Crystal Skull Studio, founded by Cherish Baser 10 years ago, is an inclusive hair salon that specializes in curly hair, alternative styles and vivid colors.
Crystal Skull Studio is an inclusive hair salon that specializes in curly hair, alternative cuts and bright colors.
Baser, who owns the studio, and Cassandra are the only two stylists in this intimate studio.
“You can build a stronger level of trust,” Baser said. “It’s a more comfortable space to know someone, and it’s less overwhelming.”
Baser and Cassandra work together most of the time, but clients can request a private session at no extra cost, no matter the need.
“We want everyone to feel comfortable here, and if you have an autoimmune disease, wear a hijab, or just want a more private experience, we can do that," Baser said.
Crystal Skull Studio is home to more than 300 regulars and many clients that pop in and out, Baser said. Some clients come in once a year, some every three months and some every four weeks.
“It really depends on the hair and what the client wants. If they want to go get a touch-up somewhere else, that’s okay, too. I’m not going to get offended if you don’t stick with me,” Baser said.
Baser has more than 20 years of hair experience under her belt. She worked in several different studios, big and small, for 10 years before she and a friend decided to cultivate their own salon environment.
“The need for growth and the vibrant diverse Ypsilanti community pushed her to open a storefront in Historic Depot Town," Baser's biography on the Crystal Skull website states. "Cherish is always looking for collaboration with local artists and community collaboration to help maintain the vibrant ecosystem within the city."
Crystal Skull Studio displays art from local artists in its salon and offers zines for clients to read while they wait.
Other local businesses can be found in every aspect of the salon. Most prominently, the salon features rotating art from local artists. The studio has hosted over 100 local artists to display their work. While the walls are prime display space, Crystal Skull also offers tables for displays.
“We’ve had lots of jewelry, plant curators, candle makers, ceramics, sculptures, clothing, buttons, pins, prints and magnets out on the tables,” Baser said.
Baser and Cassandra said that the studio is looking for more local artists and encouraged students and community members to fill out their artist application or reach out to them over phone, email or social media.
The studio displays art for two to three months and doesn’t require fees. If any art sells, they ask for a 15% commission on each piece sold.
“We have a very diverse clientele, so we want a lot of variety in our art,” Cassandra said. The walls are often lined with paintings, digital art, photography, fabric art, embroidery and mosaics.
“It’s pretty low commitment, and it’s a lot of people’s first place to display. You can be anonymous, and people are in here intimately with your art for an hour or two,” Cassandra said. “One thing that I really appreciate about this space is that it's ever-changing and stays fresh — the music we play, our art and our layout always look different."
Crystal Skull Studio displays local art in different styles, themes and mediums on the walls of its studio.
Displaying art is not where the studio's local love stops.
“We’re Ypsi community simps. You can find pretty much every local business somewhere in our studio,” Baser said. A magazine rack is filled with local zines, Cassandra and Baser often wear local merch, the salon offers Hyperion Coffee, and the primary product they use is Original Moxie, a local, organic brand owned by another local salon.
“It’s healthy, has good ingredients and works great. I wouldn't use it if I didn’t love it,” Baser said about Original Moxie.
Finding hair products can be exhausting and expensive, especially for those with curly hair. That is why Cassandra had the idea to create a take a product, leave a product exchange box.
“Many people in the curly hair community will just go through a lot of products until they find what works for them, and there's a lot of waste. It's a nice way to reduce a little bit of waste and find something that works for you,” Cassandra said.
Cassandra explained that people will come in bringing one, a handful, or a bagful of products that didn’t work for them. This creates a guilt-free open space for people to try out new products without spending money on things that don’t work for them.
Crystal Skull Studio has a "take a product, leave a product" community hair box. This box allows people to trade and try new and used products without spending money.
Cassandra and Baser both take pride in their work and the inclusivity of the salon.
“We work with all walks of life, and it’s really fun … If someone has a strong idea, I don't think we've ever turned anyone down. Hair is a form of self-expression,” Baser said.
Having a salon with a depth of knowledge on working with curly hair can be refreshing for clients struggling to find the right fit, Cassandra said. Six years ago, when they were in cosmetology school, Cassandra noted that curly hair was not well represented.
“We had one curly mannequin, and we were taught to blow her hair out straight or chemically relax it to be straight. We never learned to cut or style Black hair, and the statewide curriculum does not require curly hair at all,” Cassandra said.
Both stylists learned that there was a stigma around curly hair and set out to learn more. They have each received special training for cutting, styling and coloring curly hair, and they attend an annual event each year to learn more, Baser said.
Crystal Skull offers clients any style that they want, as long as it is physically possible.
“A lot of my clients have gone somewhere else and were turned down because it ‘wouldn’t look good on them’ or ‘they should keep their long, beautiful hair,’” Cassandra said. They commented that the salon believes in complete client autonomy over their experience.
The salon is inclusive not only for clients, but for the people working there as well.
“It’s an inclusive salon that I feel comfortable working in as a nonbinary person and serving other trans and nonbinary people. That was something that was really important to me. I think that we really are a comfortable space for trans and queer people. Other people feel put in a box going to a salon or a barber shop. We don't gender our pricing. We price by the hour so people can get whatever they want without pressure,” Cassandra said.
Baser agreed, saying, “Something that was really important to me is that curly hair and straight hair are the same pricing. We just price by hour, so it doesn’t matter what you get, we are charging by the time we put in.”
Crystal Skull Studio prides itself on being an LGBTQ+ friendly space in all aspects. Clients can share their pronouns when making an appointment, and the stylists are willing to give any haircut to any person.
“We want to help you look on the outside like you feel on the inside. It’s a really important moment for trans people to get a gender-affirming haircut, and I feel very honored to be a part of that,” Cassandra said.
For anyone interested in booking an appointment or displaying their art, visit crystalskullstudio.com or follow @crystalskullstudio on Instagram.
Editor's note: Crystal Skull Studio stylist Cassandra is known in the community by their first name only. Cassandra's last name was omitted from this article for personal privacy reasons.
