High Maintenance

Celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin’s client list is like the rolling credits to Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. She’s keeping up appearances — in more ways than one. 

- Anna Lavdaras

A SLIM BRUNETTE wearing a full Céline look shimmies out of a chauffeur-driven Mercedes, windows blackened, with a team of assistants and paparazzi nipping at her heels. The doors to Bahrain’s most exclusive salon are being held open by a bevy of giddy hairdressers. Jen Atkin has arrived.

With 1.9 million followers on Instagram, a roster of legitimately famous clientele (including the Kardashians) and a backlog of new clients vying for one of her $1100 cut-and-blow-dry appointments, she has a celebrity profile rivalling those of her A-list clients. And beyond the fame, there’s also the fortune. Private planes, lavish gifts and exclusive hotels are all part of the package. This former salon receptionist doesn’t just tend the hair of billionaires — she lives the life of one, too.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a Kardashian-celebritycircus spin-off. Atkin was working on super-stylist Guido Palau’s team at the Paris shows when Kim was still vying for Reggie’s affections. Toiling in the backstage trenches of John Galliano for Dior long before Instagram was a thing. “At that time, it was a very different playing field — it was definitely word of mouth and stylists relying on their clients’ referral a lot more than they do now,” says the 37-year-old. She paid her dues, building solid relationships with her first big clients (“I was managing a salon in LA when I met Jessica Alba about 15 years ago, and we’re still good friends today”).