Part-time therapist

WASILLA — Like a trusted bartender or therapist, a person’s hairdresser is someone many feel comfortable sharing their problems with.

It’s that social interaction that keeps Rose Gasparetti enthusiastic about her profession after more than 25 years of cutting and styling hair. A stylist with a chair at AK Stylin’ Hair Salon near the intersection of the Parks and Palmer-Wasilla highways, Gasparetti was quick and efficient talking about her profession recently while snipping away on a client’s hair.

Frontiersman: What exactly does a hairstylist do?

Gasparetti: Oh, we’re psychologists, we’re therapists. We color hair, make people younger.

F: Being a hairstylist, do you feel pressure that your hair has to be perfect all the time?

G: Oh, all the time, without a doubt. I don’t leave the house without my hair being done. Everybody will vouch for that. I cut and color my own hair and I style it every morning.

F: How did you get into hairstyling?

G: My ex-sister-in-law has a day spa in Anchorage. She was a hairdresser who had just graduated and got me interested in it. I was interested in the money, the job — because I had no career going at that time — I had gone to college and accounting wasn’t my thing. I needed something to do in life and I’ve been doing this for 30-some years now.

F: How does the business arrangement work for a hairstylist?

G: I rent a chair (in the shop). Some people work on commission, which is a percentage of the money goes to the hairstylist and a percentage to the shop. In this business, I’m a chair rental, so I pay a monthly flat rate. I work my own schedule and I love it. Chair rental’s the best way to do it — as long as you pay your taxes. That’s very important.

F: Do you ever have customers bring in photographs from magazines and say, “Make me look like this?”

G: All the time, yes. I tell them sure, if it’s possible, but not always. We’re beauticians, not magicians.

F: Are there times you won’t do something a customer requests?

G: Well, I’ll have a consultation with them so they understand what’s going to happen when we are done with their hair so there are no (surprises).

F: What’s the difference between cutting hair for adults and kids?

G: A little bit cheaper in price. Children are hard on a woman my age, because of all the bending involved, but overall kids aren’t that much different. I’ve found over the years that little girls wiggle more than little boys.

F: What’s the most difficult hairstyle you’ve ever done?

G: Hmm, we’ll, they’re all kind of hard. One I’ve just learned, because if I’ve just learned it, I’m kind of nervous to try it on a client.

F: How do you keep up with the styles and what’s in fashion?

G: Usually we have training in Anchorage. Usually it’s about color and the color trends, and if there’s a new hairstyle out there, we’ll learn about that too.

F: What advice do you have for people when choosing a hairstylist?

G: Professional looks, professional attitude. If I were to go to a salon, I would like them to be professional; nicely dressed, preferably not all slouched over.

F: How do you handle a client who may come in with soiled hair?

G: Well, we wash it. It’s included in our prices. If they insist we not (wash their hair), then if I don’t see anything jumping, then we don’t have an issue. I just hold my breath and get through it. I’ve only run across one case in all my years of cutting hair that there were issues with that.

F: You mentioned earlier you can also play the role of therapist. How so?

G: Clients will tell us stuff they’ll never tell their husbands. We listen to people’s health issues and, well, just basically listening.

F: What should people be expected to pay for an average haircut?

G: A woman’s haircut usually runs $25 to $30 and a man’s is typically $20. There’s a bit more time and styling involved with a woman, and a little bit more hair, usually.

F: What’s something about being a hairstylist most people wouldn’t know?

G: How hard it is on your body, with arthritis, bursitis, bad feet when you go home. You’re on your feet eight to 10 hours a day, maybe more.

F: How important is good world-of-mouth for a hairstylist?

G: That’s the only way I advertise. But, the location here is amazing, because you get a lot more walk-ins, but I honestly prefer my referrals. My clientele is built up. If you’re not getting repeats, you’re doing something wrong.

F: What advice do you have for someone who’s considering a career as a hairstylist?

G: I say go for it. There aren’t enough hairstylists out there. If you want to work hard, you can make lots of money at it, but you’ve got to work.

F: What’s the wackiest thing you’ve ever done to someone’s head?

G: Oh, the colors, it’s got to be the bright colors. I’m not a big fan of them, I’m a little more conservative myself. But I get (requests for) the blues the pinks, the bright purples. … And I’ve done the lines but, oh my gosh, that was back in the ’80s. You don’t see too much of that anymore.

F: Are hairstyles like fashion? Do they come around again?

G: Definitely. In fact, shags are back in style now, especially on boys.

F: There aren’t a lot of men in your profession. Why do you think that is?

G: No there aren’t. I don’t know. The old-fashioned idea is men are barbers. I don’t know if men just don’t want to work with women or what. You got me on that one. I’ve worked with one man the whole time I’ve been doing this. It is a very big macho thing, I think.

F: What keeps you going after more than 25 years cutting and styling hair?

G: I love what I do. It’s my favorite thing in the whole wide world. How many people get to walk out of the house smiling because they get to go to work? I’m one of those few.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.