Combining beautiful stylists, professional haircuts, and a pub, the new Hair Saloon in Ontario, Canada, is a unique establishment designed to provide men with a few hours out to relax, unwind, and get pampered. A highlight of the hybrid salon/saloon is a lounge area featuring a comfortable bar where they can have a beer, a glass of wine, or enjoy a complimentary cappuccino from a self-serve espresso machine. Central to the customer experience are TVs in the lounge and in each individual salon station, allowing clients to enjoy sports and business programming while sipping their drink in a club chair or when having their hair cut. When the TVs are off, the Hair Saloon is equipped with an RTI AD-8 distributed audio system to play music throughout the 1,200-square-foot facility.

When it came to installing a control system for the salon's 10 viewing stations and distributed audio — in addition to sources, distributed video, and the facility's lighting system — ease of use for multiple end users was a primary concern. To provide it, the owner of the Hair Saloon turned to Whole Home Solutions Inc.

"The primary challenge in creating a control system for the Hair Saloon was that between the stylists and the manager, there were several people using the system at any given time," said Derek May, principal, Whole Home Solutions. "To simplify things, the owner wanted each stylist to only have control over the basic functions of the TV at their station, while providing the manager with convenient control over all systems in the facility. The solution utilized not only had to be simple to operate, but it also had to be easy and inexpensive to duplicate in future franchise locations. RTI is our go-to automation and control manufacturer, and with the company's products we were able provide a control system that far exceeded the client's expectations."

The Hair Saloon's control system centers around RTI's XP-8s processor, which combines a real-time/multi-tasking operating system with tremendous expandability for large-scale and complex installations. The XP-8s offers an abundance of advanced control interface options, including eight two-way RS-232 ports, IR ports, an Ethernet port, built-in relays, and sense inputs. Additionally, the processor features an astronomical clock, allowing for events or commands to take place automatically. At the salon, the XP-8s is housed in a central rack with an RTI PCM-4 port control module, two CB-8 connecting blocks, and the AD-8 distributed audio system.

Each salon station at the Hair Saloon is equipped with an RK1 eight-button keypad controller, which gives stylists the basic control they need for the TV at their respective stations, such as power, volume, channel selection, and closed captioning. The manager on duty has full control over all electronic systems from a master KX-7 in-wall touchpanel controller located behind the bar. Offering a slim profile and sophisticated design for the salon, the KX-7 features a 7-inch, 800x480 WVGA LCD with a multi-touch capacitive touchscreen and wired 10/100Base-T and wireless 802.11 Ethernet connections for two-way control and feedback, access to Web pages, and more.

The KX-7's user interface has been fully customized to the Hair Saloon's unique system via RTI's Integration Designer^® programming software. Using macro commands, Whole Home Solutions was able to create one-touch on/off functionality for the salon's manager. With a single button press, all lights, TVs, and the distributed audio system are turned on or off. When the components are powered down, a time delay for the lighting system allows the manager to set the alarm and exit the premises.

"Since opening our doors, the staff and I have been completely blown away by the RTI control system," said John Goodish, owner of the Hair Saloon. "Its simplicity and one-touch nature have made it easy for us to provide our customers with the kind of experience they expect from the Hair Saloon. And with such a simple installation and low price point, RTI makes it possible to implement the same control system across all our locations as we begin to branch out."