Menagerie’s Crabtree Blvd location opened in November 2020 and quickly became one of the most consistently booked salons in this part of Raleigh. Owner Kiki Palcowski built it around things most salons treat as optional. Every service starts with a real consultation, and the product wall is Aveda and Oribe, used at the chair and sold from the shelf. Stylists also spend more time with each guest than is strictly billable. The aesthetic is laid-back rather than precious.
The signature is lived-in color. Most of the stylist team is trained in painting techniques like balayage and foilyage, the kind of color that grows out gracefully and forgives the gap between appointments. Mieke and Nora are the names that come up most often in Raleigh reviews. Both have full books and a habit of running just slightly behind, because they refuse to rush. If you book a service that doesn’t fit what you actually want, expect to be redirected.
In late 2022 the salon opened a second location in Wendell Falls, taking a spot in the new Treelight Square commercial development off the Wendell Falls Parkway exit of I-87. The Aveda and Oribe practice carries over, as do the consultation rules and the hot-towel hospitality. The Wendell location is quieter than Crabtree, which suits people in the eastern half of Wake County who would rather not drive into central Raleigh for a color appointment. The Wendell team is smaller. Chloe is the most-cited stylist in recent reviews, with a reputation for color and extensions.
Booking is online or via the dedicated text line at either location. Dramatic color changes require an in-person consultation first, and they will not book those cold. First visits run long, so budget two to three hours for color. Both locations close Sundays and Mondays.
