Suelyn Farel is the CEO of the renowned celebrity hair salon Julien Farel. Julien Farel is located inside The Regency Hotel in NYC and Via Flager by the Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida.
Spotlight sat down with Suelyn Farel to hear all about her work as a CEO, Julien Farel’s Palm Beach location, her favorite hair trends, and much more.
You are the CEO of the renowned Julien Farel salon in NYC. What is the most important part of your job? Why?
The most important part of my job is twofold: keeping our clients and teams happy, by providing luxury
service and unending support to all. Our team’s mission is to exceed our clients’ expectations. Within the
past 12 months, both salons have grown significantly and I strive to continuously improve.
We’ve upgraded a booking system, improved backend operations, and renovated a full floor in NYC! The salon at Bergdorf Goodman closed after different iterations over 36 years, so our NY team grew approximately 40%. With all of these undercurrents working below the surface, delivering a seamless experience to our clients is paramount.
Julien Farel’s client list has included celebrities such as Brooke Shields, Sienna Miller, Martha Stewart, Rafael Nadal, Katie Couric, and more. Can you recall a specific moment you felt you ‘made it?’
Celebrities are always fun and exhilarating to meet in person and I feel fortunate that many love coming
to Julien Farel. To me, that doesn’t define “made it,” that means we are meeting the demands of
successful people. It’s the same devotees who come to us daily, weekly, monthly and seasonally. Those
are the people who truly make our business special.
We love every glow up and glam up who walk out our doors with an extra bounce in their step. My “made it” moment would be April 15 th , 2014 when our doors opened into 10,000 square feet at Loews Regency Hotel. Thank you to Jonathan Tisch, who changed our lives. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we are eternally grateful.
Julien Farel recently opened a salon in Palm Beach. Why did you decide to expand in South Florida?
Palm Beach just has my and my husband’s heart. It is a unique and special part of the world. We love the
people, the town and of course, the beach itself! Another consideration was South Florida’s growth since
the pandemic and anticipated growth in this coming decade and onward.
How is Julien Farel’s South Florida salon different from the New York location? How are they similar?
We are lucky to work with incredible talent in both Palm Beach & NYC because the level of artistry and creativity is beyond impressive. These are teams with a commitment to their craft and steeped in ambition. Julien and I love each and every one of them.
We also have numerous technicians who float between the two locations to serve our snowbirds! In PB we don’t provide spa services [as we are part of Via Flagler at The Breakers], we refer clients to them for nails and spa services.
What steps do you take to set Julien Farel apart from other salons?
Julien is French, I am American so the experience we create is a mix of us. Let’s say it’s New York speed
with chic French flair! My mantra is “luxury beauty with efficiency” which is my way of saying the “best
in class” services without needing to spend an entire day beautifying. Our clients have busy work and
social schedules and request multiple services done simultaneously.
What is your biggest goal for the Palm Beach salon in 2024?
Continued growth and team synergy.
What challenges have you faced as a female CEO? How were you able to overcome them?
My challenges as a female CEO I don’t feel are unique to being a CEO, male or female. I don’t think in
those terms. I think of myself as a problem-solver, a “fixer,” having similar issues to other CEOs: finding
rare talent, and strategizing new ways to support and grow a business. Keeping people happy, making them
understand the “Julien Farel” larger vision.
I want our team to WANT to be a part of something; of a family, of something larger than being on their own. I want clients and staff to know that we care and this is a home away from home. I overcome them by listening, understanding yet making fast decisions and by working. Nothing replaces hard work!
What advice would you give to aspiring female entrepreneurs?
Fall down six times, get up seven. Failures are part of the journey.
What is your favorite hair trend right now? Why?
Feathered layers. Julien has cut my almost-all-one-length hair twice in the past 2 months because I am loving the layers which are very versatile and are a fantastic face frame. They can be refined, beachy, 70s or 80s. My only constraint is that all of it must go back in a ponytail, so they are longer layers but shorter ones are face, and framing, too. Layers are très chic!
What can we expect from Julien Farel in the future?
That’s my secret!
