JOSHUA TREE, Calif. — Hair salons all over the U.S. have been shuttered because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Business suffered.
But thankfully, hair stylist Jeff Hafler has a backup. His salon also doubles as a full-fledged museum.
Several years ago, Hafler closed his salon in Los Angeles and moved out to the high desert to open his Beauty Bubble salon in Joshua Tree.
But he also mixed his vocation with his avocation. Hafler describes himself as a historian who also went to beauty school. Over the years he's built a collection of historical items, so he decided to open a gift shop and museum inside his hair salon.
"Well, the collection is everything hair and beauty related," said Hafler. He especially loves the novelty hair dryer shaped like a revolver, and the "bobby pin stapler" from the 1940s that literally shot pins into a woman's hairdo. "And hopefully not into your head," he added.
The 3,000-piece collection also includes an example of the first aerosol hairsprays and a permanent machine that looks like a medieval torture device.
Hafler proudly notes how "the original perm solution was made with cow urine." Yikes.