Biography
Romi Cortier grew up in the Pacific Northwest, beginning his acting career with the lead role of Billy Crocker in his high school's musical, Anything Goes. The recipient of a Rotary Club Scholarship, he began cosmetology school shortly after graduation. Once licensed, he moved to Seattle to both study acting, and begin a booming salon career that has lasted nearly 40 years.
An entrepreneur by nature, Romi attended the prestigious UCLA Interior Design Program in 2000, while simultaneously opening his chic jewel box salon, Romi Cortier Design, on Larchmont Blvd in 2001. Studies included art history, and the history of the built environment. His passion for the major design movements of the 20th century led him to write, produce, and host a TV pilot titled: Artful Living with Romi Cortier. It explores 120 years of design, and how it's relevant to the world today. His passion for fine art and architecture keeps hims traveling to locations around the world, attending important museum shows such as the Mondrian exhibition at the Pompidou in Paris, and the Morozov Collection at the Louis Vuitton Foundation, also in Paris.
In 2019, Romi was married to his husband Recio Young in Venice, Italy, in the very Baroque Ridotto Ballroom, at the Hotel Monaco and Grand Canal. He designed the entire event in 9 months, shipping his bespoke creations to the hotel for the event. His modern Baroque and Chinoiserie inspired nuptials broke down barriers as the first ever gay wedding at the Ridotto Ballroom, the site of Europes first Casino where the famed Casanova once cavorted with courtesans... they made history in a historic space.
Romi is writing his memoir Hollywood Hair, which shares 40 years of life lessons learned from behind the chair. After moving to LA in the early 90's, acting classes and vocal lessons became the gateway to cutting and coloring numerous celebrities hair, including: Sharon Lawrence, June Lockhart, Neil Young, Bert Kreischer, Laura Prepon, Paul Wesley, Teri Polo and Leslie Bibb... to name a few.
Romi is also a 4th generation self taught artist, and has developed a line of retail items titled: Artful Living, inspired by his original paintings. In 2006 two of his paintings were published in the book: Marilyn in Art, and in 2009 he contributed a painting to Portraits of the Fallen Memorial Project. Both his fine art, and his artful retail line, can be purchased exclusively at his salon. And the salon's trademarked tagline: Where Art Inspires Beauty, is without a doubt, a way of life.
