In 1968, I was wearing white go go boots, a pixie cut and Pucci – esque sleeveless floral dresses to the Mod Flower Girls Club meetings which took place during recess on my South Florida Elementary School playground.
In 1968, Barry Rovelto, hair stylist extraordinaire and co-owner of Hot Heads Salon in the Seminole Towne Center, was learning the principles of hair design at The Graduate Park Institute in Connecticut. Those courses marked the beginning of Barry’s formal training in the field. Since then, he has spent a significant amount of time on both sides of the classroom, learning new trends and techniques and sharing his expertise with up and coming stylists. During his career, Barry has worked as an Art Director and Manager for a well known chain of international hair salons. He has been an instructor/owner at a Hairdressing Academy. He has worked as an adjunct professor at a couple of local Community Colleges (both Daytona Beach Community College and Brevard Community College). He has presented at numerous seminars. He has participated in multiple hair shows and he has owned and operated several high end salons. Not bad for a guy who originally got into the profession because it paid fairly well and because it was a good way to meet women.
Fast forward to 2010… the former bachelor with the innate talent for making women look beautiful is now a happily married man who is widely recognized as being one of the top hairstylists in Central Florida. Staying relevant for over four decades in a field defined by ever changing trends and by the ability to make men and women look youthful, current and attractive is no small feat. That he’s been able to do this while maintaining a loving partnership and a long standing marriage with a women equal in talent, drive, business acumen and intellect and that together the Roveltos have raised a family and weathered the ups and downs of an ever changing economy while staying on the top of their field, is even more impressive. (Makes me think I’m getting my hair styled by the Rolling Stones of hair design. Though they’ve been doing this for a while, I don’t know a young upstart out there who can hold a candle to either one of them.)
Barry and his wife, Diane, met at the Tressa Training Program, also in Connecticut, in the early 1970s.
(This was Diane’s entry into the profession, but, as with Barry, it represented but the tip of the iceberg of her training and teaching work. Diane has worked with big name color vendors. She has done hair and make up for The Miss Florida Pageant. She has facilitated seminars and participated in hair shows. She has been nationally recognized. She has worked as an instructor at a Hairdressing Academy. She was an international hair salon’s Chemical Art Director and she has also co-owned and operated several salons.)
What started as both an attraction and a mutual respect between a then student and an instructor at a technical training program has blossomed into a thirty year marriage and a very successful professional partnership. According to Barry, he was crazy about Diane from the get go and says that even today, all these years later, there is still no one he’d rather spend time with. Per Barry, it is a privilege that he gets to work so closely with his wife. Far from considering it an obstacle to their marriage, he considers the fact that they both live and work together an asset and a gift. As an adult child of divorce and a gal whose been pretty badly burned in the relationship arena, I find this sentiment so refreshing and I admire and respect the Roveltos for this almost as much as I admire their talents. It is clear that both Barry and Diane share the same personal values and vision for their salon and that both have a very strong work ethic and commitment to quality.
What the Roveltos bring to hair design is both rare and valuable. They have been able to combine genuine talent, an almost unprecedented volume of experience, a love of and dedication to their field, a knowledge of what’s new and hot, a commitment to customer service and a sense of fun and friendship. This combination of skills and abilities is what has earned them the loyalty of their many long term clients, some of whom drive into the salon from as far as Tampa and Cocoa Beach and some who schedule school trips home around their hair appointments. I understand this!
If I was having open heart surgery, I would want a seasoned, knowledgeable and highly experienced surgeon who stays current in his field, who is knowledgeable about all of the new research and who isn’t afraid of technology to be holding that scalpel when the anesthesiologist puts me under. I wouldn’t want a cardiologist who was fresh out of medical school, nor would I want someone whose hands were shaky and whose personal medical library consisted only of decades old textbooks and outdated periodicals. I want the same level of experience and expertise from those who style my hair. With Barry and Diane and the Hot Heads team, I get this.
As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I was initially referred to Hot Heads by a young, fashion forward former co-worker (and current friend :) whose sleek, dark tresses have been featured on the pages of a number of fashion and travel magazines. I figured if Hot Heads was good enough for her, it was more than good enough for me.
I went to Hot Heads because I heard they were the best and because I was impressed with their handiwork. I have continued going because I was amazed at what they’ve been able to do with a far inferior canvas. (As I have also mentioned, I remain disappointed that they have not been able to make me 5’10, Asian and so physically striking that one look at me might cause male coworkers to do things like walk into walls and mumble disjointed thoughts about potential future offspring and the origin of my last name (Yes, that’s an inside joke), but given that this is the only way Barry and Diane and the entire Hot Heads team have ever let me down, I’ve decided to forgive them for this. What they have been able to do with my hair, which is now naturally about 80% pepper and 20% salt and a texture which I equate with an object best used to scrub caked on food off of a stack of dirty dishes, is remarkable.
Hot Heads is different than a lot of other salons in that it isn’t staffed by Jacks and Jills of all trades. The Hot Heads professionals are specialists. This is by design. Barry and Diane both believe that having a team of colorists and a separate team of stylists is in the best interest of their valued clients.
The Hot Heads colorists are highly trained experts who understand the effect their quality products will have on an individual’s particular hair texture and natural shade. They know which hues work best together and which are most flattering to which complexions. They know where highlights fall naturally and they know just where the eye will travel when it takes in a person’s overall appearance. They are able to create drama when drama is what’s desired. If it’s subtlety that’s the order of the day, they apply just the right color combinations with just the right touch in order to create a look reminiscent of that client’s childhood mane. As I’ve said before here, I really do think, Diane, is a coloring genius. (I still think God ought to consider offering her a little contract work each fall so we can have exquisitely colored leaves on our trees like they do up north.)
The stylists at Hot Heads are so cutting edge. They can (and will) do “understated girl next door” if that’s the look a client wants, but they are also capable of creating some real show stopping dos – the kind that cause men to crane their heads for a second look and women to ask for referrals.
Barry and Diane are perfectionists. They take a great deal of pride in their workmanship and it’s obvious that they take their craft very seriously. They are committed to doing their best work with every single client and they expect the same talent, dedication and attention to detail from everyone who works for them. I have always admired this. When they hire new associates, they aim to hire the best and they commit to ongoing professional development.
Outside of work, Barry and Diane enjoy spending time with their two grown children and with their beloved dogs. They live a good distance from the salon, but they consider the drive a worthwhile trade off for the enjoyment they get from having a good sized tract of land, some privacy and a place where they can get outdoors and really enjoy our beautiful state.
Barry and Diane Rovelto are very talented, highly experienced individuals who run a top notch family owned and operated Central Florida business. That in itself is enough to make me want to support them. When you throw in the fact that I like them both as people and that they make sure I look and feel like a million bucks when I leave their salon, it’s clear to see why I’m such a big fan.
I write a lot on this blog about how happy I am when I leave Hot Heads, but I haven’t written nearly enough about why I feel that way. Perhaps this little snapshot into who the salon’s owners are and exactly what they bring to the table has helped explain that. Hope to see you at the salon 407-671-0480!
The HHG
