As the first person the client sees, Joseph plays an important role. “I try to be welcoming and open, which is the general mood of the salon,” he says.

While acting as host up front, he’s also tuning into the ever shifting dynamic among the staff. As the only guy, Joseph is far from being an overbearing male presence – he excels at creating balance in this mostly female environment. “I’ve always gotten along better with women,” he says.

Kim’s eye for hair has, at times, given her a missionary zeal. “I saw a girl in Wal-Mart with bad choppy layering and I knew….she needed me.” The on-the-spot hair intervention didn’t go over well. But Kim took it in stride, knowing she holds herself to an even higher standard, as a kind of walking billboard for her craft. “It’s imperative to have good hair.”

She’s originally from Northampton, Mass, but fell in love with the city and moved here with some friends. All were squeezed out by Savannah’s mysteriously particular ways, but Kim held on until there were signs that she was accepted. “I started finding money on the ground,” she says matter-of-factly.

Identical twins Laura and Amy came to the salon as a “package deal,” and like to work side-by-side. As a styling duo, they consult with each other all day, sometimes before a client walks through the door. When those synapses are firing back and forth, it often leads to unexpected on the spot creativity. And yes, they’ve had telepathic experiences – usually they sense when the other is in need. “She’s my best friend,” says Laura.

The biggest difference between these native Savannah sisters is that Amy is single, and Laura is raising two kids (with Amy’s help). Says Laura, “We get a little more different the older we get.” Laura was the first of the pair to go to hair school, and likes color, cutting and styling in equal measure. She says the key to doing her job well is getting to know people. Once she tunes in and makes a connection, she goes about “exaggerating their good features.”

While Laura got the head start in hair, it was Amy that lit a fire under her sister to take the tandem leap to Salon Della Vita. On board since October of 2007, both feel it’s the right place for their free-spirited personalities. They are a mini-team, and lend subtle help to the other through those “foggy brain” moments. “We don’t have to speak in full sentences…sometimes it’s just a look.” As part of the salon team, Amy looks forward to traveling together for hair shows. “I’m excited about these new friendships,” she says.

Of all the styling arts, Amy is drawn most to color, having always loved to paint. For the salon art show, Amy and Laura experimented with photography, shooting gothic style shots on location at Bonaventure cemetery. Amy says not only does she not judge, she’s drawn to the weird and unusual in people. With clients, she seeks to draw out “something that pops.” Says Amy, “I try to bring out the fun person inside of them.”

Kami is a Nashville native who comes to Salon Della Vita after stints in LA, Dallas, and most recently, Atlanta -- towns, she says, “where you’re always in your car. I like the slower pace of Savannah and it’s beautiful, so it’s very visually stimulating.” While out West, she studied make-up and special effects, and also has experience teaching other stylists.

After years in the salon environment, she’s learned that first impressions are everything. “What draws clients back is feeling in good hands, assured of the same consistent high level of service,” says Kami. To that end, little things mean a lot, like looking clients in the eye, not the mirror. “I like to up the ante for what the salon could offer them.” From classic shapes to edgier looks, Salon Della Vita’s eclectic clientele satisfies her need for variety. “I like chaos in my life,” she says.