For many people, a hair appointment is a really rare and special time of sitting still and, for some, the only time they are even touched.  It’s is one of the only small, semi-mandatory self-care experiences in which most of us indulge, whether we do this in any other capacity or not. Most people don’t have energy healers on standby, or even a therapist or coach they see regularly. So as a regular and longstanding point of contact in many of my client’s lives, I have a unique perspective and, I believe, a responsibility to honor that intimate access and connection they have granted me. Stylists have the beautiful opportunity to stand in a place of non-bias and witness whatever clients may be experiencing (maybe it’s a breakup, conflict at work, or being confronted with a fear of aging). We offer a safe space for them to be heard and an audience with whom to test-drive ideas; a person who won’t judge them or hold them accountable to action, and therefore provide a place for a real, raw, honesty that is hard to come by. In a world of super connectivity, a real human interaction has become quite a commodity. It’s our job to make clients feel like the world sees them as the stunning creatures they are, and I personally want that feeling to last longer than the blowdry.

The Crown, or 7th, chakra is where we connect to Spirit, or whatever name you give to the powerful Knowing available inwardly. It’s the energy center on top of the head where we access energy that fosters a deep sense of serenity, self-trust, and inner wisdom. An out-of-balance crown chakra can result in feelings of confusion, self doubt, isolation, and depression. Without connection to inner wisdom or Source energy, it can feel like a pretty lonely and unguided life. CrownWorks exists to service this inner connection while running regularly scheduled maintenance on the outer beauty.

The experience in the chair is really about so much more than the hair. In fact, I often joke that the hair is sort of a gift-with-purchase! But it took me a long time to understand that. You see, in beauty school, no one tells you about the crises that get aired in that seat, or how to deal with them. The range of conversation alone I hear through the course of a day is sometimes staggering. I’ve had people share about anything from marital problems or questions about sexuality, life purpose, even a will to live; situations that the holes in my education did not prepapre me for. I was left thinking, “Oh…So…Do you want bangs with that?”

The ritual differs for each client, and not all clients come to my chair for a ritual. That’s fine by me; if silence is best of service, well, that’s healing, too.  There are many different elements to consider, and like my color bar, it becomes a pharmacy of unique prescriptive-style combinations of services best suited to an individual client’s needs and openness. For some clients, there is a guided meditation before a haircut (similar to a shamanic cutting of cords ceremony) to symbolically release old experiences and beliefs that are no longer of service. For others, it is a gentle shoulder massage  while they discuss the motivation for their big change.  The truth is, healing meets you at your point of willingness and readiness. Either way, in my personal practice, intentions are everything. Every time a client sits in my chair, I state my intention (sometimes silently, sometimes aloud) to provide for them whatever space they may need; my hope for them is to experience an increased and lasting feeling of beauty and wellbeing, for the greatest good of all concerned.