The Owner
Alicia Shannon Bravo is the the owner of Bravo Salon and a Creative Director Master Stylist. Alicia has a true passion and vocation for transforming and enhancing your style to help you be a more confident, vivacious, and successful you! Regardless of your desires for rich, beautiful color, a sharp, trendy hairstyle, a timeless, classic look, or a serious need for repair and conditioning, Alicia is an award-winning stylist, educator, and recognized expert universally qualified for virtually anything you may want and need for your hair. Additionally, Alicia is one of a handful of stylists in the Phoenix area trained to perform the Japanese Thermal Straightening procedure. She is Toni & Guy Hair Cutting specialist and was a Sebastian International educator for 8 years. Alicia has attended an Aquage Mastery Cutting Training Program. Alicia is married with three children, and is a Phoenix native. She has spent her entire professional career of thirty years in the Valley both as a stylist and a small business owner. She is committed to honoring and serving the community, her clients, her employees, and her family.
Creative Director, Master Stylist, and Owner of Bravo Salon
Even before she touches your hair, Alicia Bravo is working her magic. From the moment she lays her eyes on you, she has discovered the inspiration of beauty that will awaken your most stunning and attractive hairstyle. Whether it is a simple cut, complex coloring, straightening treatment, or a daring perm, Alicia offers over 30 years of experience, training, and teaching as a master stylist. You will walk away from your visit to Alicia with your new look feeling confident, vivacious, and gorgeous. As founder and creative director of Bravo Salon located in Scottsdale, AZ, Alicia leads a creative and multitalented team of hair professionals who have mastered an extensive range of cuts, colors, styles, and techniques. Every customer who walks through her salon doors or sits in her chair knows that Alicia lives for the art of transforming and creating beautiful hair.
A Natural Inspiration
Alicia was drawn at a very young age to the transformative power of styling and beauty. “I would look at my closest school friends and say, ‘You have beautiful hair. If we cut it and wax your eyebrows, you’d look so awesome.’ It was something I naturally wanted to do for them, because I knew it might help them feel a little better about themselves,” shared Alicia. “Afterwards their family and friends would say, ‘Wow! Look at you!’ Right there you could tell there was more happening than just their new look. You could see them begin to change from within. They smiled more. They were laughing and feeling confident. I realized their happiness did something for me too – it made me feel good. My customer’s satisfaction is what motivates and inspires me still to this day.”
The Decision to Pursue Her Calling
As a native of Arizona, graduating high school being editor of her school news paper, Alicia attended cosmetology school at the age of 17 and graduated from cosmetology after high school and licensed by age 18, but left to study journalism at Northern Arizona University. During her studies, she realized the importance of staying true to a career that followed her passion. “While I was in college, I found I was doing everybody’s hair!” laughed Alicia. “I was coloring, cutting, and having the best time. When I would go back and work on my studies in journalism, It just did not seem like my calling. It simply wasn’t me creating the way I wanted to.” Alicia soon decided to leave her studies in journalism and pursue her calling as a hairstylist designer.
She has never left her passion for designing and creating for doing hair since.
Mastering Her Craft
Alicia soon became a Master haircutter for 5 years just mastering the art of haircutting. Then wanted to hone the art of hair coloring in Scottsdale at the age of 24. She wanted to master the craft of hair color and straightening hair, so she found an expert mentor to teach her every aspect of the chemistry involved. Recognizing her innate talent with hair as well as with people, her mentor convinced Alicia to purchase her salon. At the age of 26, Alicia became a salon owner. “I was really afraid because I didn’t feel I was ready, but my mentor truly believed in me,” explained Alicia. “I actually loved it and hated it at the same time. The responsibility was overwhelming.”
After four years, Alicia moved on from her business and took on a position working at a salon in the Arizona Biltmore Fashion Park. “Becoming an employee was actually more difficult than salon ownership for me. Seeing all the mistakes happening when there isn’t anything you can do about it can be very challenging now knowing what salon ownership really is.” She then moved her business back to Bravo Salon in Downtown Scottsdale and became an educator at the acclaimed Sebastian International in Woodland Hills, CA. “I was in Los Angeles about three to four times a year,” stated Alicia. “While my main focus as an educator was color, I worked with all the haircutting artists as well. I taught people in Arizona, Nevada, and all through the Midwest.”
Having Bravo Salon in downtown Scottsdale was very rewarding and I loved my location however the Scottsdale Waterfront came in and did away with all those original buildings. This is when I moved to Scottsdale Road and Shea and opened up Bravo Salon in 2003.”
Bravo Salon – The Magic of Beauty
For over a 2 decades, Alicia has led Bravo Salon and her select tribe of hair experts on a mission to bring salon guests advanced technology combined with traditional and alternative hair treatments for the optimum in health and beauty. The magic they create in every salon chair has garnered numerous honors including BEST OF Scottsdale 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 for award-winning color, highlights, color correction, and hair straightening. MTV, Lifetime Movie Network, So Scottsdale! Magazine, star athletes, and recognized celebrities leave the salon wearing today’s most eye-catching styles. With three Japanese hair straightening and director level color experts on staff and a trusted team of certified master stylists specializing in a full spectrum of cutting edge haircuts and color treatments including Brazilian blowouts, keratin treatments, all natural non-formaldehyde treatments, color correction, highlights, and lowlights, baliage, ombre, latest waves and blowout styles Bravo Salon is creating miracles and changing the way people see themselves for the better.
