Ruben Fisher was somewhat unsure of what to do with his life when he decided to go to beauty school.
"I was 27, and I figured whatever I was going to do, I had to make it work," Fisher said. "But at that point, being the only guy in the class, I figured if it didn't work, then at least I got to hang out with a bunch of pretty girls for a while."
But it did work out, and Fisher graduated from Aveda Institute Minneapolis and decided to do some research on the fastest growing cities.
"At the time, Atlanta and Las Vegas were at the top, and I didn't want to go to more humidity coming from Minneapolis," he said.
In June 2005, Fisher opened Tonic Salon at 3801 W. Sahara Ave., and in November 2006, he opened Tonic II Salon at 7985 W. Sahara Ave.
"Usually, you want to be more than 6 miles apart, and we're only 4 miles apart," Fisher said of his locations. "But it's working out. Here (at Tonic II) we have new stylists and it's a new market. It's kind of like starting over."
Discussing the opening of his second salon, Fisher became somewhat sentimental.
"To just own my own salon, two salons, from sweeping hair a few years ago, I'm pretty happy," he said.
The salons have a sleek, modern look to them. Tonic II is blanketed in earthy tones, dark wood and brown leather.
"My wife and I decided that if we wouldn't put it in our house, we wouldn't put it in our salon," Fisher said.
A few things that set Fisher's salons apart from others are products and techniques, he said. The salons carry Bumble and bumble products, but only after Fisher completed an arduous selection process.
"It's hard to get their products," Fisher said of Bumble and bumble. "You have to apply and if you're accepted, you have to go to training one week a year in New York, just to carry the stuff. We are one of only three salons in Vegas that carry it. Less than 1 percent of the salons in the country have it. It's a very high-end product and I'm happy that we have it."
As for the salon's hair cutting and extension techniques, Fisher couldn't be happier.
"We do a lot of dry cutting," Fisher said. "At least 90 percent of what we do are dry cuts."
He explained that dry cuts -- just as it sounds, cutting hair without wetting it -- can be difficult and that a stylist definitely has to develop the necessary skills. But the benefits, he noted, are well worth it.
"With a dry cut, you know exactly what you're getting," Fisher said. "A bad haircut can be styled to look great, but with a dry cut, there is no hiding anything. You won't go home and realize that part of your hair is 3 inches longer than the rest. We do a really good job. All of our people are great."
Jessica Lorbietzki has been a regular at the salon since it's opening, and a loyal customer of Fisher's for about four years.
"I get everything done there," Lorbietzki said. "And my husband goes every two weeks so he always has the same hair, it looks like it never grows."
Lorbietzki said one thing that initially appealed to her was that nobody at the salon made her feel self-conscious.
"Some places make you feel a little out of place, but (Tonic) has a really welcoming and friendly atmosphere," she said. "And (Fisher) and everyone there does a really good job. You don't just get a hair cut, they all tailor it to make you look good. They all focus on you, it's great."
For additional information, call 932-1999 for the 3801 W. Sahara Ave. location, and 237-9633 for the 7985 W. Sahara Ave. location.
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