Joel Patrick | Owner

Joel’s career encompasses a diverse 30 years in the salon industry. From small “Mom & Pop” shops to High End Boutique Salons Joel has been behind the chair in all of them. 

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He started his career as personal assistant for Master Stylist/Colorist Hans Wolf of De Cut International as well as working as a stylist in both Santa Barbara & Ventura De Cut locations.After leaving De Cut, Kevin Charles asked him to join his team as his Lead Colorist. Located at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Montecito, the Kevin Charles Salon offered an environment for Joel to fine-tune his skills with a more discerning clientele. While working with Kevin, Joel had the opportunity to train and work with Frederic Fekkai in his Beverly Hills Salon. While there he trained with L’Oreal Master & Frederic’s Head Colorist, Nancy Braun (one of the originators of Balayage). In addition, Joel was asked to join Frederic’s team to style hair for events such as: The Oscars, Oscars Fashion Preview, Tommy Hilfiger/VH1 Race to Erase MS & The Golden Globes. He has had additional education with:  Master Stylist Yosh, KMS, Bumble & Bumble, Wella & Schwarzkopf.

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Joel got into the business out of his attraction to the salon environment in general, and after 6 years at Kevin Charles he knew it was time to open a place of his own. Salon U in Santa Barbara was the physical manifest of his vision. A 2300 sq foot salon that doubled as an art gallery was a bright modern space equipped with a nightclub sized DJ booth that served as the music hub for the many art openings and charity events held at Salon U. Hair, Art, Culture was his tagline and Salon U delivered all of it in abundance with the help of a very talented team of stylists & make-up artists. 

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NOVO is Joel’s new vision. After taking a break from ownership, the opportunity arose to acquire the salon he was working in. Joel’s idea for NOVO is a clean, modern, high end yet comfortable and inviting environment. Much smaller than Salon U’s 17 chairs, NOVO is a cozy boutique with a team of experienced highly skilled stylists. Taking a page from his previous salon, the walls of NOVO will feature local and international artists' work. Art reception events are on the agenda for the future. 

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Joel possesses an in-depth knowledge of hair care ingredients that he picked up along the way from some of the top Chemists in the biz including Hans Wolf (Hans was also a chemist and has developed products for Nexxus & Schwarzkopf) as well from friend Aris Koroyan and helping Aris develop his brand, Sudzz FX haircare. Joel played a key role in the early stages of formulation that finally became one of the highest quality International Haircare products available. Using this knowledge, Joel worked with the chemists at JAFRA to help Kevin Charles develop his haircare line while working for him at the Four Seasons. When he opened Salon U, he developed U Essentials as the in-house brand. 

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The diversity in his career has helped cultivate Joel's well rounded knowledge of hair in general. With his eye on what’s current with a solid foundation in the classics, his goal with every client is create a natural effortless look with timeless appeal.