Hair Stylists
Vartan Vartali 
Ruben Gaitan 
Bogunia
Piet Sinthuchai 
Masato Tsuneki   
Mika
Alan Manson
​Rosa Amoedo
Marie Nicole
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Vartan Vartali

Vartan doesn’t just cut hair.  He sculpts and carves it to flatter the contours and angles of the face. Trained in France by the acclaimed Alexandre de Paris,
Vartan came to the United States in 1976 and worked with Xavier at Cinandre and John Sahag at his namesake salon.  In 1979, Vartan struck out on his own and 10 years later, he opened the shop on the corner of 57th and Park Avenue. The rest is history.

According to Vartan: “When I first started in the business, the Farah Fawcett look was in vogue.  Everyone wanted layers and highlights, no matter what type of hair they had.  Many of my clients came once a week for a wash and blow dry,” he explains.

“Today, no one wants a cookie-cutter look.  My clients want hair that’s easy to maintain and offers a number of styling options.  I like a cut that swirls, twists and falls into place and doesn’t fight the hair’s natural texture or growth pattern.”

“I have many clients who have been coming here for 30 years.  We’ve grown up together. Like a good marriage, a long-term relationship with a client requires trust, understanding and creativity.  You’ve got to keep it fresh and exciting, so the client leaves feeling confident and happy.”

Vartan trained as an artist and studied at the Art’s Student League in Manhattan.  His keen visual sense is evident in his work as a hairdresser and in artworks he displays at the salon. Every month, he chooses one young artist and showcases his or her work on the walls of the salon.  “The artwork inspires our team and our clients, and it’s a great way to support up-and-coming artists.”

Ruben Gaitan

“This is not just a job for me, this is a personal passion,” says Ruben.  “I’ve always enjoyed helping women find what works best for them and bringing it out for the world to see.  Whether it’s their eyes, their skin or the texture of their hair, the right haircut and style can accentuate their best feature and enhance their overall look.”  
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Ruben, who hails from South America, began his career with three of the world’s most legendary stylists:  Clive Summers from England, Suga from Japan and Madison Avenue’s very own Mr. Kenneth.  At Kenneth’s, Ruben’s clients ran the gamut from movie stars to socialites.  He styled the hair of Park Avenue doyennes, power moms and working women on the move.

His tenure at Vartali harks back to the 80’s.  Here, he has built his reputation on precision cuts that hold their shape and support soft, loose, natural-looking styles. A big believer in body waves and loose perms, Ruben likes to use milder lotion and larger rods to give straight or fine hair some texture. He also likes to add rollers in combination with blow drying to lend some extra height and volume to a finished look.

Bogonia Minucci

“Cutting and shaping hair is a very personal experience.  Balance, proportion and versatility are the key elements to a great look. I might have a vision in my mind about what I want to create and how I want the finished style to look, but the client’s participation in the process is essential. 

Every cut is a co-creation and starts with a consultation.  Even if it’s a client I’ve known for years.  I still try to get a sense of where she is right now and how she wants to look when she leaves the salon.  Is she a mom who’s constantly on the go?  Is she a high-powered business executive who needs a polished look?   Does she travel? Is she daring; does she like to experiment with fashion? I look at the texture of her hair and the shape of her face.  I ask about her skill with a brush and a blow dryer and we decide together how to proceed.

Bogonia considers Vartali her second home.  She’s worked at the salon for 24 years – almost as long as she’s been in the business.  “I’ve seen a lot of changes in styling techniques and hair fashion trends since I’ve been in the industry, but one thing that stays the same is the feeling I get when I see the smile on a client’s face when she’s happy with her cut.  That’s my greatest joy! That’s the magic of this business.”

Piet Sinthuchai (Creative Director)

Creative Director Piet Sintuchai hails from Thailand, “the land of smiles,” known for its rich tradition of arts and culture. Before committing to a career in cosmetology, Piet studied fine arts, advertising, and communication, and it’s not hard to see how each of these disciplines informs his work as a top hairstylist and makeup artist. 

Piet’s skill as a precision cutter underlies every style he creates, from classic bobs to today’s trendy updos. His versatility as a stylist is evident in the range of the effects he creates from long, loose blow-dries to softly sculpted roller sets and fashion-forward short cuts. 

His feel for color, light, and form guides his hand when choosing just the right shade to flatter a client’s complexion or to enhance her bone structure. 

Many of Piet’s clients come from the worlds of television and theatre where hot lights and camera angles can magnify fine lines and cast unflattering shadows on the hair and face. Piet is adept at camouflaging flaws, creating age-defying natural looks or dramatic effects that are perfect for special events, like weddings. 

Piet’s life-long fascination with skin care led to the founding of “Piet,” his new line of treatment products made with all-natural ingredients. 
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When he’s not doing hair and make-up, Piet plays a leading role in Vartali’s marketing and social media efforts. He has connected the salon with many local charities and community service programs and helped form partnerships with Miss New York State and other high-profile entities. Piet also served as a co-producer of the 2013 documentary film, “Shoot Me,” about Broadway legend and long-time client Elaine Stritch.

Masato Tsuneki

Born in Osaka and trained in Tokyo, Masato apprenticed with the legendary Japanese hairstylist, Momotaro, who schooled him in the highly disciplined art and innovative techniques that revolutionized the salon industry back in the 1980s.  

A master of precision haircutting, Masato is also an expert in Japanese straightening and smoothing.  His cuts are carefully sculpted to frame and flatter the face.  His skill with thermal straightening processes is evident in the great conditioning results he is able to achieve for his clients’ hair time after time.

According to Masato, “The difference between Japanese and American clients is that Japanese like to change their style every time they come to the salon, and Americans don’t. I think change is good.  Once I know a client and have her confidence, I often suggest a subtle change to add a fresh note to a classic look.”

Massato is a stickler for conditioning products and believes that every cut can benefit from the addition of a great conditioning treatment.

Mika Geudelekian

Mika, a rising star in the Vartali pantheon, started working in the beauty business when he was just 19.  Now, with six years of styling experience under his belt, this native New Yorker brings his passion for beauty, his fashion-forward eye and pleasing personality to work for our clientele.
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Mika believes the most important part of any cut begins with the consultation.  “I love creativity, and I enjoy coming up with ideas for a style.  But the client has to be happy, and that means collaboration is a must. “  He says,  “It’s my hair while you’re in the chair, but its all yours once you leave the salon, so the end result has to stand on its own.”

Mika’s clients are young and active, with busy lives and little time to spend in the salon.    They need looks that offer low maintenance care and multiple styling options.  Most want a cut they can wear straight or wavy, styled or natural, up or down.

Next time you visit the salon, have a chat with Mika about a new style direction
Drawing upon 30 years of experience (16 at Vartali),Tatyana offers a complete menu of waxing services for both men and women. Expertly trained in the science of epilation, the results she achieves are always smooth, soft and personalized to complement the clients’ skin type and lifestyle.  Her gentle touch, speedy and precise technique ensure a relatively painless experience and a flawless result, with minimal risk of irritation.

Alan Manson

​Alan Manson is a master hairdresser whose cutting and styling skills never fail to wow!  Born in Brooklyn and trained in New York and London, Alan has worked at top Manhattan salons including Henri Bendel, Bruno Le Salon, The Spot and Gerard Bollei.

It was at Britain’s legendary Toni & Guy salon where Alan developed his 3-comb method of layering long hair and perfected his precision scissoring technique for creating short, spiky and punky looks. 

“Toni & Guy revolutionized hair fashion back in the 80’s and 90s and they still have a profound influence on the techniques and trends we see today,” Alan says.

Alan’s career in hairdressing has always been influenced by his love of fashion.  He  takes inspiration from Japanese designers like Rei Kawakubo and Juno Watanabe whose Comme des Garcon label has a fresh and innovative aesthetic   Other long-time favorites, Sonya Rikyiel and Steven Burroughs, have also inspired Alan’s preference for timeless, tasteful design.   

“Classics never go out of style, he says.  “Take the bob – it’s bigger than ever this season.  Whether straight or wavy, long or short, graduated or not – it’s right on trend.”