“I wouldn’t say I was a hippie,” says Lori Pastore. “But I was definitely into health and wellness in the ’70s.” Those interests would serve her well 30 years later, when she opened Ame Salon and Spa in 2000. But back in the disco days, Pastore was a 19-year-old newlywed with an infant son. Wanting a career, she enrolled in Gordon Phillips Beauty Academy, later landing a job at Saks 5th Avenue in Bala Cynwyd. Within a few years, she had her own salon in King of Prussia.
All the while, Pastore’s passion for wellness continued, and she developed a penchant for Asian-inspired techniques. “I’m a girl from Broomall who’s never been to Asia,” she says. “But there’s something about the simplicity and beauty of the culture that really appeals to me.”
Pastore also believes in a Catholic sort of karma. “I was sure I wouldn’t be able to find the right building for Ame,” she says. “Then, lo and behold, we found it on Christmas Eve. It was like it was meant to be.”
