I recently took a chance at a new (to me) hair salon that was recommended to me on Facebook. I am not a big fan of hair salons after having a few bad experiences many moons ago. But this pandemic had my hair looking crazy and with it being Mother's Day and my vacation coming up, I decided it was time to step outside of my comfort zone. And I am so happy that I did!!
The Hair Lounge 1020 is located at 955 Front St in Chicopee, MA. My first impressions on entering was how clean and welcoming it looked. The inside is very bright with the sun shining through the windows and everything looked new. The plants hanging throughout the salon also enhanced the visual effect and made it feel so homey. In the background, you could hear the sounds of a popular local radio station which I ended up singing along to a few times during my appointment.
My hair dresser was Jill Beaudette, which I soon found out was one of the owners. She was very welcoming with a great smile and a warm personality. She was waiting for me when I arrived, had me hand sanitize and brought me to her station. I explained to her what I wanted and she seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. I was impressed with her attention to detail and when I asked for her to darken my roots to the black that I love, she pointed out that the lower portion of my hair was actually much lighter and wanted to be sure that I was aware of that before we started. She explained the steps that she would take to achieve my hair goals, how she would fix my hair color to match, and got right to work. And when my hair didn't cooperate fully the first time and the black faded out the blue highlights a bit, she took her time and worked it through again to make sure it came out perfect!
Before
In the few hours that Jill worked her magic on my hair, we chatted like we were friends. She is so friendly and easy to talk to. I discovered that she is a resident of Chicopee and that she has been doing hair for many years, getting her cosmetology license back in high school. Her and her co-owner, Sarah Wenners, opened the Hair Lounge 1020 in the fall of 2020. Apparently, the pair had been stylists for many years over at the Hair Cuttery that closed down last year in Chicopee. So while I am not a frequenter of hair salons, you may remember them from there and may be happy to hear your favorite stylists aren't gone, they just opened up their own salon.
In the end, it was a great experience for me, taking away all lack of trust that I have had with hair stylists in the past. I am completely in love with my new hair and enjoyed the entire experience. I look forward to my white hairs growing back (its all the kids faults) and sitting in her chair for some more pampering and enjoyable conversation. The only thing missing was a glass of champagne. I will certainly be going back again and am so thankful that Jill helped me get over my fear of hair salons.
If you are looking for some one on one pampering, a great cut, a friendly conversation and stylists that know exactly how to get you the look you are wanting, I can't recommend the Hair Lounge 1020 enough. Just don't take my spot. :)
