Photo by Sean Kirkham

In Budapest, when a woman approaches you on Vaci Utca and asks you to accompany her to the local watering hole for a drink, you are naturally wary. The Russian and Hungarian mafia have for ages taken advantage of innocent tourists by luring them into seedy dives and then charging exorbitant fees.

However, when we were approached by 27-year-old Sophie Lorincz we knew we were in good shape. Sophie is a breath of fresh air. She’s Budapest’s new “it-girl,” effortlessly fluent in three languages. We recently spent a delightful afternoon with her. Well connected in the nightlife scene, she tipped us to the fact that female tourists always get in free to Budapest bars and clubs. (A perk? A curse? Ladies, you decide.)

A beautician by trade, Sophie can be found at Sebastian Grand Salon during the day—when she isn’t rushing off to the gym, that is. She also is a professional make-up artist, and does a fair amount of fashion shoot work on the side.

During the night she often frequents Mozaik, a popular restaurant in the city center. Her favorite night? “Sundays!” she exclaims. It’s when Mozaik offers a 50% discount on food.

Sebastian Grand Salon is located at Andrássy út 13, and can be reached by telephone at +36 1 268-0458. It’s open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. Metro: Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út.

Sophie can be reached directly for an appointment at +36 70 386 4640.

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