For the better part of my life, I started to avoid the hair salon due to some bad experiences. There was a time where I would just wear the same hairstyle for years, attempt cutting my own hair, or perhaps using some temporary color to “shake things up.”

These days, I’ve gotten over that fear and look forward to visiting a salon. Although I made the reservation last weekend before the current heat wave, my visit to Barberama couldn’t have come at a better time.

I pulled my hair back, hopped on the #6 bus (I could have walked, but it was hot), and was in front of the shop in a couple of minutes. When I walked in, I was greeted by Megan, with whom I scheduled my appointment, and Nicole, who owns the shop.

While I’m not a terribly chatty person, especially in the salon, I really enjoyed chatting with Megan while she cut and styled my hair. In no time, Megan had my now-shorter hair looking great.

If you’ve never been to Barberama in its current location on NE MLK Blvd., the salon shares a space with a coffee shop, appropriately called Javarama, where you can get coffee, beer, tea and some sweet treats. On occasion, there are art shows hosted in the space as well as movie nights. This month, the shop is featuring art by local photographer Kina Williams.