Favourite local barber or hairstylist

Photo by Callie Lugosi

1. Ashley (Burdie) L'Heureux (Sapphire)
2. "I cut my own hair"
3. Walter Spooner (Waltz on In)

Ashley (Burdie) L’Heureux became interested in
hairstyling because she loved caring for people.

“I like to make sure other people feel really cared for, and I want to make sure that everyone feels as good as they can,” she says. “To be able to do that in some way, even if it’s as simple as cutting off someone’s split ends or giving them a haircut or hairstyle that makes them feel like who they are on the inside, that makes me feel really good.”

L’Heureux, a stylist at the Sapphire Hair Lounge, says the past two years have really highlighted the importance of hairstyling to many of her clients’ wellbeing. “We’ve sort of realized that we’re more like a mental-health service,” she says.

“I mean, none of us are professionals at all in that way, but the fact that we’re there and willing to listen and make someone feel just like themselves again, I think is a really big thing,” L’Heureux says.

“Over the last two years, we’ve all been like ‘who are we? What are we doing with our lives?’ and even just getting rid of the roots on your head or colouring your whole head purple just makes you feel like you again, and I just think that’s the best thing ever.”

Sapphire Hair Lounge temporarily closed three times during the COVID-19 pandemic, and L’Heureux says knowing her work is so appreciated after a period of such uncertainty “is a really special feeling.”

“It feels really nice, and it feels good that I’m making other people feel good, and Sapphire is the best place to work,” she says. “I feel like I’m the best version of myself, and I’m the best stylist I’ve ever been because of the people who work there.”

Published in Volume 76, Number 12 of The Uniter (December 2, 2021)

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