Penn State students will have a new option for hair care and styling tomorrow when Viva Bella Salon opens on West College Avenue near Starbucks.

Viva Bella, which means "Living Beauty" in Italian, will offer a wide range of hair and waxing services. The owners, Christine Shoop and Rozlyn Ingram, are both State College residents who graduated from beauty schools and have worked in the area for several years.

"We put a lot of work into this," Ingram said. "We've definitely made it a classy place."

Ingram and Shoop will work alongside two other stylists, Sarah Stewart-Smith and Lydia Felmlee, until they decide to expand the salon, at which time they will hire more stylists, Shoop said.

"We have plans to expand, I'd say, in the next two months," Shoop said. "We'll be hiring four more stylists."

The salon, 232B W. College Ave., will offer professional haircuts, formal updos, highlighting services and perms as well as waxing services.

"We're pretty much specializing in hair right now," Shoop said. "We might add nails and spa services later on."

Shoop, a graduate of Empire Beauty School, 208 W. Hamilton St., said she has lived in the area for 10 years and has been styling hair for 12 years. Ingram, a graduate of Pruonto's Hair Design Institute in Altoona, said she has lived in the area for five years and has been styling hair for seven.

Services will be available six days a week; the store is closed on Mondays. Haircuts will start at $25, highlighting at $50, and waxing services at $10.

The 2,500-square foot salon will include eight styling stations and a private waxing room. The entrance is located next to Starbucks, and visitors can follow the mural on the wall down the stairs to get into the salon.

The owners decided to keep the atmosphere relaxing, and they decided to follow a "Tuscan villa" scheme when decorating, Shoop said.

"We went for a relaxed kind of feel," she said. "We have that upscale feel without being pretentious. I think that's what makes us different."

Shoop and Ingram have been remodeling for six weeks, transforming the location into the full-service salon, Ingram said. Although pressured for time before tomorrow's opening, the owners said they remain excited and enthusiastic about their new business.

"It's definitely a great atmosphere," Shoop said. "All the girls who work here are extremely talented."

A list of services will be available tomorrow and anyone needing more information can contact the salon at 237-8482.