Group of Pittsburgh barbers want clients to look and feel good
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Getting your hair done at a salon is not just a way for you to look your best. It can also be a therapeutic experience.
A barber's job is to make sure you look good, but for a group of Pittsburgh barbers, they want to make sure you feel good too.
"It provides a safe space for them to open up," said Horace "Rock" Topeck, Jr., The Suite Spot owner and barber.
At The Suite Spot in East Liberty, clients are getting more than a style or a trim. They're making friends that often turn into family.
That's because these barbers are part of the Health Access Initiative for Recovery, also known as HAIR. It is a UPMC Health Plan program that works to connect the African American community and provide mental health support.
"There's a lot of distrust, there's bias, there's stigma," said Lori Weems, director of the program. "But who we know that they do trust, African Americans trust their barbers and their stylists."
And they're often the only person they go to share their most personal thoughts and feelings. The program provides training so that stylists can do more.
"Now they have the resources to say call this person, call this number and they can help you," said Weems.
Since last fall, HAIR has connected more than a dozen people to life-saving resources. It's something Tim Jones, a stylist, experienced first-hand with a client.
"I had her call the hotline, 988, and I held her hand through the whole process. So, as soon as the lady comes on, she says suicide hotline," said Tim Jones, Salon Blue owner and stylist. "The lady was able to find her about six different listings and direct her to the proper resources that she needed in that moment."
He says without the training, he wouldn't have been able to help his client that fast. And all it took was for him to listen.
"People really let their hair down. They talk, they share everything with you and I think the people who work behind the chairs are really gifted," said Curtis Miller, HAIR project consultant and owner and barber at Heirs Barbershop.
A gift these barbers are more than happy to give this holiday season and beyond.