Meet Cait Piska

We were lucky to catch up with Cait Piska recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cait, so excited to have you with us today and we are really interested in hearing your thoughts about how folks can develop their empathy? In our experience, most folks want to be empathic towards others, but in a world where we are often only surrounded by people who are very similar to us, it can sometimes be a challenge to develop empathy for others who might not be as similar to us. Any thoughts or advice?

Empathy is such a crucial part of the kind of business I have, and strive to improve, behind the chair. Having spent the majority of my life in the closet, coming out as a queer woman in my early 20s was something I felt very alone about. Honestly it always felt like a club I didn’t have the code-word to until I started building my own clientele. I’m all too familiar with how the outside existence of our bodies effects our inside existence, validation, and mental health. For a lot of my clients their visit is about a whole lot more than hair. I spent my youth bleaching my hair in the bathroom at 4am, trying every haircut & color combination in the book, and longing to be seen for more than my outside appearance. I’m in the business of doing my best in making people feel stunning, not just look pretty.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m Cait and I’m a razor and shag haircut specialist at Hendrix Salon on West 38th. My skillset is best represented in my curly hair cutting, 70s/80s/modern shags, blonding, and combinations of all three. I do my best to work with every client’s natural texture to achieve effortless hair that doesn’t necessarily require styling. I love a fabulous blow-out but want my clients of all abilities to feel and look great at home too.
Behind the chair I really focus on each individual experience of every client. Sometimes that means tweaking a toner until it really hits the mark, turning my client away from the mirror for their entire appointment on request, or crying it out together in lieu of bad news. My chair is a very safe & cozy space for anyone in need of a place to call home.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

For anyone early in their hair journey I would recommend paying attention to everyone and everything thrown your way in school and classes. You’ll never stop learning about hair, literally ever, but the ABCs and basics will not change. Haircutting will always be based off of certain fundamentals and the basic chemistry of color, color theory, and sanitation will take you a long way. If you are able to apprentice I recommend soaking in as much information as possible from someone whose career you admire.

If I could go back and start over, I would have started getting comfortable on social media straight out of the gate. It takes time to build social media momentum and I can’t imagine how much quicker my books would have built if I had started sooner! I highly recommend collaborating and connecting yourself to the online social circle you feel best in right away. My socials didn’t really start taking off until I started showing off who I am as a person and not just disappearing in the flood of “hair I did this week.”

Last but not least, I wouldn’t have made it if I listen to anyone else’s opinion of what I should do with my life. I mean it when I say that instead of asking and ignoring people’s words, just don’t tell people about your plans. I didn’t really start making the right moves in my life until I realized that nobody else’s opinion was going to figure it out for me, so it was best not to even hear them. The right people will celebrate your successes but there’s no need to invite everyone you know to the party,

How would you describe your ideal client?

I have so many clients that have absolutely nothing in common and I would consider them all ideal. I think anyone who has already looked at my instagram, checked me out, and decided they’d like to support my business is currently the best chair experience for both of us! Anyone who shows me an inspiration photo of my own work makes my heart so full.
I’d really love to have books full of punk rock baddies who have a list of concerts they’re going to this year! It’s been so fun chatting with everyone about concerts from the summer and I’d like to keep that spirit alive

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hendrixsalon.com/cait
• Instagram: @caitandcolorr

Image Credits

Tan Boe