Who

Possibly the most in-demand hair stylist in New York, Hershberger owns the exclusive meatpacking district salon that bears her name.

Backstory

Born into a Kansas oil family and raised in California, Hershberger started working with hair at 18. After she connected with famed photographer Herb Ritts—the two met, oddly enough, on Olivia Newton-John's "Let's Get Physical" tour—he started helping her build up a celeb clientele on the West Coast. But it was creating Meg Ryan's signature shag in 1995 that really landed Hershberger on the (hair) map, as hundreds of thousands of housewives aped the look to disastrous effect. Several years later, she left her home at the John Frieda Salon in West Hollywood and moved to New York, where she opened Sally Hershberger Downtown in the meatpacking district in 2003. She immediately set the Manhattan salon scene aflutter with her stratospheric prices, charging $600 for a simple cut. Although she temporarily lost the distinction of offering the city's most overpriced hairdo when Orlando Pita priced his cuts at $800, Hershberger has since retaliated and matched Pita's price tag.

Of note

Celebs who have paid her a visit include Kate Moss, Naomi Watts, Heather Graham, Renee Zellweger, Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, Gina Gershon, Sandra Bernhard, Faith Hill, Calista Flockhart, and Jane Fonda. (She dabbles in politics, too: Hershberger is credited with steering Hillary Clinton away from hair bands and toward blonde highlights.) Soon Park Avenue ladies won't need to endure the inconvenience of having a driver ferry them to the meatpacking district to have Hershberger blow them out for what passes elsewhere as a mortgage payment; she's prepping to open a salon on East 71st Street. Joining her at Sally Hershberger Uptown will be Sharon Dorram-Krause, who's been hired as the salon's chief colorist.

On the side

The ego-driven Hershberger isn't content to be known only by the most discerning salon-goers—she's made a number of ventures into less rarified retail waters in recent years. In 2004, she unveiled a denim line, Shagg. In 2007, she signed on as the lead judge on Bravo's Shear Genius, the reality show hosted by former feather-haired Charlie's Angel Jaclyn Smith. Her latest venture? A line of hair products called Supreme Head, which retail for $9.50-$12.50, and can be found at Walgreen's.

In person

Unlike many celeb hair stylists who fawn over their clients and offer up a "You look fabulous, dahling!" every few minutes, Hershberger is notoriously low-key and aloof in person. Double-cross her, though, and you're liable to face her fierce temper. Following a less-than-amicable split with her former business partner, John Frieda, Hershberger reportedly screamed at her staff to throw out every last bottle of Frieda shampoo and conditioner that her salon once carried.

Personal

Hershberger is gay: The L Word's lady-killing hairdresser, Shane McCutcheon, is widely believed to be based on her. She lives in penthouse loft on West 12th Street with her mini pins, Cherry, and also owns homes in L.A. and East Hampton.

True story

Her oil-executive father, James "Jim" Hershberger, was convicted on 25 counts of fraud in the 1990s and served five months in federal prison. She refused to visit or write to her dad while he was incarcerated. She also refuses to discuss the topic to this day.