Review by Catherine’s Cabinet
It’s been a while since I’ve had my hair styled professionally and let me tell you why. A) It can be a serious investment financially; B) I’m petrified of chemicals, especially near my brain (yes I’m crazy); and C) It takes time to build a solid relationship with a GOOD hair stylist and let’s be honest, I lack in the free-time department these days. Fortunately, some of us have options when it comes to going to a beauty salon. For example, some of you can venture to a beauty salon in Maidenhead and get yourself all dolled up, but I don’t really have the time to do that as much as I want to.
One of my Wellness Sisters, Heather Allen, coined the term “Poverté” during our time in school together to best describe our busted grown-out blonde look (in honour of the previously trending Ombré look). Since then, I’ve actually been a bit embarrassed of the way I’ve treated my hair (or of the way I haven’t treated it at all really).
So what did I do a couple weeks ago? Well, I went to a local drug store and splurged a whole $10 on a box of hair colour, went over to my best girlfriend’s house for dinner and forced her to help me colour my hair a horrible washed out yellowy-blonde. We’ve all been there, we’ve all had our fair share of hair colour problems and box dye disasters. And not on purpose – trust me, it wasn’t supposed to be so gross. Yes, I know, this completely contradicts the whole fear of chemicals DIRECTLY ON MY HEAD thing, but I have so many little grey hairs staring at me in the mirror every morning constantly reminding me of how I’m officially now in my 30’s.
After weeks of continually attending events and openings around the city, I started to look back on photographs of us. Not that physical appearance is all that matters to me, but I need to at least LOOK like I give a crap if I want to represent my brand properly. Working from the inside out is the most integral part of your health, but you also need to compliment it by working on the actual outside too sometimes!
After some deliberation, I decided that it was time to invest in a quality relationship with a stylist in this city and I wasn’t going to settle on just anyone. When I found out that a new salon had just opened up in Yorkville, I jumped on the chance to be one of the first to go and give it a whirl.
Anthony Passero has been styling hair since he could properly hold a pair of scissors. So naturally, owning and running one of the finest salons in Toronto, the Anthony Passero Salon, suits him well. When I first walked in, I was greeted with an open concept style reception with clean modern decor and friendly people. No pretension or snobby looks – just kind, open and receptive vibes.
After I changed into my robe, Anthony escorted me over to his chair so we could have a chat. We laughed as I confessed all of my hair issues and hesitantly admitted that the last time it was cut was by my own scissors in my bathroom at home (facepalm). He listened to every single word I said, without judgement, and began to tailor a plan just for me which would suit my lifestyle, my hair needs and would also compliment me physically.
In typical Catherine-style, I asked him a million questions and each time he came back with full, highly educated answers about products, chemicals, and on the industry itself. As an official L’Oreal salon, each stylist obtains an extensive amount of training and knowledge about each product. One of my favourite parts of the process was getting my colour done. They use Ammonia-Free products which don’t emit as much of a chemical smell as the colour is bound to an oil base to absorb better, nourish and condition the hair.
Now, we all know what it’s like sitting in the chairs at the sink ready to have our hair washed and rinsed. It’s awkward and sometimes painful on the neck. Well, let me tell you folks – THIS was a different experience altogether. First off, the chairs were actually comfortable. Then without moving his hands away from my head (I assume it was some sneaky foot pedal work), my chair reclined and my feet were instantly elevated (this is an option you can forgo if more comfortable for you not to recline). Oh, but that’s not all. As he is giving me the best hair washing of my life (no joke, the man has magic hands) the chair starts to massage my back and legs. YES. I said that right, IT WAS A MASSAGE CHAIR. Therefore, I was getting a full body massage while having my hair washed. Pampered much?
After my transformation was complete, I felt like a brand new woman! I won’t be going back to my botched box colours and bathroom home cutting jobs anymore, trust me. You know that feeling you get when someone takes the time to get to know who you are as a person and then does something for you that truly shows that they actually understand you? Anthony took the time to respect and nurture my inner beauty so that he could enhance it on the outside. What a truly honourable task to make someone feel so beautiful.
Photos: Anthony Passero Salon & Catherine Sugrue