After immigrating from Russia to the United States in the early aughts, Suzzie Monroe figured moving continents wouldn’t be the only major switch she’d make—she decided to forego her career as a surgical nurse to follow a newfound passion: hair. While at Vidal Sassoon Academy, Monroe fell in love with haircolor and soon found herself crafting hair freelance for editorials, campaigns and runways. But, she craved more. “I always had a dream of opening my own salon and, through my freelance work, was building a strong personal clientele base, which led me to open my first Luxbae (@theluxbae) location in Glendale, California, back in 2013,” Monroe says. (By the way: The “bae” in Luxbae predates today’s Urban Dictionary-era “bae”; the name is an acronym for “Luxury Before Anything Else.”)
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After immigrating from Russia to the United States in the early aughts, Suzzie Monroe figured moving continents wouldn’t be the only major switch she’d make—she decided to forego her career as a surgical nurse to follow a newfound passion: hair. While at Vidal Sassoon Academy, Monroe fell in love with haircolor and soon found herself crafting hair freelance for editorials, campaigns and runways. But, she craved more. “I always had a dream of opening my own salon and, through my freelance work, was building a strong personal clientele base, which led me to open my first Luxbae (@theluxbae) location in Glendale, California, back in 2013,” Monroe says. (By the way: The “bae” in Luxbae predates today’s Urban Dictionary-era “bae”; the name is an acronym for “Luxury Before Anything Else.”)
That first Glendale Luxbae originally focused squarely on hair, but Monroe witnessed a societal shift toward cosmetic procedures and realized Luxbae could serve as a one-stop shop for those seeking head-to-toe beauty. “To have face, body and hair treatments all under one roof was something nobody was doing yet,” she shares. “I’ve always been a beauty fanatic and my clients would ask me for recommendations when it came to med-spa treatments, from injections and treatments to products. I figured that if I’m already doing the research myself, why not offer my clients the best beauty services and products out there?” Once Monroe added med-spa services to her menu, clients would book multiple services—oftentimes back-to-back all in one day.
Word spread fast—clients from all over the sprawling Los Angeles area would make the treatment pilgrimage to Glendale. “I thought, why not create a second Luxbae closer to them?” Monroe says.
She did just that with Luxbae Melrose, opened in 2021 in West Hollywood. Chosen for its central location (“You can’t get more central than West Hollywood,” laughs Monroe), the new spot is minimalist yet welcoming, with warm concrete flooring paired with equally warm wood shelving, built-in benches and stations. The brand’s signature color, peach, sporadically pops up in custom furniture. “That peach is inspired by my peachy, pinky blondes,” Monroe shares.
When clients enter, a “Luxury Before Anything Else” neon sign welcomes them—but it’s the retail shelving that steals the scene. Akin to an art piece, the latticework houses bottles styled to perfection with crystals and sculptures sprinkled throughout. “We’re mindful of the display of our Kevin Murphy and Biologique Recherche products that lend themselves to the design of our waiting room, as their packaging fits in nicely with our brand mission and design. Everything in our salon has a purpose,” Monroe reveals. Speaking of art: Photos from iconic fashion photographers like Helmut Newton coupled with a large-screen flat TV broadcasting fashion videos flank the shampoo area, lending “powerful femininity and beauty” to the space.
Of course, Monroe’s customized color services are what attract clients. Known for the aforementioned peachy pinks, Monroe notes that she “customizes these depending on the client’s own look. It can be cooler, warmer, more metallic, more saturated, more pastel, etc., and I do my best to really capture their personal style when mixing these colors,” she explains. Though her expertise as a colorist is a main draw, the med-spa services certainly speak to what’s near and dear to today’s Los Angelenos. With treatments like the Skinny Me + Detox Me, which pairs six sessions of Evolve Trim with six session of L.E.T. Detox Massage, clients can experience noninvasive makeovers on top of their blonding appointments—no downtime required. No matter what services clients pick at Luxbae, Monroe explains that personalization is the aim. “We do have a menu of services to choose from, but once clients come in, we personalize everything for their needs,” Monroe says. She also notes that at Luxbae, clients will never encounter a “pusher mentality,” which can dilute client retention at a med-spa. Instead, staff focuses on educating clients on services—no pushing necessary. “I think what makes Luxbae special to people is that we have an environment in which there is a lot of trust and affection. Our new clients quickly become regular clients who get to know all of our staff,” Monroe says. “We’re really like one big family.”
WHAT’S UNIQUE
That Med-Spa Life: Three treatment rooms host everything from microneedling to micro-Botox to electric muscle stimulation.
Pastel Perfection: Take a quick scroll through Monroe’s Instagram feed (@suzziemonroe) and you’ll find super-glossed hair sporting every shade of peach, pink and lavender under the sun—a talent she’s known for.
Retail Hair and Skin Lines:
Kevin Murphy, Biologique Recherche
Color Lines:
Wella Professionals, Kevin Murphy, L’Oréal Professionnel, Redken
Popular Service:
“At the moment, our most popular service is Rejuvenate Me, which is our hyper-customized facial. There are four different available levels to the facial and clients love it because it leaves them with glowy, perfect skin with no downtime,” says Monroe.
