Hairdressers Heidi Milazzo, seated, and Hannah Armstrong reflect on the move of Island Salon to its new location on Peninsula Street and the haircare services they provide to their clientele.
Island Salon has moved to a new location on Peninsula Street, but the mission remains the same: Keeping clients looking their best. The move was to combine the salon with Wrangell Fitness, so clients can not only look good but feel good.
The salon and the fitness studio are both owned by Clay Culbert and Heidi Milazzo, and both opened five years ago at separate locations.
"Part of the reason for moving into here was to consolidate both businesses and to keep things easier," Milazzo said. "Our goal is to get our (fitness) classes up and running again, but you'll have to stay tuned for that."
Before COVID-19 hit and businesses closed, Culbert said there were several clients spread out over 13 morning and evening fitness classes. Though the salon is in full swing with a steady flow of clientele, the fitness studio will take longer to get up and running.
Milazzo said she and Culbert are taking their time to return to a full schedule of classes to gauge interest and to make sure they have instructors in place for each class. For now, classes are invitation only. When they do return, classes will be held outside of salon hours, which are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"People are definitely eager to get back to it," Milazzo said. "We've been having some practice classes just to get our brains back to teaching again. Just talking to our (hair) clients about it has been great because they walk in and, of course, see the fitness studio and there's a lot of interest in classes."
One of the people in the practice classes is Hannah Armstrong, who styles hair alongside Milazzo. "I have to be awake by the time I get to work, so I have to (work out) to wake up," Armstrong said.
"I told her if she was going to work here, she had to stay in shape," Milazzo said with a laugh.
The schedule for the salon is usually packed. Both Milazzo and Armstrong arrive at 9:30 a.m. to review the appointments and plan out the day. Flexibility is a necessary skill since cancellations or longer appointments can open up or prolong the day.
"We always have time for a walk-in," Milazzo said. "If we get ahead of schedule or somebody cancels, we're really good about keeping a schedule going so we can accommodate."
That includes helping out other hairdressers in Wrangell who might be out of town or closed for some other reason.
"I feel like we've been really friendly in that respect, which I really like about Wrangell," Milazzo said. "It's always been important to me in any salons I've run that there's no negative competition here. We're here to offer services to anybody that we can fit into our schedule. We need to work together."
Island Salon offers overall haircare for men and women, along with facial waxing and eyebrow and eyelash tinting. Milazzo said they don't offer kids' cuts because they want to provide a relaxing place for adults and parents to have time away for themselves. "Looking good and feeling good: It's good for the mental space," she said.
As part of their efforts to keep a focus on self-care and a healthy lifestyle, Milazzo said they've started carrying Kevin Murphy brand haircare products, which are sulphate-free. The products also use fruit acids to naturally exfoliate hair. Packaging is biodegradable or recyclable.
"Even though I've been doing hair for over 30 years, I'm always learning," she said. "It's such an important thing. As soon as you feel like you don't need to learn anything more in this field - actually, any occupation - I think that's when you're just done. There's always something you need to learn. It's so important."
Armstrong has used Milazzo's experience to increase her own knowledge and abilities. She started out as an assistant in the shop, then left for cosmetology school at Aveda in Minneapolis. She returned as a stylist.
"It's easier to catch mistakes early on so you don't carry it through your career," Armstrong said. "(It also helps) learning different techniques. There are easier ways to do the same exact thing."
For both stylists, providing the best service they can is their top priority. "My clients are my fuel. They drive me every day," Milazzo said. "It's so important for me to do very solid work."
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