This New Forest Park Spot Is a Self-Care Sanctuary

Michelle Moskal and Sarah Sims of Dream Boat Salon are passionate about inspiring and enabling their clients to prioritize their well-being — and they lead by example. The salon doesn’t have set business hours, allowing stylists to have flexible schedules to support work/life balance. They use products with as few chemicals as possible, and Dream Boat’s apothecary features clean beauty, home, and wellness products. Knowing the environment of their salon is as important as the service, Michelle and Sarah create a relaxing atmosphere that helps their clients’ stress float away. Meet our newest FACES of Birmingham, the co-owners of Dream Boat!

What inspired you to start Dream Boat Salon?

Sarah: I was doing hair at another salon, and because of the structure of how salons are typically set up, I was working way too much; I wasn’t getting to really enjoy my personal lifestyle. I felt a lack of creativity, and I questioned whether or not I even liked doing hair. When we shut down for two months during COVID, I thought being at home would have been my nightmare, but it was such a gift — realizing I actually enjoy doing other things besides working. I’ve worked since I was 14 and had an identity in that. I realized I love having free time or learning something new, like how to play tennis. So, I wanted to work less. I wanted to work and work hard, but not at that capacity.

Michelle: I was in the same boat. I have two small children. I love to work, but when you work for someone else, you don’t have much control over the schedule. There was no breathing room inside the day. We were expected to work five days a week, which is a typical schedule, but we worked at 100% productivity for the entire time without lunch or a break.

Most stylists I know struggle with that, so when we set this up, we were like, we’re going to give people the control to work as hard or as long or as little or as much as they want to. And that can vary from week to week, month to month, or day to day. It’s up to each person to structure their [work hours] in the way that best suits them for that particular period of their life.

We don’t have operating hours; there is no opening or closing time. But it works for us so we can produce the best service possible while we’re there. We can give 100% while we’re at work.

What makes Dream Boat different from other salons besides the unique operating schedule?

Sarah: It’s really intimate. We’ve promised ourselves not to expand beyond three or four chairs. Our intentions make it different, and I think our clients feel that when they walk through the doors. It’s a very calming space, and we’re taking great measures to ensure it stays that way. I’ve had a lot of clients come in who are full of stressors, and they say, ‘When I come here, I feel like I can just let everything go.’ That makes a difference.

Michelle: A lot of people, when they open a salon, look to figure out how many people they can get in the space — how to maximize the square footage to produce the most income. We have given over a lot of the space for lounging and sitting. And we have a kitchen area. It’s set up so that it’s a time to relax. This is a place for us to enjoy spending time with our clients and for them to relax, chill out, and know they won’t be shuffled through a million hands. We don’t have a front desk; we don’t have an assistant. It’s just the three of us (Sarah, Michelle, and stylist Whitney Adkins) taking care of our clients one-on-one so they feel really special while they’re there.

Tell us more about the clean products you offer in your apothecary.

Sarah: It’s a work in progress. Our retail space is basically stuff we love, usually in some sort of clean or low-tox category.

Michelle: And we’re figuring out what “clean” means. For instance, one of the things we talk a lot about with our clients is clean hair color. It doesn’t exist. It’s not possible. Short of henna, there is no such thing as a natural hair color. Certain things are necessary to make things like that work. So, in that case, we’re just trying to be as conscientious as possible and get the cleanest products we can buy. Certain chemicals are known to create problems for clients, so we’re looking for products that have removed many of those and the allergens.

Sarah: I’ve had clients say, “My scalp feels so much better!”

Michelle: Coming to the salon and getting your hair colored for two hours every three or four months is very different than those of us who are working with it day in and day out. We want to take care of ourselves, too! If we can take good care of ourselves with our time and products, we’ll be much better off and able to take better care of the people we care about. It really is about self-care.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Michelle: I like to be outside, period. I love to hike. I love to walk my dog. I like to be with my kids outside. I like to swim. I like the beach. Anything that involves being outside.

Sarah: I like to stay curious. What that means right now is I’ve been learning how to quilt. Reading and writing have always been a constant for me. I like being outside hiking. And I love to travel as much as I can.

What have been some of your favorite travel destinations?

Sarah: One inspirational trip Michelle and I went on right before we opened was to Arizona. We rode horseback on the side of a mountain at sunset. We got in a hot air balloon. We hiked.

I also went to Portugal with my husband, which was my first time in Europe. It was amazing.

Michelle: I went to Chile, which Sarah has been to a couple of times, and I went to Holbox (Mexico) with my husband last summer. Sarah and I are planning a trip to Maine.

Sarah: We try to go somewhere together every year.

Sarah, you mentioned you like to read. Tell us about a book you read recently.

I read a book called Breath by James Nestor. It changed a lot for me; I would recommend it to anybody.

What are some of your favorite Birmingham-area restaurants?

Sarah: Automatic, El Barrio, Chez FonFon, and Juniper.

Michelle: Automatic, Saigon Noodle House on Highway 280, and Bettola.

Where do you like to shop?

Sarah: Thank You Books has been one of my favorites lately. I love that store. And I like Urban Suburban. I love shopping for gifts or bougie household things in General & Shoppe. If I’m there and doing that for myself, it’s a good day.

Michelle: I second that. And I love Stash, too. Really, really good stuff.

What are some of your other favorite places in Birmingham?

Michelle: I love all the parks — Moss Rock, Oak Mountain. I went to Ruffner recently — I forgot how much I love that place! We have beautiful places to be outside in Birmingham.

Sarah: Chocolatá, Golden Age Wine, Ruffner Mountain, and Jemison Trail. I love The Fit Facility, Yoga Lab, and OHA Bodywork and Wellness. Continental Bakery will always be a fave. It just feels good to be there.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?

Sarah: When you have made good friends with yourself, your situation will be more friendly too.

Michelle: What other people think of you is none of your business. Do what you do with good intentions, and then just keep going.

Name three things you can’t live without outside of faith, friends, and family.

Sarah: My silk-weighted eye mask, infrared sauna blanket, and husband’s bathrobe.

Michelle: My face oils, my dog Max, and wind chimes.

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