Salon Spotlight: dept.z

After 12 years, Owner Zoe Boysen recently moved her salon downstairs to better offer her heart, soul, and business to the community on a street level. With large windows that take in plenty of light and leave room for window dressings, she said she’s excited for a new chapter for dept.z in Spokane where both clients and team members understand the importance of serving the community through a transparent mission that’s focused on sustainability, social consciousness, and giving a voice to beauty that goes beyond what you look like.

“Every single person that sits in my chair is a whole different, beautiful world with its own story. To be able to bring that person to life—that’s gorgeous,” Boysen said.

What makes your salon/spa different?

The intent of our salon makes us incredibly unique for Spokane and in the industry. On top of partnering with Green Circle Salons, Davines, and KEVIN.MURPHY, we’re also collaborating with a handful of artisans that have a unique aesthetic and quality.

We have an exclusive contract with the social advocacy company Apolis to sell bags made from women in Bangladesh. We also sell the artisan-based skin care brand H is for Love, which is cruelty-free, wild-sourced, beyond organic, and is a cult favorite in the green beauty world.

What’s keeps you motivated to carry out this mission?

There’s so much going on in the world, which means there’s a great opportunity to benefit people broadly in a thoughtful and respectful way. My personal motto is that it just gets better. When we’re aligned personally and interpersonally, we grow stronger together in a way that’s about being responsible to beauty from the inside out.
The vision for the next phase is to create a space for creative people to collaborate and grow stronger together.

Where would you like to see your salon in the next 10 years?

My dream is to go beyond the traditional salon experience. I want to set an example of being responsible, ethical, and sustainable—both environmentally and personally. Having support from Salon Services to do that is incredible.

Education is another huge force in our salon. We’re looking at setting up education in a room in the back with a lot of natural light. I really hope we can eventually be a Davines popup academy.

People are interested in making a difference, but aren’t sure how to do it. Having education and knowledge behind the choices we make supports and empowers our stylists, which then allows them to have those conversations.

Favorite Davines and KEVIN.MURPHY product that you can’t live without?

The OI Line—we can’t keep it on the shelves—and the Renewing line in the NaturalTech. For KEVIN.MURPHY, it’s definitely BEDROOM.HAIR.

dept.z salon
20 W. Main Ave.,
Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 624-2299
deptzsalon.com