Cake Hair Salon: Great Hair is a Piece of Cake

Cake Hair Salon

1010 S.  State St.
Tu–Fri: 10 a.m.–8 p.m. | Sat: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
801.355.0235 | cakehairsalon.com

Cake Hair Salon, located in downtown Salt Lake, is a complete embodiment of the city’s open-door policy to the unique and anomalous. Cake is a place for all those who are different, unique and wish to more adequately express themselves. Their website exclaims, “Great hair is a piece of Cake!,” something their expert staff backs up through educational stylings and tutorials. Cake cares about individuality and self-expression, offering consultations and guidance on what cut and color is most flattering for each client. The best way to start off 2021 might just be a refreshing new look from a salon that specializes in the art of educational styling.

Randy Topham, Owner of Cake Hair Salon, has been in the art of hairstyling for over 20 years. “We are founded on education,” says Topham about Cake’s mission. “It is an incredibly important part of our industry that a lot of salons don’t focus on.” Though Topham graduated from hair school 22 years ago, he is still refining his trade and the art of styling by teaching others.

“I am as passionate about what I do today as I was when I started, so I guess that means that I picked the right career!”

Becoming a national stylist in 2007, Topham has a reputation for educational styling. “I work in NYC at Redken’s advanced academy called The Redken Exchange, helping stylists from all over the world become better at what they do,” he says. “I am as passionate about what I do today as I was when I started, so I guess that means that I picked the right career!”

Cake’s inception began when Topham searched unsuccessfully for a salon that satisfied his specific vision—so, instead, he opened Cake with a friend in 2007. “My goal in opening the salon was to have a place where everyone felt welcome. I want every customer that walks in our door to know that we are grateful to have their business,” says Topham. This is the heart of Cake—creating an inclusive, respectful space for diversity and self-expression.

“We love our diverse guests and are known as THE salon to go to for great hair with zero judgment.”

“We are a salon that is focused completely on the guest experience with a casual, inclusive environment that is never pretentious or stuffy,” Topham says. “We care about everyone that comes in our door and make it our mission to help them understand their hair and how to work with it. We love our diverse guests and are known as THE salon to go to for great hair with zero judgment.”

With Topham having such an extensive background in the industry and a selection of experienced and knowledgeable stylists at his side, you already know your dry, brittle, damaged, fried or otherwise difficult hair is in good hands at Cake. As someone with hair in the dry and brittle category who has frequented salons all over Utah and still hasn’t understood how to avoid damage, Cake’s mantra caught my attention.

Their website states, “We succeed in our mission by sending you out of the salon looking your best and giving you the knowledge that you need to look your best between visits. We know that while looking perfect when you leave the salon is great, being able to recreate the look at home is even more important!” For Topham, the ultimate goal is to help clients understand their hair and how to properly manage it.

Their specific intent to educate and instruct is what sets Cake apart from other salons in the area; they’ve even gone so far as to offer tutorials for how to manage and create certain hairstyles so their clients have the ability to achieve “salon-perfected” hair at home. “We answer all the questions we can while our client is in our chair and add the most common questions [to] videos that clients can watch at home,” says Topham.

He mentions that the tutorials are based upon guests’ frequently asked questions and around common styling trends. These videos can be found on YouTube or their website. Topham says, “We also have a service called a ‘style tutorial,’ where a guest can come in and we style part of their hair, then have them style a part while we watch and add coaching where necessary.”

He continues, “I had a huge realization when I ran into a client and could tell she had spent a lot of time styling her hair, but it wasn’t at all how I had done it, and it just wasn’t flattering. I realized this meant I had failed her as her stylist. She had no idea how to do her hair because I had never taught her!”

“Within hair color, the art is to understand what light will do, what depth will do and what illusions the highlight patterns will create.”

Topham’s epiphany has defined the salon experience at Cake: Upon entering, you will receive individual guidance for your specific hair type and about what products and treatments you might need to create your desired look. At Cake, expect your opinions to be heard while also receiving expert advice on what style might complement you most. “By analyzing face shapes, we can complement or exaggerate shapes and features to create unique results,” says Topham. “That is what makes [hairstyling] an art. Within hair color, the art is to understand what light will do, what depth will do and what illusions the highlight patterns will create.”

Check out Cake Hair Salon if you’re looking for a socially distanced and inclusive environment that specializes in the art of styling and self-expression. As Topham says, “Whether someone is the type that has a specific look that fits their ‘self’ best, or if variety is what fits them, hair is a great place to express that.” Find more information at cakehairsalon.com.