One of our local bloggers, Ron Bloomquist of Walking Fort Bragg, is now in Washington state caring for his mother-in-law. With seamless grace, he continues to blog his new surroundings as well as his personal adventures along the path of life. A recent post showed his discovery of the beauty salon his mother-in-law patronizes, with him watching like a kid in a foreign land.
These hair dryers, seen through the glass door at Valerie's, remind me of tagging along as a kid with my mother in the 60s, when carefully placed scalp-fulls of rollers and clips roasted under the tiny jets of air. Then, when unrolled and combed and brushed and fluffed and sprayed, a halo of controlled chaos crowned the well groomed customer. In today's fashions, these machines are mostly used to apply heat to chemical applications of color or "permanent waves". My thanks to Ron for reviving the memories, and my best wishes to him and his entire family.
15 comments:
Wow, I LOVE this photo! And I have similar memories.
:o)
Me, too. Many an hour as a teen I spent under one of these.
I love the colors and the retr-vibe of this photo. Very neat!
The green chairs are really cool! What do I see on the arms? Ashtrays?
I have similar memories of when I was 4 and going with my mother as she got her Jackie O/Liz Taylor hair dyed and then pouffed under one of those monsters. The ashtrays are too much.
Thanks for the link to your friend's blog. (And for great South Pacific lyrics. Now I'm going to have that song in my head all day -- "softer than starlight, are you...")
My best to Ron.
What a wonderful shot of a gorgeous salon. That green is great, and I love the ashtrays. Days gone by, huh? Well, maybe not. It does look retro, but well cared for. I got to sit in a really cool old chair in the NBC Studios make-up room last fall and I was so excited I took pictures of the chair for my website.
Snazzy!
p.s. I know that blog. It's a good one. Hope all goes well for him!
I want that wall paper with the silver foil. I already own a chair that same color (also in plush naugahyde). It came with my furnished studio apartment and left with me.
Great Follow-on. Elaine! Those be dem!
And thanks for the kind words.
I'm having a real adventure!
This brought a smile to my lips. But I never really did see anything like this is Manila. The steamers in beauty parlors (even that term makes me smile) here were always on wheels because most salons only had one or two.
Tamera - Thanks!
Bibi - Since they make so much noise in your ears, the salons always have magazines ready, even today.
Halcyon - I don't think the technology of hair drying has changed too much, come to think of it. I like the colors too.
JM - You spotted them! Those are from the days when second hand smoke was an unknown hazard.
Laurie - I had that song going all day too!
P - I remember seeing your photo of that makeup chair! That was far more retro than these, I agree.
Saretta - All in a glamor girl's day!
PA - I think the wallpaper is even more memorable than the dryers! And it's nice for bouncing some light around the room.
Ron - Just want you to know I keep up with your new surroundings on your blog, and always get inspired.
Thanks all!
Hilda - Looks like we cross posted! With these, it's just hot dry air coming through dozens of little holes inside the cap. I've never seen a steamer, or at least haven't recognized one if I did! Thanks!
Ah ... reminds me of the portable variety of this I bought my wife our first Christmas. Big on questions, I remember her asking "can I use it outside in the front yard"? And of course, I answered "yes, if you wanted to." We always chuckle about that one when quizzing each other about wrapped and disguised gifts.
Perfect E. You described those days gone by so wonderfully. Remember them so well. Down here some of our grandl ladies still adhere to the Friday ritual as always. Sweet memories photographed so well.
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