Aveda, a high performance, plant-powered hair care brand with a mission of care, recently announced a special event benefitting California salons impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. All salon professionals are invited to attend Aveda’s Virtual Master Jam on Sunday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Hosted by Barbara De Laere, Aveda global brand president, and David Wagner, owner of Juut Salonspas, this live, interactive event will bring industry titans, including several California salon owners, together for an inspiring night. From the comfort of your couch, interact in real-time with the best of the beauty industry.

“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, salons everywhere are facing uncertainty, and that’s especially true for those in California, who endured the longest state-mandated closure in the country to keep their staff and their communities safe,” says Shauna McQuillen, vice president and head of sales and education, Aveda North America. “The event will bring together our industry in an interactive and uplifting way to say thank you and show support for our friends and partners in California.”

Open to anyone interested in supporting California salons, the event’s featured master artists include:

• Antoinette Beenders, Aveda senior vice president, global professional artistry

• Ginger Boyle, owner, Planet Salon

• Van Council, owner, Van Michael Salons

• Renee Gadar, Aveda global artistic director, textured hair

• Joey Hooten, color education director at Van Michael Salons

• Jo McKay, Aveda European technical hair specialist

• Jon Reyman, owner, Spoke & Weal salons

• Gerard Scarpaci, co-founder of Hairbrained.me

“The artists who have agreed to support this event are the best in the business, and attendees will be treated to a high-energy night full of beautiful artistry and inspiration,” McQuillen says. “When we were dreaming up who we could invite to participate we never imagined that they would all say ‘yes.’ I can’t imagine another time when you can see all of this artistry in one space, at one event, for this price.”

Tickets are $35, and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Salon and Spa Relief Fund (SSRF) to benefit California salon owners, who were shut down by government-mandated closures for six months or more during the pandemic.

SSRF Continues to Provide Pandemic Relief

In 2005, Neill Corporation’s Debra Neill Baker and Edwin Neill founded the Salon and Spa Relief Fund (SSRF), a non-profit organization, to help salons affected by Hurricane Katrina. Since then, the SSRF has helped owners and their employees rebuild their lives and businesses after a natural disaster or fire. The grants are open to any salon in need, regardless of brand affiliation.

During the pandemic, SSRF directed funds to owners struggling to stay in business. Boosted by a substantial donation from Aveda as part of the brand’s “Aveda Cares” COVID-19 relief program, the SSRF has dispersed almost $700,000 in grants to salons since the pandemic began.

Currently, there are more than 250 California salons on the waiting list to receive grants. Aveda’s Master Jam will help raise funds to replenish the SSRF and benefit these businesses. In addition to ticket sales, proceeds from a limited-edition “Master Jam for California” t-shirt will also help fund the SSRF. Shirts can be purchased at swag.imaginalmarketing.com for $25 each.

“California salons have been impacted far more than any other state in the country—some have been closed almost 10 of the last 12 months,” McQuillen says. “They are hurting and their teams are hurting. At the heart of what we do in this industry is care, and I’m excited to show a high level of care for these salons and their teams.”

Register for Aveda Master Jam here through the day of  the event.