Rick Raines of George Salon: D.C.'s Gatekeeper to Glamour

Rick Raines reigns over the George Salon at the Four Seasons like a benevolent dictator. As the salon's manager for the past 13 years, Raines controls the schedule, aka "the book," and thus which politicians, media elite and celebrities can get a last-minute beauty appointment.


George Salon has long been the favorite salon of D.C. insiders -- both for its convenient location in the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown, as well as for the talent of the long-term staff and for the confidentiality ensured by owner George Ozturk.

As clients enter the salon, they are met by Raines, who commands a white, circular desk. Clad in his usual black, Raines is talking on the phone while taking a perfectly blown-out blonde's credit card.

"Rick's the gatekeeper," said one regular client who asked that her name not be used. "If you have a dinner or a TV appearance, Rick Raines decides if you get an appointment for hair and makeup. He can make it happen, or not."

The client, talking to me with tin foil in her hair, said, "Luckily, he's always been good to me."

Regular clients include Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (blowouts four to five times a week by Omer); former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (blowout and color by Enver); MSNBC "Hardball" anchor Chris Matthews; first lady of California, Maria Shriver (blowouts by Ismail); PBS anchor Judy Woodruff; and Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.)

The salon protects the names of the clients in the Obama White House like national security secrets. They will not confirm or deny rumors that clients include White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers and Chief of Protocol Capricia Marshall.

Nor will the salon discuss the scuttlebutt that salon staff make house calls to the White House for First Lady Michelle Obama. (Obama gets her hair done by celebrity stylist Johnny Wright, so would be using George staff for other salon services.)

The salon will confirm that when Hillary Clinton was first lady, George himself would often to go to the White House to do her hair, sometimes bringing along a manicurist.

Hollywood stars staying in the Four Seasons are frequent clients. Makeup artist Carl Ray, a celebrity favorite, has done the makeup for actresses Kerry Washington, Gabrielle Union, Natalie Portman, Pamela Anderson and Anna Nicole Smith for her infamous Supreme Court appearance.

Those who have come to George Salon for facials include Charlize Theron, Usher (who complained about the A/C being too cold), Sandra Bullock and Molly Simms.

Asked the difference between scheduling for political clients and celebrities, Raines said that he gives priority to the political/media types because they are the "regular clients who are here all the time. They pay the bills."

"Rick is the most flexible scheduler in D.C.," the aide to a regular political client said. "I can't imagine what he goes through on a daily basis given all of the schedules he juggles. Rick makes political scheduling look easy."

The salon staff call Raines' reception desk "NASA Control Center" because of the extensive phone lines and the three flickering, color-coded computer screens which monitor schedules.

Raines' NASA is as secretive as the real NASA; no one is allowed to go behind the desk except Raines. The only reason I saw the computer monitors was because I slipped behind for a couple seconds before staff started screaming "Stop, get out!"

Thinking they were kidding, I laughed and continued to look, trying to see some intel on the clients. No laughing matter: Raines told me to get out and stand on the other side. The staff looked relieved that the security breach had been resolved peacefully and before any confidential information had been compromised.

Why is everyone in D.C. scared of Rick Raines? If Raines wants to accommodate you, he will go out of his way to fit you in. If a client is rude or pretentious, she'll have to wait weeks to get her roots lightened.

Raines says he responds best to politeness and kindness in accommodating appointment requests. "If they call and go 'so-and-so is my friend, and so make this happen' and are rude and obnoxious, that's not going to work. But most regular clients are cool."

The lesson here is polite and respectful will get your hair blown out before the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Of all the famous and powerful people who Raines has talked to over the years, who has intimidated him? Without pause, he responds: "No one."

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