There is something therapeutic about getting your hair cut or colored, or, maybe I treat it like a semi-free therapy session I attend every six weeks (so they recommend). For one, you get to talk to a creative, almost always in possession of brilliant tastes and uncensored wisdom, for at least 45 minutes, and you get to dish about the terrible (or terribly wonderful) date you went on the other week or daydream about your career or even share the ideas bubbling in your head as you sit still and ‘straight ahead’ in a salon chair. But almost more importantly, you subject yourself to change. Sometimes that change is the reset to the cut you had six weeks prior because it brings you back to your centered self, but sometimes it’s that drastic change that rattles awake that self you’ve been dying to showcase to the public eye. Maybe I say all this because I recently colored my hair for the first time and feel a resurrected spirit, one that loves to live in neon shadows and bathe in spotlights and consume bottles of texture spray. But ultimately, I do believe this kind of interaction is an opportunity for community and self-care.
I think Brooke Allison would agree. She’s the kind of chick to cross many state lines to open a yoga studio in East Nashville just because she noticed the area was lacking in options, and she’s the kind of shape-shifting, community-building energy that decides to open a barbershop to turn clients into friends and strangers into neighbors. “I noticed a lot of gaps in Nashville, and I wanted to provide a space that’s welcoming, a place to meet your neighbors,” says the Washington-state native in reference to her bustling business, Scout’s Barbershop. Opened with a dear friend from Austin, Scout’s found its home in East Nashville, cozied up to Brooke’s first business in town, Hot Yoga East, and with its intention to offer a “laid-back, high-quality experience and fun vibe,” it’s no surprise that the business is expanding into what she refers to as “that neighborhood barbershop that serves all of the people here.” This Sunday, March 12th, is the grand opening of Scout’s Barbershop’s Gulch location, a very appropriate locale to serve you local brews (coffee and beer) while you freshen your look and converse with fellow dwellers. To make the occasion even more festive, Scout’s will be celebrating from 12pm – 8pm and will be providing free cuts (or chops, if you will), Little Harpeth beer, Barista Parlor Coffee and Five Daughters donuts. And to sweeten the day, Republican Hair will perform at 7pm, welcoming Scout’s to their new home at 811 Gleaves Street.
Whether you prefer the suave parts of a rockabilly doo or the dirty roots of 90s grunge, Scout’s will carve out a space for you to come to life and meet others doing the same. And because it seemed like a fitting list for this now-Nashville resident, check out Brooke’s Nashville Five on her favorite rock-and-roll hair moments. Not mentioned below: her love for Dolly Parton, but that fact alone deserves an honorable mention.
-Katie A.
Nashville Five /// Brooke Allison’s Top Rock & Roll Hair Moments
Lockeland Springsteen 