BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:

De Cielo Salon and Spa got a call from a unique client recently — the cast and crew of a new Bravo reality show called “Tabatha’s Salon Takeover.”

The show follows hairstylist Tabatha Coffey in her quest to save ailing salons.

Coffey, who became the fan favorite of the network’s fellow reality program, “Shear Genius,” traveled to Burbank to spend one week at de Cielo.

“I was very hesitant about the show coming in at first, but the whole purpose for me to do it was to increase business,” de Cielo owner Michael Villalobos said. “I decided to take a risk to benefit from the overall exposure of the show.”

Coffey spent time with Villalobos and his staff to find out ways to resolve issues such as management and marketing as well as give the salon a total makeover.

“It was an incredibly emotional experience . . . what was most frustrating for me is the fact that Michael isn’t a hairdresser and yet he had such a passion for doing consultations on clients,” Coffey said. “He needed a crash course on how to run a salon, how to speak to clients in the right manner and help getting out of the financial crisis he was in.”

Villalobos bought the property, formerly Sanctuary salon, after his ventures in the real-estate market went awry, he said.

But with complications in the refinancing of his loan, he found himself in a similar situation shortly after opening the salon in August 2007.

So, on a whim, he sent out an e-mail to a local stylist who had a contact for a casting director.

“The salon was already on the studio’s radar because ‘Desperate Housewives’ had been filmed here,” Villalobos said. “But I was still surprised when I got the call from Bravo.”

Now, Villalobos is working diligently to enhance business, such as renting out hair stations to stylists and creating an online retail store where customers can buy up to 30 different high-end products, he said.

Some stylists such as Erik Jordan were skeptical about being filmed and felt, more than anything, it disrupted daily business.

“Having the show here was a huge sacrifice for us and meant a loss of business,” Jordan said. “As a result, the salon is more comfortable to be in as a customer, but the working environment hasn’t changed dramatically.”

While the week of filming was grueling, the physical makeover the salon received will be a great benefit, aesthetician Steven Miller said.

“In the beauty field, we deal with a lot of illusion . . . now that the front of the salon looks much more higher end, there is a change in the public’s perception,” Miller said. “It improves business, and that is good enough in a lot of respects, especially when you back it up with great stylists.”

Customers such as Patty Harris, who travels from West Los Angeles to get her hair and nails done, love the new design.

“When I first walked in, I was very surprised and wasn’t totally sure how I felt about it,” Harris said. “But now I think it is much better. It is more modern, and it is a design that appeals to men and women.”

De Cielo will be featured at 10 p.m. Aug. 28 on Bravo.