Reinventing Beauty from the Inside Out

“Beauty is not in the face,” wrote Kahlil Gibran. “Beauty is a light in the heart.”

It is a philosophy of confidence, radiance and female empowerment that is reflected in every aspect of customer service at Hair Profile, an upscale salon located in the San Gabriel Valley community of La Cañada Flintridge. “From the moment they first step through the doors,” says owner Marian Gotanian, “I want my clients to know that they are going to receive a beauty experience unlike any other they have ever tried. Hair Profile is a place where their wishes about beauty and renewed self-esteem can come true.”

Gotanian has owned the salon for the past 17 years, the first 10 of which were in nearby Glendale. “What actually brought me to La Cañada was my landlord. He had been my landlord in Glendale and when he sold that property and bought this location, he asked me to join him.”

Foothill Boulevard – the city’s main thoroughfare – is an eclectic mix of older businesses that reflect 1960’s architecture, family cafes, specialty shops, chain grocery stores, and the ubiquitous sprinkling of fast food restaurants to appease the budgets of hungry students who attend area schools. Not only is it a suburban community that has become known for its proliferation of churches, private educational facilities and aggressive participation in charitable fundraising but it’s also a real estate haven for film, television and music celebrities who need to be close to Los Angeles studios and eschew the idea of raising their families in the spotlight of Hollywood.

In the seven years since her salon’s relocation, Gotanian has seen a lot of growth and, with it, came the realization that she needed to offer her clientele something that was truly unique. Contrary to the salon’s name, it’s not “just about the hair”.

What’s so special about Hair Profile is our level of customer service and the high quality of products that we’re able to offer. I wanted us to have something original that puts us on the map and offers skin and hair products that are different from what you can walk in and find in beauty supply stores or other salons. We’re always looking for things that are on the cutting edge such as Epicuren, for instance, a wonderful oil-free skin care product we have that rejuvenates the skin and is specially designed for women who are in their 30’s and older.”

She cites “pampering” as a major component of the Hair Profile experience. “If they’re coming in for an appointment in the evening, for instance, and are tired and want to relax with a cocktail or a glass of wine – Absolutely! If they want champagne, we’ll have it chilled and ready for them when they first sit down.” She flashes a charismatic smile that matches the sparkle in her dark eyes. “Everyone wants to be treated special and everyone wants to feel like they’re a celebrity. We like making that happen for them.”

A sign on the door of her salon extends the invitation for new arrivals to reinvent themselves. “How I came up with this approach last year was that I heard a lot of clients – including myself – who would change their ‘look’ but they weren’t physically fit or their wardrobe just wasn’t as up to date as it should be. Maybe their makeup was the same as they had been doing it for years and it just didn’t no longer complimented how they had changed over time. On the flip side, maybe they were in good shape, had a great wardrobe and did their makeup well but the hairstyle wasn’t a flattering cut or the right style for them. Beauty for a woman is all on the inside. Many people forget that. To recreate or reinvent – the goal of our salon - is to bring that internal beauty out for them and let them show other people their external strength. Whether it’s a haircut, color, styling, facials – any of the special treats you need to give to yourself on a regular basis – are part of the outward package that makes a woman feel feminine and confident about herself and her place in the world.”

The reinvention and spirit rejuvenation process is provided through a 4-week program and a 6-week program tailored to fit the client’s objectives. “The six weeks, for instance, is a subcontracted boot camp involving outside exercise that allows the clients to work out. They can choose morning or afternoon sessions that best fit their personal schedules. If they want to lose weight but don’t really have the interest or the time to get out and exercise, our four week program involves a diet called Matol that they can purchase through the salon and which works very well.”

Makeup, facials, scalp treatments, nail care, waxing and hair design services are all done in-house by Gotanian’s staff of “four wonderfully dynamic people”.

We also do eyelash extensions and hair extensions to create fullness for the hair, not necessarily length.” Hair extensions, she cites, have particularly been popularized by Paris Hilton and other young celebrities. It’s not just the twenty-somethings who are flocking in for those mega-locks, however. “Premenopausal women go through a certain amount of hair thinning. Likewise, their eyelashes aren’t as thick and luscious looking as they’d like them to be.” Eyelash extensions done at the salon are affixed with a special bonding agent and last about two months. “There’s a natural shedding cycle that the eyelash goes through,” Gotanian explains, “so that when the natural one falls out, the extension goes with it. We let the client know that if they lose anything up to 10 lashes within the first two weeks, we replace them for free. They love it because they don’t have to wear mascara and their existing lashes have come back as thicker.”

She relates that hair extensions last about four months with recommended touchups in-between. “We teach them the regimen of how to maintain their extensions, including the washing, the use of Rene Furterer products, detangling treatments, and styling and brushing techniques. Even with natural hair, many women make the mistake of brushing from the roots down rather than starting at the ends with a paddle brush and gently working their way back up.” Doing it backwards, she says, is what results in a mess of tangles and knots.

So who does this savvy and stylish entrepreneur admire the most among current stars?

She doesn’t hesitate a second in naming Brad Pitt and George Clooney. “I think that in addition to both being very handsome, they set the tone for young men as well as for mature, metropolitan men. For young adults, I’d have to say Paris Hilton has been a trendsetter as far as how she does her color and her extensions. The latter definitely boomed our business. For older women, Diane Keaton is one of the greatest and classiest women I have ever come across. A lot of women want to relate to that because she always projects so much confidence about who she is in her movies and in interviews. I would also list Angelina Jolie who has a beauty that is ageless and classic and she wears it very well.”

Gotanian’s own natural beauty and sense of style is matched only by her sensitivity to client needs and the unabashed warmth with which she greets first-time visitors and long-time devotees. “Giving women the opportunity to help themselves grow is a remarkable gift of empowerment. My clients help me to help them when they want to discover how to feel and look their very best. It’s not just the external look that they have but the strength and the pride to feel good about who they are. At the end of the day, we are here to make a difference, not just to make money.”

On September 23rd, Gotanian and her staff will be holding an open house from 12-4 to help contribute much-needed tresses to “Locks of Love”, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18. Many of these children have lost their own hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, a disease has no known cause or cure. Others have lost their hair as a result of chemotherapy, fire, or psychological trauma.

We require a minimum length of 10 inches of hair,” Gotanian explains. “It can be colored or permed but not bleached.” Although walk-ins will be accepted throughout the afternoon, she recommends that prospective participants call to schedule an appointment in advance. In addition to the September event, Hair Profile also hosts quarterly soirees featuring Rene Furterer products. Five percent of the proceeds from these soirees are donated to the “Locks of Love” cause.

The salon - located at 711 Foothill Blvd, Suite H – is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Thursdays, the hours are extended to 8 p.m. Phone number: (818) 790-1392. To learn more, readers can also visit Hair Profile’s website at www.hairprofile.com.