Coming in Hot: A Conversation with Salon Hestia

Neighborhood Spotlight: Salon Hestia

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This month I'm kicking off a new spotlight series with Jen, co-owner of Salon Hestia, a Sherman Oaks gem named after the goddess of home and hearth. We talked about belonging, what it looks like when neighbors actually show up for each other, and how two businesses sharing a wall ended up sharing something much bigger.

Julia: You named your salon after Hestia, the goddess of home and hearth. Tell me more about that. What drew you to her?

Jen: The other owner and I are both parents. And despite this being a female-led industry, there's very little in place to actually protect and nurture the women in it, or the clients who are mothers. This is Sherman Oaks, so it's a lot of families. We really wanted to pay homage to not just ourselves, but all the women who have been our greatest support system over more than a decade of doing hair. The homemakers. The ones holding everything together. We wanted to give them a place to be nurtured.

Julia: And Crèma, the coffee shop next door. It feels like you're building something together with them. How did that relationship start?

Jen: The coffee shop is owned by a family. Husband, wife, their kids. The wife, Dasha, she is just a ray of sunshine. She welcomed us with open arms, and I've genuinely never had that experience anywhere I've worked, where your neighbor is actually neighborly. Over the months we've been open, they've just wanted to make sure we're okay, and we do the same for them. All of our clients go there for coffee. It's created something really beautiful. We joke that we're one unit, even though we're two separate businesses. People actually ask if we have the same owner, because I'm in there about ten times a day. We know their regulars. They know ours. It becomes a community.

Julia: This corner has a small-town feeling, even though we're still very much in the city.

Jen: Everybody knows everybody. Everybody says hi. The gym next door, F45. Sweet Butter right there. I drive by every day and sometimes you still miss what's around you. But once you slow down and look, it's all there.

Julia: If someone just moved to Sherman Oaks and walked in as a first-time client, what would you want them to know about Ventura Boulevard that they can't find on Google?

Jen: It's oddly walkable for the Valley.

A regular from Crèma walks in mid-conversation.

Jen: Hey, come in, come in. Julia, this is one of our regulars from next door. They hug.

Julia: Hi, I'm Julia. Nice to meet you. After a quick chit chat he leaves.

Jen: This is exactly what I mean. It just happens. Naturally.

Julia: Okay, I love his style. He has this whole thing going on.

Jen: That's actually one of the things about this corner. It draws a certain kind of person. Creative. A little unexpected. We call it the alternative corner. It'll surprise you.

Julia: My whole philosophy, the thing I've built my brand around, is curated belonging. The idea that belonging doesn't just happen to you. It's something you build for yourself. Does that resonate with you? And what does it actually look like, in your work, to help someone feel at home?

Jen: That's a loaded question. People think they understand what a hair salon is. But when you find a truly talented hairdresser, the hair almost becomes secondary. What matters most is how someone feels when they walk in and when they walk out. Remembering people's names. Remembering their faces. Crèma remembers drink orders. That's the same energy. It's not just me as one individual. It's everyone in the room knowing you, knowing what you need, and being able to provide something that goes beyond just great hair. And then beyond that, it's knowing the people next door. Knowing the people across the street. Actually saying hello. That's what builds it.

Thanks for reading!

Did you know?

• Los Angeles property owners have successfully defeated the proposed street lighting assessment increase by margin of more than four to one. While the city's street lighting system needs attention, property owners sent a clear message that increased fees must come with accountability, transparency, and a realistic plan to address theft, maintenance, and cost controls.
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What’s happening in LA?

• Los Angeles might be considered a burger or taco town, but there is an abundance of hot dogs suped-up with a dose of local flavor all over the city, from new-school Korean corn dogs to chili-covered old-school wieners.
• A Baja-influenced seafood bounty at Venice's San Damián, the new marisquería sibling to Damián in the Arts District, could not have come at a better moment. Enrique Olvera and his team, including chef Chuy Cervantes, have opened what may be LA's hit restaurant of the season.
• Just in time for the remainder of FIFA's 2026 World Cup tournament comes Pawn Shop, a sleek new sports bar and restaurant in Hollywood that opened on June 26, with notable backers including James Beard Award–winning chef Tony Messina, local sports talent, and a big-name billionaire.

More from the original issue: LA sports bars · Pawn Shop opening

Featured listings

• Sherman Oaks — 3627 Cody Rd, 91403. 4 BD · 5 BA · 3,739 SF · $4,997,000. Perched behind gates on nearly an acre just north of Mulholland, an extraordinary 1956 Mid-Century Modern estate by Modern Trend Construction Company and architect Richard Dorman.
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