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Watchword: care. It is care that inspires the work of Maurizio Polidori. Forty-seven years old, he is the star of CNA Storie of the Month. He was 14 when he began his experience as a store apprentice in a barber shop, in Viterbo. Passionate about the trade, he continues his journey as a hairstylist and completes training at the academy for women in Rome. At just 24, he opened his first hair salon, in Grottaferrata, a town on the Castelli Romani, a short distance from the capital. In 2005 she opened Frascati Exclusive and a few years later, with her partner Ella, she opened the doors to Velvet, a beauty center specializing in eye care. A total of 15 employees.
Growth to keep up with the evolution of the market
“Over the years I have experienced the evolution of this profession,” Maurizio explains. “Our industry has changed a lot, it has transformed. I mean, it used to be simply artisanal. Today, however, it’s not enough to know how to cut hair well and color it, the experience that goes around the beauty service is fundamental.” That’s why Maurizio built the idea of the experiential hairdresser around this need: “We go to touch all the senses, starting with taste, sight, smell, and touch.” Here, then, clients, both men and women, are greeted with a welcome extract. This is followed by a treatment with a choice of oil on the head and shoulders and shampooing on a massage chair on the back and feet, lulled by color therapy.
With the idea of experiential hairdressing we touch all the senses, starting with taste, sight, smell, and touch
Caring for clients and employees
It is no surprise to see clients with smiles. But it’s the one on the lips of those who work here that makes it clear how much Maurizio cares about caring for his employees as well as his customers. “I am very attached to the people I work with. We have very little turnover-some of my staff have also been working here for 15 years, although we also have newcomers. It is important to me that everyone is doing well.” It is clear from Maurizio’s words that the “how” is worth more than the “how much”: “In the salon we welcome about forty-five clients a day: that is not a high number per employee. After all, I am convinced that quality counts more than time.” Behind the chairs of this hair salon is a lot of study and training. “Training is an important element,” Maurizio says. Every Wednesday dedicates a few hours to internal or external training, depending on the arguments.
I am convinced that quality matters more than time
Velvet’s research and experience with CNA
Hairstyling and aesthetics run together in this space. Velvet is the brainchild of Ella, a partner and owner of the company of the same name, an idea that Maurizio calls “differentiating”: rejuvenating women’s eyes. “Ella has done specific rejuvenation protocols with the Arabian hair removal technique. But we expanded the look to henna coloring and microcirculation massage. We have moved from epilation to these types of treatments to evolve and use advanced machinery,” Maurizio says.
It is a tireless work of listening and research, which is also nourished by the stimuli that Maurizio gathers in his meetings in CNA: “Being part of an association is always a very beautiful, extraordinary thing: one is able to solve so many problems that alone would be difficult and complex to deal with.”
