About First and Park Beauty
At First & Park Beauty, we create a cozy environment for our clients to feel at home. When Rayna was a stylist in NYC, it was a goal to open a peaceful, bright, and fun place to create hair. Upon entering our Short North location, you’ll find curated, vintage decor that reflects our vibe. We help women feel beautiful in the best version of their hair. Enjoy a renewed cut, color, and warm conversation at First & Park Beauty.
meet our stylists
Rayna Girson, Co-Owner: Master Stylist
With 15 years of professional artistry and a decade perfecting her craft at exclusive boutique salons in NYC, Rayna Parks founded First & Park Beauty to bring her specialized approach to Columbus. Licensed since 2010, she has built her reputation as a master colorist specializing in balayage, gray blending, highlights, and precision cutting.
Rayna takes an artistic approach to hair, viewing each client as a canvas for creating seamless blends and flowing shapes that enhance natural texture. Her signature work lies in gray transition services, where she has guided hundreds of women through the journey from color-dependent to beautifully blended, low-maintenance hair. Her balayage and highlighting techniques create lived-in color that grows gracefully, requiring fewer salon visits while maintaining stunning dimension.
As both artist and mentor, Rayna has personally trained three stylists in her advanced techniques, building First & Park Beauty from a solo practice into Columbus’s premier destination for sophisticated hair.
When not creating beauty behind the chair, Rayna enjoys spending time with her young family, traveling, fitness, and vintage shopping, always drawing inspiration for her next artistic creation.
Emily Nugent, Co-Owner: Senior Stylist
Emily, a licensed cosmetologist since 2012 and co-owner of First & Park Beauty, brings over a decade of expertise in all things health and beauty. Having cultivated a loyal following of clients, she is dedicated to her craft as a nonstop learner, always seeking new education to deliver the latest styles, techniques, and trends. Behind the chair, she is an empathetic listener and enjoys helping her clients solve any and every hair issue. The relationships built and helping her clients feel their best are her favorite parts of being a stylist. She believes in educating clients on the products and maintenance to achieve their desired look. When not at the salon, Emily spends time with her three young kids and husband, enjoys traveling, working out, reading, and playing tennis.
Samantha Bolin, Experienced Stylist
With nine years of experience behind the chair, Samantha brings both expertise and passion to every client experience. As a Redken Advanced Color certified stylist, she specializes in creating lived-in dimensional color that enhances your natural beauty, with a particular expertise in rich brunettes and vibrant reds that complement your lifestyle.
Sam is also certified in both hand-tied and K-tip extensions, offering clients seamless length and volume solutions that blend perfectly with their natural hair. Her approach focuses on creating effortless, wearable styles that grow out beautifully and maintain their dimension between appointments.
A mom of three who moved to Columbus from Nashville in 2022, Samantha has called California and Arizona home as well, giving her a well-rounded perspective that she brings to her work. She became a hairstylist because she loves connecting with people and helping them feel confident and beautiful. What Sam treasures most about her career is the opportunity to learn something new from each client who sits in her chair.
Arabella Ley, Stylist
Arabella from Sugarcreek, Ohio, has developed a true artistry for creating beautiful, customized colors that are uniquely you. She specializes in stunning blonde transformations and lived-in color techniques that perfectly complement your natural beauty—though she’s always thrilled to bring any color dream to reality!
When Arabella isn’t crafting the perfect shade in the salon, you can find her exploring the outdoors with her beloved dog, enjoying peaceful walks, or catching up with friends over coffee. Her warm, personable approach and genuine passion for her craft make every appointment feel like time spent with a friend who just happens to be incredibly talented with color.