The waiting chairs in the entrance area were pastel orange that seemed to complete the contrast of colors in the room.
There were three hairdresser’s chairs that were pastel blue, a row of pastel pink chairs with the drying hoods above them, and their stainless steel ashtrays in the arms. The salon felt a little dated with its 1960’s era decor, it had pale blue wallpaper with light yellow floral patterns. Rosa, the owner was a middle-aged Italian woman who ran the salon with Luisa, her niece. It was in the local strip mall in the suburb where we lived. I remember we arrived at the salon a little early that day. After we were going to go shopping for some new clothes for school. Mom had made the appointments for my younger sister and I at the local beauty salon. I loved the way my hair felt as it cascaded all the way down my back to my waist. It was pin straight and dark chestnut-brown. I had only ever had trims and I never ever considered cutting my hair. I was 14 at the time and I had always had worn my hair very long as that was the popular style for that time. My mom had made an appointment for my younger sister and I to get our haircuts for school. It was my last week of summer before starting my freshman year in high school, and I was really nervous about it. I remember my mother forcing me to wear that same haircut. When Dorothy Hamill won the hearts of America back in the 1976 Winter Olympics, not only did she win the gold medal, she also wore a revolutionary new hairstyle that was to become a phenomenon in the years that followed. I was very fortunate to not be one of those but I recall a few friends with one.
This haircut started a fad in the late 1970’s and was worn by many in those years. Foreword: This haircut would have been considered the ‘Rachel Haircut’ of that time.