highlights & hibiscus; At Art Luna's new beachside salon, color and cuts en plein air are the orders of the day.

Byline: Carol Wolper

In Los Angeles, a town where everyone seems to be either a model/actress, actor/director, singer/producer, or some combination of all three, there are few who claim to be a hairdresser/garden designer. In fact, there is only one. Years ago, suffering through henna highlights that turned orange in the California sunshine, I found my way to Art Luna Salon, a cozy West Hollywood bungalow outfitted with fern-print wallpaper, 1950s botanical drawings, and stacks of design books. I'd heard about Art's expertise-he was known as a stylist and colorist to the stars-but no one told me that I'd get an education in English boxwoods while getting a trim, or have my roots retouched while sitting outside in a blooming garden.

Luna felt as passionately about flowers as he did hair, and he had filled the outdoor patio behind the salon with comfy couches and tropical plants. This living room/greenhouse turned my monthly appointments from maintenance to mini vacation. I'd get on the freeway at rush hour for that two-for-one offer, even though I'm terrible at merging lanes. I'll drive even farther for it now that Art has built a new space at the beach in Santa Monica.

Punctuated by crisp ocean breezes, Luna's new salon feels more like a beach house than a hair factory, with a central garden filled with magnolia trees and a miniature lily pond, inspired by his travels to the English countryside.

Art's interests branched out from heads to hedges three years ...