Based on the real-life experiences of an expert in the field, an immersive, accessible guide to a career in hairstyling brought to life by acclaimed writer Kate Bolick—essential reading for anyone interested in this creative and dynamic profession. Gwenn LeMoine sees the world through the lens of hair. The daughter of two hairstylists, she has taken her natural talent to an entrepreneurial level and is now the owner of Parlor, a wildly popular, two-location hair salon in the East Village and Brooklyn. A pioneer with four decades of expertise in styling eccentric celebrity personalities, LeMoine works with clients such as such as Piper Kerman, Rue McClanahan, Molly Ringwald, Twyla Tharp, and William Wegman, to name only a few. Her work has also been featured on television ( SNL , VH1 , ETV ), in magazines ( Real Simple , Nylon , The New York Times , and Paste ), and at awards shows, such as the Tonys and Emmys. In Becoming a Hairstylist, Atlantic columnist and New York Times notable author Kate Bolick provides a compelling profile of a career in hair styling through the life of LeMoine, and offers us a glance at a day in the life at Parlor. The perfect resource for anyone interested in a career in cosmetology, Becoming a Hairstylist portrays how to excel as a stylist—at any age and for all types of customers. Kate Bolick’s first book, the bestselling Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own , was a New York Times Notable Book. A contributing editor for The Atlantic , Bolick writes for a variety of publications, including The New York Times , The New Republic , The Wall Street Journal , Cosmopolitan , Elle , and Vogue , and hosts “Touchstones at The Mount,” an annual interview series at Edith Wharton’s country estate, in Lenox, Massachusetts. Previously, she was executive editor of Domino and a columnist for The Boston Globe . Becoming a Hairstylist 1 It is a brutally hot summer afternoon in Manhattan, the kind where merely waiting for the subway causes sweat to drip down your face and drop onto your shirt. If you make the mistake of boarding a car with broken air-conditioning, you’re doomed. But when you get out at your stop in the East Village, things start looking up. Walking east on the shady side of Seventh Street, alongside the leafy green of Tompkins Square Park, you turn south onto Avenue B, and know that all is about to be right with the world. Sure, the block is on the gritty side—but that’s a good thing. It’s one of the last reminders of the “old” East Village of the 1960s and ’70s, when America’s punk rock scene and the Nuyorican literary movement were born here. The neighborhood has cleaned up a lot since then, along with so much of New York City. At first glance, it would appear that your destination, the popular Parlor hair salon, bears no relation to that former countercultural moment. Tucked between a specialty spice shop and an anonymous-looking youth center, Parlor’s white-brick facade and black-and-white-striped awnings appear particularly crisp, even jaunty. On the sidewalk out front, a sandwich board with the salon’s logo—a whimsical silhouette of a woman with an elegant updo, set into an oval like a Victorian cameo—announces a special on blowouts. But when you pull open the big plate-glass door, you step into a world where anti-establishment values are paramount. Unlike those other high-end boutique hair salons, the ones that cultivate a glossy, high-fashion veneer—and in a city like New York can feed on all-too-human insecurities—Parlor is a haven of individuality, inclusivity, and comfort. It is easy to understand why so many people celebrated for their idiosyncrasies have been drawn here over the years, from famous actresses such as Molly Ringwald, Mary-Louise Parker, and Rue McClanahan, to the singer-songwriter Adele and the artist William Wegman. Yes, there’s the immediately blissful cool of air-conditioning. But in the grand scheme that’s a minor detail. What makes Parlor special is how all the elements, big and small, add up to a uniquely welcoming environment. Eason Polk, the young man helming the reception desk, welcomes you with a big smile and gestures toward a small table set with two glass jugs: cold water and iced herbal tea. You help yourself to a glass of each. Originally from Houston, Texas, Eason has worked at Parlor for just over a year as the guest case manager, part of the “front of house” team that wears many hats. Like many of Parlor’s employees, when he’s not on the clock he devotes his time to creative and volunteer pursuits, in his case designing a high-end clothing line and mentoring LGBTQ youth. Behind him, in the main room of the salon, the rest of Parlor’s beauty squad is occupied in various stages of consulting, cutting, coloring, and styling. The space is bright and cozy at once, sunlight spilling through tall windows onto redbrick walls and dark wood floors. In the background, an upbeat-yet-mellow song by a slightly