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Can there be a lady barber, you may be asking? Yes, yes there can. And in Brainerd, that barber is Elisha Sand, owner of Eclipz Barbershop. She’s been cutting hair for 16 years and has deep community experience.
“I started at the Cutting Edge Barbershop on Brainerd Road,” she recalls. “I was there for seven years. Then I ended up moving to Alter Ego three years ago. I decided to strike out on my own, and I’ve owned my shop for two years this December.”
It’ll be a happy holiday season for Sand and her customers, whose sharp looks grace her Facebook page at facebook.com/elishadaladybarber. While you’ll find everything from locs to soft, natural curls in her gallery, her signature haircuts offer precise, elegant — almost architectural — angles.
She styles Black hair and white hair, natural and permed hair, adults and children. Basically, if you have hair, she’s got you. (And if you need more hair, she can hook you up.) She’s a specialist at beards, and there are some very handsome beards on her pages, too.
“I do just about any cut or style,” she says. “I also have a beard oil I’m selling. Lots of guys in the area are using it; it’s good for the skin and provides moisture.”
Perhaps the most popular thing about a barbershop is the camaraderie — the mood when you’re telling your barber or hairstylist about how your week went, or exchanging gossip with other patrons.
“We are very family friendly,” Sands says. “I get people in and out without long waits. It’s overall a very professional environment.”
A visit to the barbershop can lift your spirits after a rough day or get you ready for a challenging week.
“I like it when people come in…you just never know when someone’s feeling down…I like to make them feel good and look good,” Sand says. “I talk to them like I’m their counselor. I listen to what they have to say. People need to vent.”
By the time you get out of the chair at Eclipz, you’ll both look and feel like a new person. There’s nothing like a fresh haircut to boost confidence and self-esteem.
Sand is especially good with children, who can be fearful of their first haircut.
“I make them feel comfortable,” she says. “I stoop to their level and talk to them like I’d do my own five-year-old.”
Soon, they’re feeling right at home.
People missed those moments early in the pandemic, but now they’re flocking back to — safely — reunite with old friends while they get their hair back in shape.
Often, Sands says, they’re looking for new styles. So if you haven’t been out of the house for a while and your hair is past due for attention, use your imagination! You may want a reliable, old-school haircut, but it also might be time to break out and try something very different.
Find Eclipz Barbershop:
- 5323 Brainerd Rd., Ste. 102
- 423-355-0683
- styleseat.com/elishasand
- facebook.com/elishadaladybarber
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