. The hair is the last thing he decides, because it is the thing that has to agree with everything else.

That is the difference between a haircut and a design. Reverie was built around it, and it is what the chair in River North is for.

Sal Misseri is an internationally awarded hair designer and the founder of Reverie Salon in River North, Chicago, known for designing cuts and colour to a person's face, proportions and wardrobe rather than to their hair alone. He is also the founder of Kaizen Education and a Davines Global Artist.

What sets the work apart

The whole person, not the hair. Every visit with Sal begins with a read of face, proportion, head shape, posture and wardrobe, and ends with a silhouette chosen for that person. The cut and the colour are built to the silhouette, not the other way round.

A roadmap, not an appointment. The first visit produces a plan: what happens today, what happens in three months, where you are in a year. Cuts are engineered to grow into the next shape rather than out of the last one. Colour is sequenced so no visit leaves you looking mid-project.

He will tell you "not yet". It is not unusual for Sal to send someone away for three to six months with a plan and a name on the team to see in the meantime, because the hair is not where it needs to be for him to make the difference you are paying for. When he does take the chair, the result is worth the day.

A visit with Sal costs more than a haircut or a colour. It is also more than a haircut or a colour.

The craft

The technique behind the eye comes from years of editorial, competition and runway work, and from building and teaching colour systems rather than only using them. Behind every booked service is a body of editorial, runway and competition work — collections the Reverie team conceives and shoots themselves. That artistry isn’t a side project; it’s the source of the technique clients sit down for.

The cut that lasts

Sal works in two distinct cutting disciplines, choosing each for what the hair in front of him needs.

Dry cutting is the surgeon’s approach. Cutting hair dry, in its natural finished state, lets him read every detail as it actually falls — damage, density, growth patterns, the way each section wants to move — and respond with precision. More on dry cutting →

Razor cutting, done on wet hair, is the sculptor’s approach. Here he isn’t correcting so much as releasing — using the razor to expose the shape already hiding within the hair and set it free, carving softness and movement that scissors alone can’t. More on razor cutting →

What unites both is foresight: Sal pre-plans how a cut will grow, engineering shapes that evolve gracefully over months — so the cut holds its form and outlasts a conventional haircut long after most have lost their shape.

Colour

Sal leads gray blending, grey transitions and colour correction at Reverie, with Vicki O'Connor second behind him. Transitions off permanent colour are his alone: see The Bespoke Grey Transition.

The educator

Between 2016 and 2020, Davines brought Sal in to work on new product launches — most significantly The Century of Light, the bleaching system the brand released in 2018, and View, its tone-on-tone colour line, which he worked to bring up to the standard required for a global launch. Over the same period he trained Davines' North American hair colour education team several times a year, working with the educators themselves on technical ability — foiling and balayage above all.

Most colorists learn a brand's system. Sal was brought in to help build one, and to train the people who teach it. He founded Kaizen Education to do the same for stylists everywhere, teaching in nine-plus countries, and every member of the Reverie team is trained to that standard.

Recognition

Winner, Irish Hairdressing Awards
Winner, America's Beauty Show Global Image Awards, multiple categories, including multiple Leo Passage trophies
Winner, Behind the Chair Creative Colorist of the Year
Winner, Estetica Men's Hairstylist of the Year
17 NAHA (North American Hairstyling Awards) recognitions, including three finalist placements for Hairstylist of the Year, NAHA Newcomer of the Year 2012, and the youngest person ever nominated for NAHA Master Hairstylist of the Year
Top 30 Under 30 Colorists in North America
Nominations from AIPP and the Canadian Mirror Awards
Davines Global Artist; New York Fashion Week backstage; work featured by Vogue; interviewed by GQ

His specialties

Precision dry and razor cutting, balayage, AirTouch, dimensional and corrective color, grey blending and The Bespoke Grey Transition, men’s cutting, and Misseri’s Bespoke Renewal Cut.

Working with Sal

Sal's book is limited and usually runs three to six weeks out. New clients start with The Reverie Consult with Sal ($150 for 30 minutes, credited in full toward any service or product within 30 days). Every price is by length, never by gender, and you see Sal's price before you confirm online.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Sal Misseri?

What sets Sal apart from other Chicago stylists?

He designs the whole person, not the hair. Every visit starts with a read of face, proportion, head shape, posture and wardrobe, and ends with a silhouette chosen for that person; the cut and colour are built to that silhouette and planned to grow well over months.

Why does Sal sometimes tell clients to wait?

Because the result depends on the hair being ready. If it is not where it needs to be for him to make the difference you are paying for, he will give you a three-to-six-month plan and a name on the team to see in the meantime, then take the chair when it is worth the day.

What is the difference between dry cutting and razor cutting?

Dry cutting is done on dry hair so he can see every detail — damage, density, how it falls — and cut with surgical precision. Razor cutting is done on wet hair and is more sculptural, releasing the shape within the hair for soft, natural movement. Both are pre-planned to grow out gracefully.

Does Sal teach other stylists?

Yes. He founded Kaizen Education, and between 2016 and 2020 Davines brought him in to work on new product launches and to train its North American hair colour education team. Every member of the Reverie team is trained to that standard.

How much does a haircut with Sal cost?

As Reverie’s founder, Sal carries the salon’s highest rates. Pricing is by length, never by gender, and every client receives a transparent written quote at consultation before any work begins. A standalone consultation with Sal is $150 for 30 minutes, credited in full toward any service or product at Reverie within 30 days. His book is limited and typically reserves three to six weeks out.

How do I book with Sal?

Book The Reverie Consult with Sal online at booking.mangomint.com/reveriesalon ($150 for 30 minutes, credited toward any service or product within 30 days), or call (312) 955-0083.

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Instagram: @sal_misseri · TikTok: @salmisseri_hair

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