Many years ago, visionary hair and beauty industry entrepreneur Francesco Ruggerino traveled to India and learned of a powerful Sanskrit word for “love” that would change his life. In 2004, when he launched his first state of the art, cutting edge salon in Bondi, an eastern suburb of Sydney, Australia, “Prema” was the perfect name for the aesthetic behind his multi-faceted creative playground.

Built on the foundation of passion, skill, personal and professional development, Prema – which expanded to a second thriving location in the inner city suburb of Surry Hills, one of Sydney’s most artistically vibrant neighborhoods, in 2009 – soon became a vehicle for inspiration, achievement and excellence in salon, education, editorial, runway, design and production.

With a total staff of 70 covering the two locations, the Prema salons are driven by an outstanding team of hairdressers and creatives who have worked all over the hair fashion world. They perform at a high level while serving a large portion of Sydney’s community. The Bondi location is currently one of the busiest in the country.

With the opening in August 2014 of the Prema Hair Salon on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the company — and its unique and dynamic, forward thinking aesthetic — has not only gone international but positioned itself as a potential game changer in the NYC salon world.