Meet Heather Whitener | Owner/Operator of a Salon for Men

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Whitener and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business, was I am already working 60 hours a week sometimes seven days. I may as well be doing that for myself and my family instead of a bigger corporation. My hope is that one of my children would like to someday get licensed in the industry and continue working and running the shop in the future.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Getting to where I am today was not an easy journey. I have had many setbacks, many failures, lots of roadblocks most of which were my own doing. However, the one thing that always remained was the support and encouragement of my family. I am so glad that I took that scary step to go back to school and get my licenses to do hair, I knew I wanted to do men’s hair mostly it’s just what appealed to me. I like the faster pace of things. I am from a small town, so I didn’t have a lot of options for specialty or barber schools. So, I went to the Yuma School of Beauty where I was able to learn about it all, from perms, color, extensions, haircuts. I was amazed at how much science, math, chemistry, and vocabulary was actually involved. It was tough at times being I had been out of school for many years, but I enjoyed every bit of it, soaked it all up.
I worked for a few salons and really enjoyed them for what they were, but I knew I wanted to eventually open my own salon or spa for male services. Mostly because yes, I enjoyed do men’s hair but also because I could tell how some men were uncomfortable in a setting that was predominately female, So I opened The Men’s Room Salon where I have created an atmosphere where it’s all mostly male except for the stylists.
Men can come in and unwind with a nice relaxing shampoo and conditioning treatment They can expect to get a great detailed haircut with a steamed towel clean up. Where they can talk about everything or nothing, we are great listeners! We also do facial waxing, bread detailing and clean ups.
I truly enjoy what I do, yes, it’s hard work, working behind the chair for 8-10 hours a day and managing the day to day of being a business owner and still have the energy to go home and being a wife, mother, and grandmother but I wouldn’t change it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a friend visiting for a week, I would definitely take them over to the Wicked Taco, I pretty much love everything their tacos are yummy, burritos are huge, rolled tacos w/ Cabage and salsa are amazing. We would also make a point to stop into the Nichim Cafe and Boutique they have great coffee drinks as well as teas and, on the weekends, they have homemade empanadas that are my favorite! I would also take my friend over to check out the “Honey Pot” it’s a cute little store that has tons of antiques and farm style decor, also lots of yummy baked good and healthy snacks. Maybe even a nice little hike up telegraph mountains it’s a killer hike but it has a great view of the foothills area. We would also go over and check out Jim’s Rod Shop, look at some of the classic cars and hotrods they are building. El Charros Restaurant is another great place that I would love to take my friend to, they have a wonderful atmosphere the staff are great, and the food is always hot and delicious. Before I let my friend go back home, I would make sure we got a nice relaxing facial from the Gratitude Health Spa, I have personally enjoyed every service I have received, and I know my Friend would also.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have always wanted to own and run my own business, but I honestly thought I would never be able to afford to make such a bold move. However, with the support of my husband, my parents and my sister and brother-in-law that dream came to furititioun. I am a firm believer in hard work always pays off, and it did. Without the support of my family, I would not have The Mens Room Salon.

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