lea Journo salon A passion for empowerment
Y
oungest among 10 siblings, Lea Journo became enamoured of hairdressing at an early age. As a teenager, she used to observe women in the streets of Paris, imagining new hairstyles. At the age of 13, she started training in a small salon. Noticed for her magical fingers, she joined the French Hairdressing Team at 18 and made a name for herself. Three years later, she was awarded the Grand Prize at the World Hairstyle Competition in Cannes. Training hair stylists all over the world with her simplified haircut technique, opportunities abounded for Lea Journo. In 2003, the iconic Beverly Wilshire Hotel offered the talented Parisian to open her own salon. Despite a frustrating start, shampooing hotel guests, Lea Journo, who dreamed of creating new hairstyles, started earning the trust of celebrities. Her simplicity, outspokenness, creativity and her quest to bring out the beauty in every client grew on them. Journo also spent three years on tour with her first celebrity client: Britney Spears. The private setting of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the numerous recommendations, the way she bonds with clients and her expertise in hair care opened the doors to Hollywood: Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, Jane Fonda, Orlando Bloom and many others. Journo soon became a favorite, working regularly with Ellen DeGeneres and Kris Jenner. In a few years, she has become one of the most coveted hairstylists in Los Angeles. Yet she takes her accomplishments with humility: “Whether it’s Brad Pitt or the cleaning lady, I put the same effort into making everyone look beautiful.” In love with her craft and with an insatiable desire to create new looks, Lea Journo grants importance to availability and discipline. “I want my client to leave with a smile. Their satisfaction makes my day.” Grandmother of 8, the busy bee is also a businesswoman. She recently launched a new line of hair products that she spent countless hours formulating herself for optimal home care.
82 | THE CIRCLE MAGAZINE - LOS ANGELES 2021
