Our Story

Led by the husband and wife team of Chris and Jenny Knudsen, Mane Attraction Salon has remained on the cutting-edge of hair styling and technique since it was established in 1977. Mane Attraction Salon has stood the test of time, despite moving locations and completing no less than four wall-to-wall renovations. 

So what’s been the secret to the success of this award-winning salon? It’s three generations of hands-on husband and wife ownership, say Chris and Jenny, who recently took over after a four-year-transition from the previous owners, Kendall Ong and Beate Assmuth-Ong, who purchased the salon in 1998 from the founding couple, Marino and Mary Anne Morelli. 

A second-generation hair stylist originally from Pittsburgh, Marino had sold everything he owned to move his family to Phoenix, and eventually opened his own salon in Central Phoenix. Moving to its current location in 1981, by 1998 Marino and Marie Anne were ready to retire, but didn’t want the decades of work they had put into establishing Mane Attraction to simply fade away. And remembering a young hairdresser they had met years before, the Morelli’s handed MAS over to Kendall and his wife, Beate, who met while both working for Vidal Sassoon. The duo ran the salon for over two decades.

Chris is a third-generation hairdresser, whose grandfather, Erling, once counted the King of Norway as a customer, while his father, Erik, was recruited to come to America to serve as an official Breck Shampoo spokesperson, and his mother, Carol, was personal friends and one of the first personal assistants to Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of Aveda. 

Looking forward, Chris, who also serves as Mane Attraction’s lead educator for cutting, is committed to continuing the salon’s superior staff training, including regular paid travel and training to ensure the staff is keeping up with current trends and innovations in this fast-moving industry. Plus, Mane Attraction Salon will continue to be involved with the community, hosting fundraisers and charitable events.