6 days ago
Tired of hair tantrums? This Boston mom has a fix.
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She tried to cut the boys' hair herself in the family bathtub while they watched 'Paw Patrol.' This went poorly. She took them to walk-in, kid-focused franchises that didn't offer appointments, which ended in overstimulation and tears.
'It was traumatic. One person frankly just held my son's head down and started cutting his hair. We were treated like: 'Get in; get out,'' she says. 'In some of these places, it was just too much. It was sensory overload.'
Pi finally took the tots to her own elegant grown-up salon, which was the last straw.
'It was fall, and so there were these beautiful handblown glass pumpkins everywhere. They almost broke them. It was horrific,' she says.
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Danni Pi launched Mayne after too many stressful salon visits with her sons.
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Pi saw an opportunity, and she had the right experience: She's the former chief operating officer of Rowan, a franchise dedicated to safe, kid-friendly ear piercing, done by nurses. Why not create the same stress-free concept, but for kids' tresses?
'My theory is: Parents today want more thoughtful, experience-driven services for their kids,' she says. 'We always greet customers by saying, 'What are we celebrating today?' Because we believe a haircut is a celebration. It's a milestone.'
At Mayne, every kid gets a ribbon if they get their hair styled, or they can get their hair sprayed their favorite (washable) color. A nursing-friendly waiting area is stocked with toys, and there's a separate reading nook where families — even those without appointments, who just want to check out the space — can drop in to browse.
'One customer came in and had just had her third boy, who was literally 3 weeks old. She said, 'This is my first outing, and this space made it possible.' She was feeding her baby on our reading nook steps, and her two boys were getting cuts, and she was just ecstatic. It made me so happy. People see the value in it,' Pi says.
As for the cuts themselves? Pi frames the experience like a first dentist appointment: ease in, and go slow.
'So many kids feel scared when they approach the idea of a haircut, especially a first haircut. Look at what pediatric dentistry has done in the last couple of years. They've built a whole experience around: stop by for your first appointment; not too much happens. You build a trust with your dentist, and from there, you can take the next step. In some ways, I mirror the service and the experience to be like that. We never force a kid to get a haircut,' she says.
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If a kid is scared, they can leave: no charge. Otherwise, kids arrive and play for a bit, at a drawing table, in a play tent, or with a sensory-friendly toy bin.
'One of the things that we find is super helpful for kids who are fussy or squirmy, especially those who don't like the feeling of hair on their back, is to give them toys where they can focus on the sensory effect in front of them. We have a basket of little fish and dragons, held in a cup. It's one way to calm them down,' she says.
Stylists greet kids on their knees, at eye level. Each appointment is booked for 35 or so minutes, enough time for squirming and negotiations.
'We feel like we're in this as a partnership, and we're making an investment in you coming back. So let them play; let them use the space as a reading space. Let them get comfortable in the space or with our stylist, and so the next time they come, they're a little more likely to be able to get that cut,' Pi says. (She recommends first-timers visit on a weekday, when they're less busy.)
As for the styles: Stylists are trained in curly hair and braids, as well as color extensions and tinsel, plus stickier stuff: chlorine removal and conditioning for swimmers, plus detangling. They're also open for makeover parties.
Good hair stylists are hard to find. Ones who like kids? Even tougher.
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'I felt that hair cutting and training — that is actually easy. But I was looking for someone who wanted to engage with kids to build their self-confidence and self-expression. And I've got to say: I met a lot of highly talented people who just didn't have that,' she says. 'You can't train people for that desire.'
At Rowan, she recruited at nursing schools. This time, she recruited at beauty schools, wading through about 200 applications until she settled on three stylists. As such, current hours are somewhat limited: They're open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
The salon is outfitted with stools where parents can sit next to their child; the stylist will show them each tool they plan to use before starting the process.
'If it's a water spray bottle, we will literally spray it on ourselves with the parents to show the kid: 'Hey, we know this is something you haven't seen before. This may be scary to you, but let me show you that there is nothing to be scared of,'' Pi says.
Cuts are $45, geared to toddlers 9 months and up; subscriptions for a monthly cut are $30. Storytimes, hosted by stylists, are free.
Storytime at Mayne.
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'We see it as a way to give the space back to the community a bit and to hopefully get kiddos to enjoy the space, to feel comfortable in the space, so when they're ready to get a haircut, we're already starting from step five instead of step one,' Pi says.
Mayne, 24 Union Park St., Boston. 646-715-3194,
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Kara Baskin can be reached at
