Professional hairdresser Lizzie Ionadi has swapped her hair salon in Clifton, Bristol, for something much more unusual.
Lizzie, 34, has worked as a hairdresser for 20 years, starting in her native Canada: “I started as a teen and took part in different competitions and worked up in education for L’Oreal Professional in downtown Toronto,” explained Lizzie.
She subsequently worked on cruise ships, which brought her to the UK in 2016, and after running her own salon in Bristol decided a change of lifestyle was in order, so opened hew new business – in a specially converted caravan based in Wotton-under-Edge!
“I’ve been working here for two months now, and we’re licenced, insured and registered as a business. I also work as a mobile hairdresser.”
Lizzie has a wide range of clients from across the Stroud District, from young children right through to senior citizens, and the one-to-one consultancy in the caravan is reassuring for many: “A lot of people have anxiety about being in settings with all the blow dryers and lots of people and will open up to me in a more intimate setting,” added Lizzie.
“It’s a different experience – they get that deep consult and get to a certain level to figure out what they want in a different sort of comfort atmosphere. I’m really focusing on the type of people I want in my chair, and for the most part they are campers, festivalgoers and I get every age bracket.
“I aim to be an innovative, transparent, and educational hairdresser that is always evolving so I can provide cutting and colouring services that people of all ages, styles, gender identities, hair types and abilities can rely on.”
Lizzie bought the caravan in July and worked on converting it to a salon, as well as having a distinctive interior design which she devised: “I’ve always used the brand ‘Timeless Nostalgia’, and that is a big aspect of the design. I’ve got things here like vintage cameras, coffee makers and even a Russian doll. I have it like this because I want people to see it and think ‘I want to sit there’.”
To find out more about Lizzie’s ethos, as well as how to book an appointment, visit her Instagram page, www.instagram.com/timeless.nostalgia/
Pictures by Matt Bigwood
