Located in a townhouse on east 60th Street, David Groshen's Salon East is, he says, "his baby." Five-an-a-half years ago he opened the full-service salon, and today has a staff of 13 catering to busy clients clamoring for the right cut and color.

"I want people to feel they are coming into my home." Groshen says of Salon East. "We want it to have that warm atmosphere." The store certainly has that feel, with two fireplaces and fresh flowers as part of the décor. Groshen caters to working women, he says, and these women want to come to the salon to relax and get the style they want.

"Working women want to be conscious of an image they project," he says. "They want hair that's fairly serious for work, but functional and playful for home as well."

Groshen has written a book, "Seven Ways to Get Exactly What You Want From Your Hair Dresser," in which he offers tips and explains his philosophy. "I talk about why someone would want to color their hair, and identify the seven methods of coloring, from temporary to permanent and highlights," says Groshen. "I tell people, hair is the accessory that you wear every day so I want them to be conscious of the impression they're making."

Groshen considers his relationship with his customers to be a "democratic partnership" in which his clients have plenty of choices. "In my book, I talk about how communication is the key, knowing what you want, and knowing that you're entitled to get a certain service and to be heard," he says. "People give me the gift of letting me do their hair, my gift is how I do it. I can help them with their choices and we can work it out together."

Women have to think about their choices as the haircut is happening, and decide if they like how it's going along. "Disagreeing doesn't mean being disagreeable," says Groshen, acknowledging that many women feel uncertain about contradicting their hairdresser. "You're entitled to get what you want, that doesn't make you a bad person."

Groshen began in the hairstyling business about 20 years ago when he worked as a sculptor. His skills in that field have come in handy when styling hair, he said. "I knew I could make the hair the shapes I wanted. I could picture it in my head, thanks to my training," he said.

In addition to David Groshen, there are 8 other stylists available to take care of all your beauty needs. All the hairdressers do coloring, says Groshen and all have to be certified in subjects such as shampooing and blow-drying according to his strict, high standards. "I'm picky, because people pay for me and want people trained by me. They have to be good," he insists.

Salon East also specializes in weddings, doing house site visits, bringing the whole staff along or having the wedding party come to the salon. "We'll do a whole breakfast and brunch in the salon, it's really nice," says Groshen, adding that the staff will practice on the clients beforehand. "The key to being happy with your look on your wedding day is knowing what you want and practicing beforehand," advises Groshen.

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