Kalanit Patsko, who was my stylist at Rae & Co. salon in Ardmore, is now working at this salon on a charming little street in Narberth. It was like discovering an extra $1000 in my checking account to find her again. When she left Rae & Co., I was told 'we don't know where she is now or where she's working." Total fiction. If you are a former client of hers when she was at Rae & Co.-run, don't walk, to her at Capelli Salon.
Kalanit is a DevaCurl Certified stylist and this woman is a magic maker with scissors. She is sweetly courteous, has a keen sense of aesthetics, the sensibility of an artist, she listens to what you need and want as far as your hair, your lifestyle and your ability to style (or not style) and above all she is gentle and non-judgemental. For decades I kept my head almost shaved because once I left Southern CA, I could not find a stylist willing to work with me and my quirky hair needs. I got one dry cut in Stanford, CA and after that heinous hack, I was leery of having anyone touch my hair, wet or dry, and spent a long time wearing hats, buns and 80s rocker bandanas to hide the disreputatable state of my locks.
Kalanit works with extreme focus on your hair and sees you as a whole person, not just a 'head' but having her give a cut is not a silent, tense, high drama experience. If asked, she will give you a straight and honest opinion about your hair (cut as well as color) and she is straight forward without being abrasive, snarky or even remotely rude.
She's a traveler, a gourmand and an all 'round bon vivant so conversation is continuously lively and there's always a lot of laughter. While she is in total scissor control, she will still ask your permission before using any hair spray, fluffing (or 'opening,' as she calls it) your hair and your comfort and well being are always first with her. She does not ever push products. I loved that the first time she styled my hugely unkempt mane because the DevaCurl line makes my head itch to the point where I have wanted to rip my scalp off.
Kalanit's cuts actually even look good wet and when air dried or diffused, for me it's almost like the late Richard Avedon blessed my scalp and strands with a magic wand that makes me look still like me yet somehow so much better. Her cuts grow out as nicely as when I first leave her chair, which initially tempted me to go longer than every 3 months between appointments. Nope. Bad move.
The salon itself is comfortable, airy, open and clean. Nothing about it calls attention to itself but it conveys a sense of welcome and spaciousness. It's not trendy, it's not kitschy. More than anything, I'd say it's timelessly classic. Everyone who works there is quite pleasant without trying to act like your new best friend.
Yes, a Deva cut IS more costly than going to SuperCuts or your local wash and hack salon, but if you average the cost out over just 3 or 4 visits/cuts per year, and the satisfying feeling of looking fantastic no matter what stage of grow out you're in, the cuts are a solid bargain.
Take it from me; you can hide a lot of things about your appearance-lack of a six pack, skinny legs, a flat butt, a concave chest, spaghetti strand upper arms, ears that stick out-but it's pretty damn hard to hide your unflattering, badly cut hair day in and day out, especially if you work in the public or corporate sector.
Kalanit cares that your hair is out in the world, representing her and Capelli Salon. You will never leave her chair looking like your room mate cut your hair PLUS your hair will look just as good on days two, ten, and twenty as it did on day one of the cut.
Am I nuts about my stylist? HELL YES! Kalanit rocks! read more