Timothy Pamment Madison Salon One Of Tops In US, Says Elle

Timothy Pamment's salon in the Riverside section of Greenwich has been around longer, and his salon at the Oh! Spa in Watch Hill, RI may have somewhat more glamorous surroundings. But when it came to being tops in the United States, his eponymous Madison salon is one of very few in Connecticut to take the prize. 

The Timothy Pamment Madison salon, tucked into Station Square, next to khaki & black, and in the same plaza as Savvy Tea, and Elite, was named one of the top 100 salons in the country in the most recent issue of Elle magazine.

Pamment said he was very pleased, but also surprised to find out about the honor.

"Fabulous, fabulous"

The salon's customers Wednesday said they were not surprised.

"They are fabulous, fabulous," said Debbie Cianciolo of Guilford, who trusts her long brown tresses to stylist Maria Nowak. Weekly. As in several times a week. Her four daughters frequent the salon as well. "My husband just loves it!" she said, laughing.

As in he loves her perfectly shiny hair with the just-so highlights that complement the cut that looks like it could grace a magazine cover? Or he loves paying the bills? While the cost of haircuts at the salon with some of the junior stylists is comparable to some other high-end Madison salons, a session with a master stylist such as Tim himself can cost ... somewhat more.

It's all about the team

But Tim insists the success of the salon is not all about him. He quickly points to the stylists and staff who work there and asks that their pictures be taken first.

And then he goes on to give much of the credit to his wife, and the mother of his children, Donna Pamment, who runs the salons and who takes care of the business end of the business.

"She does everything but cut the hair and sometimes she tells me how to do that too," he said, smiling. "I have the easy job, trust me."

He said his Madison salon has been "purely a team thing" since it opened three years ago. The going was a little rough for the first few months. "We were doing friends, family, anyone, for free even," he says. "But the staff has built it up to the point where it feels like we have been here 10 years."

And it also helps to be part of a larger team

Timothy Pamment says he suspects his salons' reputations have been burnished by his participation, and by his staffs' participation in events like New York's Fashion Week and by the participation in Paris shows. Pamment says they have worked as part of Oribe's team.

Oribe (pronounced OR-bay, and no, don't bother to ask about the last name, like I did, because Oribe doesn't use it) is considered one of the top celebrity hairstylists in the world.

Pamment says it also helps that he and the members of his staff are constantly pushing themselves to explore the latest in techniques, styles, and trends so that they can make sure they are not always offering the same-old, same-old to their clients. By way of example, he explained that some staff members recently learned how to do camo extensions.

Green and blue?

As in camouflage? As in covering up the grey?

No, as in greens and blues.

Pamment says he doesn't think there will be a huge demand for the specific kind of style in Madison anytime soon (although one never knows about these things). The point is that he and his stylists strive to keep up with latest, so that they can integrate it appropriately for each individual client.

He says that's why he enjoys working with Maria Nowak, Coco Scocozza, Jamie Anderson, Rachael Lyons, Terri Coon, Danielle Dobkowski, Tyler Terzakis, Mat Arruda, and salon coordinators Brea O'Donnell and Ashley Unitas.

Pushing beyond the comfort zone

"They believe in themselves and they believe in the team," he said. "They are always pushing themselves to improve and to move beyond their comfort zone. It's been infectious. One person goes down to Fashion Week and tries something new and the others want to as well." He says that's true not just of Madison, but of his other salons as well.

He said the mention in Elle as one of the top salons just confirmed what he knew, that he's working as part of a great team, in Madison, in Greenwich, which also was named as a top salon, and in Rhode Island.

"It's brilliant," he said.