CASE ONE. Male. Age at first exposure: eight.
His mother, Susan Severson, brought him to Reflect Salon in Maple Grove for a haircut. The stylist was Pam Moeller. The haircut went fine. That was the problem.
He is twenty-one now. His mother says he’ll never stop seeing Pam for his haircuts. Not “probably.” Not “for now.” Never.
Duration: thirteen years and counting.
Family history: Susan started seeing Pam. So did her husband. Somewhere along the way, the two of them coined a word for going to see her: Pamtastic.
This is what happens when you keep the same stylist long enough. Eventually she becomes an adjective.
The attending stylist, it should be noted, is not immune. Pam, a Master Stylist with more than twenty years in the industry, reports symptoms of her own. “I would see clients more than my own family,” she says.
Further investigation at the salon turned up more cases. They present with remarkable consistency.
Even the salon has it.
New Reflections Salon opened in 1979 with four chairs at Bass Lake Shopping Center in Maple Grove. In 1999 it left for Plymouth. The time away lasted eight years. In 2007 it was back in Maple Grove, at the Fountains of Arbor Lakes, where it remains.
Clinically speaking, the symptoms returned. Full case history at right.
EARLY SYMPTOMS. You arrive wearing a hat. You have already curled it, straightened it, teased it and sprayed it, and none of it worked. Nobody asks what happened. Someone walks you to a chair, runs her fingers through your hair and asks what you want. Then comes the head, neck and shoulder massage, standard here, which is where the prognosis starts to look bad.
CASE TWO. Emily Uner. Presented eight years ago with hair she describes as genuinely damaged. Attending stylist: Breanna Eischens. Somewhere between then and now, damaged became healthy, and a stranger became someone who remembers the small details of Emily’s life without being reminded. “Finding a truly exceptional hairstylist is a rare gift,” Emily says. Her prognosis: “I’ll be her client for life.” Eight years of data support it.
CASE THREE. Jenna Pietrzak. Attending stylist: Ashley Pedote. Trust level: complete, “whether we’re trying something new or sticking to what we know works.” Ashley, too, shows symptoms. “They’ve encouraged me to grow, try new things, and become more confident in my work,” she says of her clients.
CASE FOUR. Jacqueline Scholl. Onset: years ago, as an employee at New Reflections, where she worked her way up. Most patients book their next appointment. In 2021, Jacqueline bought the salon.
ADDITIONAL CASES, SELF-REPORTED. On Reflect’s website, one client says stylist Shawna Fahey has done her hair for twenty years. Another says she has driven across the metro for years to see Shana Sipe.
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. Reflect’s stylists are employees, not renters running separate businesses under one roof. The salon says that eliminates the need to compete for clients. Nobody is working the room for your business.
The attending stylists show no interest in a cure. “I’m so grateful that what I do allows me to build genuine relationships and make people feel special, seen, and confident,” Bre says.
TREATMENT. None known. Patients are advised to book accordingly.
CASE HISTORY: THE SALON ITSELF
1979: Diane Keller opens New Reflections Salon. Four chairs, 1,200 square feet, Bass Lake Shopping Center, Maple Grove.
1999: Moves to Plymouth. Becomes an Aveda Lifestyle Salon.
2003: Adds a Ridgedale location.
2007: Symptoms return. Opens at the Fountains of Arbor Lakes, back in Maple Grove.
2019: After forty years, gives its own name a haircut. New Reflections becomes Reflect.
2021: Longtime employee Jacqueline Scholl buys the salon to carry on Diane’s legacy.
2026: More than 70 employees at two locations, Plymouth and Maple Grove. Forty-seven years. No known cure.