This story took place exactly two years ago toward the end of my three-month stay in Rome, Italy. I’m not a person who regularly go to a hairdresser, but like insects shed their skin, I also have my hair cut whenever I feel a significant shift or growth within myself.
Two months into my life in Rome, I suddenly felt the urge to cut my hair. It was time for me to shed my old look and embody the growth I felt inside of me. Once I get the inspiration, I’m usually very impatient. I need to do the thing right away. I needed my haircut NOW.
My airbnb was located near Piazza Fiume, and there was a street called Via Nizza stretching out from the piazza. I always walked on this street and saw a tiny hairdresser on my way back home. I was quite sure about their quality from the shop’s refined atmosphere. But I needed to check the price. Especially since I wasn’t skilled in Italian (in fact, very basic), I needed to know if I could afford it before actually visiting the store.
Miraculously, this hairdresser always kept a pile of leaflets in front of their shop which contained the list of all their services with their prices. I studied this leaflet in detail, and confirmed that I could indeed afford their haircut service. Moreover, they welcomed walk-ins.
The next evening, I finished my work early and went to the hairdresser with a thumping heart. As I peeked inside through the shiny glass window, I saw no customer. After taking a few deep breaths, I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Once inside, I was immediately welcomed by the main hairstylist. Before I forgot the practiced sentence, I told her in Italian that I wanted a haircut. She understood. She asked me with a gesture how short I wanted my hair to be, so I placed my hand in the hair indicating my desired length. My hairdresser then asked me something else, which I didn’t understand at all. But I answered yes. She nodded, and that was the end of our consultation. I could have felt worried, but the way this hairdresser saw me and looked at my hair convinced me that she really understood what I wanted.
The session was very quiet because I couldn’t speak the language to communicate with my stylist. But she and her assistant were both very warm and peaceful that I felt totally at home.
In less than an hour, my hair was done. As I put on my glasses and looked into the mirror in front of me, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was the BEST haircut that I had ever had in my entire life! I beamed at my stylist and thanked her for her amazing work.
I will forever remember this haircut I had on Via Nizza, and how this one hairdresser really saw the person inside of me in that brief encounter without words.