Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1509076
48 UCW OCTOBER 4-10, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM FEATURE Elyssa cuts it at Foundations Hair Salon by KATHLEEN RAMSEY Foundations Hair Salon is a small, almost unnoticeable gray brick building at the Haymount end of Fort Bragg Road. Inside the building's main space is an open room, decorated with a chandelier and large mirrors at each booth. ere's a shabby chic feel to it with feminine decor, rose- colored velvet chairs and couches. In the back right hand corner, just off the main space, is a room brightly-lit with one single black barber's chair. e charcoal colored walls are covered in art, skateboards, photos and other decor, most of which are odes to classic horror movies. is is the room of hair artist Elyssa Sax, and juxtaposed against the frill of the rest of the building, it gives off the vibes that one of these things is not like the other. Among her reviews and raves on online groups, many say this same thing goes for Sax and her hair artistry. Today, like most days, Sax has a busy schedule. She is quickly moving around the chair, switching between clippers and scissors and all sorts of tools she has housed in a large, black tool box that comes up mid-chest on her. "It's easier," she says looking at the tool chest. "I lock it up if I need to and it's easy to sanitize. I love them. ere is plenty of room for everything." She stops for a few seconds and looks at it another time. "I would love to have a big one — one of those with a long butcher block type of thing." Sax switches tools again. She is buzzing the head of Diego Ramierez. While she takes unkempt manes from unruly to rockabilly suave most of the day, the shave is at the request of Diego. For him, working on air conditioners in the heat of North Carolina, a haircut is all about keeping his head cool. is does not mean she'll take any shortcuts. "I could do skin with this clipper but it's more of a five o'clock shadow," Sax laughs. She picks up a few of her razors one at a time. "is will get it close. is will get it closer. is right here is my work horse." And, of course, there's always her ornate silver scissors and the straight razor. Sax grabs some shaving gel and the straight razor. She peels back the protective layer from a fresh new blade. She'll do this at least once per client for hygiene reasons but sometimes, depending on the head, she may do it multiple times with a single client. "I don't want to give it a chance to try and dull out." She locks the blade in and starts to evaluate the edges of Diego's hair. Sax's short, salt and pepper hair is neatly coiffed and tattoos cover most of her arms, hands and neck. Today she is dressed in a black t-shirt and black shorts. e large gauges in her ears just add to the effect. She looks as if she walked out of a scene of Southern California skaters — ironically where Diego was from prior to moving to Fayetteville. Sax bends down and checks out Diego's hair from different angles. When she is so concentrated, all that can be heard is the sounds of a movie, usually a comedy Sax admits, and the scrap of the straight razor. "e shaving part is my favorite," Diego says, closing his eyes. "Its my favorite part too," Sax says. "Its when I have to relax … like those zen gardens — this is it for me." For Sax, hair is an art. She dreams of an old-timey salon with well-dressed barbers, craft cocktails, a shoe shiner and a cigar smoking area out back. is is her goal — to open a high-end barbershop, a place where men can get haircuts that have been perfected and experience their own version of luxury. She says she hopes it'll be a place where the barbers want to dress up and the art of hair will be everyday life. Sax would have no less. She is a competitor. Currently, she is gearing up for a hair competition in Charlotte. She is working to confirm the model. She needs tough hair, she says; someone who can provide her a real transformation and an opportunity to show off her skills. In the corner of her room sits a few trophies already. She plans to add a few more to that collection in the near future. She does a quick few adjustments on Diego's cut and then it's his son Jonathan's turn. Jonathan has thick, jet-black hair and he likes it styled to one side. Currently, it sits on top of his head overgrown. Father and son exchange a few words in Spanish and then Diego relays to Sax how to cut Jonathan's hair. As she begins the cut, Sax and Diego exchange a couple stories about skateboarding. ey both chuckle about laying off skating now that they use their hands so much for work. Sax is probably a little more aware of this than most, having been in a severe accident at a tire retreading plant. As fate would have it, a monorail ended up hitting her in the face, a twist that brought her from the tire plant into multiple surgeries and rehab and then eventually into cosmetology school in 2014. Sax counts herself lucky to have not only survived but also the fact she landed into a second career. "Its the best decision I never made." It's a decision that has kept her busy. Sax says she is booked eleven days out even working every single day. When asked if she ever gets worried about the fluctuation of clients, Sax quietly shakes her head no. "Not anymore. It's a blessing and a curse." She moves around Jonathan again, this time with scissors in her hand. She flicks her wrist in and out, turning the blade of the scissors toward herself when moving and not cutting. Sax manipulates the scissors like it's another appendage, like some sort of daydream taken straight out of a Tim Burton gothic fairytale. Sax stands back for a second and looks over Jonathan's hair. She puts her scissors into her tool box, gives one final inspection and with that, the final cut of the day is done. Image by Nataliya Vaitkevich via Pexel KATHLEEN RAMSEY,Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484-6200.