Elle Loves Lava

This week, West Ashley’s Lava Salon was named to fashion, beauty, and lifestyle magazine Elle’s annual list of top 100 salons in the United States. The full service salon, located along Savannah Highway in the Avondale Point Business District, joins the prestigious list as one of two salons chosen in South Carolina. The other is Tabula Rasa, located on Cannon Street downtown. In 2012 and 2013 fellow Avondale Salon Strawberry Blonde also made the list.
Lava Salon was started in 2006 by Geoff and Noel Richardson. The husband and wife team have worked hard over the last eight years to embed themselves into the Avondale community and create a place that was more than just about getting a haircut.
“We are extremely honored and humbled to be recognized by industry experts, and to represent Charleston and South Carolina in ELLE’s top 100 salons,” said Geoff Richardson. “When we opened, we really wanted to elevate the salon experience — to truly connect with our guests, foster positivity through volunteering in our community, and of course, provide excellence in service and skill.”
“We love what we do and we hope that our love shows every time you walk through the doors of Lava Salon. Our goal is to provide you the best possible service in an enjoyable and relaxed salon setting,” adds Noel Richardson.
Ultimately, Geoff Richardson attributes a lot of the salon’s success to his team. “You can do everything right to open a business, but if you don’t have the internal support built-in, then you’re just spinning your wheels,” he says. “We spun a while, but we finally realized that hiring is about matching people to your culture. Our team is willing to take individual responsibility for the good of the whole and they just ‘get it.’ That’s what creates an environment of synergy. In the end, we all reap the benefits and that’s what I feel this recognition in Elle magazine represents.”
This year, Lava Salon was also nominated as a Top 5 salon in the Charleston City Paper’s annual reader’s choice “Best Of” edition. As well, Geoff Richardson was recently recognized in Charleston Art Mag’s “Most Creative” awards issue as Best Male “working his butt off.”
Lava Salon is located at 811-B Savannah Hwy. For more information, call 225-5282 or visit www.LavaSalon.com.