Almost everyone needs a haircut once in a while. At the University of Notre Dame this service is met by the University Hair Stylists, a business tucked away in the basement of the LaFortune Student Center.
Hair stylist Zak Emmons is the latest owner of the family business that opened in 1979.
“At the time, my dad was working off-campus cutting hair and he happened to cut a gentleman named Bob Watkins. They told my dad, ‘you know … they want somebody to come and run a salon on campus.’ And so that's what he did,” Emmons said.
The salon serves up to 20 clients per day, from undergraduates to faculty members. Emmons works alongside seven other stylists to provide a variety of services including standard haircuts, perms, colors and waxing. He noted many students come in for cuts before dances, career fair week and senior portraits.
Some students come in with more concerns than others, worrying about getting their hair cut at a new salon.
“There’s one kid a few years ago,” Emmons said. “He’s trying to describe his haircut, but then, he said to me, ‘I just don’t want it to look like a loaf of bread.’ I think I was able to succeed. I did not make his hair look like a loaf of bread.”
Emmons’ hair salon has also worked with students to cut hair for a cause. In the past few years, Emmons and his team have worked with St. Edward’s Hall to help with their Mullets Against Malaria fundraiser.
“[The students] come into the salon, and we do a bunch of mullets,” Emmons said. “But, there’s always one kid who has to get what they refer to as a 'Skullet'. It looks really ridiculous and terrible, as you can imagine.”
Freshman Peter Escamilla had heard of the hair salon from other students and decided to give it a try. He expressed his appreciation for the hairstylists’ flexibility.
“[The hairstylists] weren’t rushing me through,” Escamilla said. “When I asked them to cut back my hair a little shorter, they were really happy and they didn’t act annoyed or anything. I would recommend it.”
Other long-time clients shared positive reviews about the salon. Michael Pries, associate dean of social sciences, is a regular client at the salon.
“I’ve been coming here for at least ten years, because I get a great haircut every time from Zak,” Pries said.
The salon is more than just a place to get a trim; it’s also home to many good memories for both the clients and the hairstylists. Emmons still remembers cutting Fr. Hesburgh’s hair and he noted that Hesburgh loved to converse about fishing while sitting in the barbershop. In the future, Emmons said he hopes that he can have the chance to give Marcus Freeman a trim.
“We're different from a lot of salons,” Emmons said. “You meet people from all over the world. The people that I work with, I’ve worked with, for a couple of them, for 27 years. They do become my family and you grow up with these people.”
As Emmons and his team of stylists continue their work, Emmons said he is looking forward to meeting more clients and providing them with the best service.
“We see people from every continent and all different hair textures and hair types,” Emmons said. “If there’s something that we can’t do, we’ll surely tell you, but we can take care of a lot of different people. I hope they know that they’re welcome here.”
