Hairsalon Embassy of Inclusive Society: A new haircut and a spontaneous encounter
A Monday afternoon at 12:30 hrs, not a usual time to go to the hair salon. But at the hair salon of the Embassy of Inclusive Society there is a queue. Students from Sint Lucas, visitors from Germany, Portugal and just Eindhoven, all wait patiently for their turn for a new look, and today there is also a hand masseuse present.
Melanie Hendrikx, hairdresser at Faces, did not expect it to be so busy. “We were here at 11 and there was actually a line right away,” she says. She cut her third customer at 12:30. Indian Malika, who lives and works in Germany. Malika is staying with a friend in Eindhoven and together they are visiting DDW. She did not expect a hair salon to be present.
And it may have been fate, Malika says. “Because,” she confesses, “I haven’t been to the hairdresser in four years.” Melanie: “She’s actually a little afraid of hairdressers.” In the morning, Malika had told her German friend that she “really needed to get her hair done again.” In the elevator downstairs they ran into friends. “They told me about this hair salon. Then I had no choice but to go to the hairdresser.”
“At first I was a little nervous, but I soon felt confident with Melanie.” The two talked about all sorts of things: about their experiences, where Malika is from, what she does, “and about food.” Melanie: “As always in my life.” Malika: “Both of us are open to tasting everything.” Food provided a connection between the two.
Satisfied with her new cut, Malika slides on for a hand massage. That’s just where Susana Santo, from Portugal, came from. She enjoyed the moment intensely. “It was perfect. It makes me conscious to be open to receive everyone in an equal way. That’s also something you need within the design world. To be able to connect, with all your senses.” Even by not saying anything, the hand masseuse and Susana made a beautiful connection. Susana: “We were really open to meeting each other.”
The hair salon is part of the Embassy of Inclusive Society. Every day there are different hairdressers to style your hair. Hairdressers always with a different speciality, but all open to engage with you. An ideal location to meet each other.