As part of a relaunch, Unilever changed the full name of its Nexxus brand from Nexxus Salon Hair Care to Nexxus New York Salon Care. And to emphasize that point, it has opened a salon on N. Moore.

“Why Tribeca?” said senior brand manager Emily Turner. “We’re a downtown brand, not an uptown one. We looked in Soho and the Meatpacking District, but we wanted a neighborhood with real New York City women.” (Turner herself now lives in Tribeca.)

Nexxus is a mass-market brand, available at drugstores and the like, that used to be only sold at salons—so the new salon clearly exists to show the brand in a more upscale light. But they say they’re serious about the salon being a fully functioning, top-of-the-line facility. Celebrity stylist Kevin Mancuso, the brand’s creative director for eight years, is in charge of the hiring and training, and he helped with the reformulation of the products. “The thing that makes Nexxus special is it’s where the stylist meets the hair scientist,” said Turner, citing the brand’s creator, Jheri Redding, who was a hairstylist and a chemist.

The 3,500 square foot space, formerly Cristina Dos Santos’s shop, is lovely, designed as a series of “rooms” done in herringbone floors in various materials. Beyond the lobby is a product showcase with an interactive mirror, to which your stylist will upload pictures of your hair from four angles. (They’ll also take “after” photos for you to reference on subsequent visits.) Then there are the seven stylist’s chairs, an area dedicated to color, and sinks for washing—with lie-flat chairs sourced from Japan.

“The brief is to have the most progressive hair salon in America,” said Turner. “And more than that, a home for the brand and all its attributes.” There are no plans for other salons.

It officially opened March 1 with a three-days-a-week schedule (entirely by appointment only); more days will be added in April. Eventually the salon will also offer coloring and treatments such as hair masks and deep conditioning. Rates have not been set yet, but cuts are expected to start around $140.

Nexxus is at 39 N. Moore (between Varick and Hudson), 212-219-8635; nexxus.com.

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