The Hairdresser | Ekaterina Atanasova
The smell of coffee fills the beauty salon “Vanity,” as Ekaterina Atanasova, a hairdresser from Blagoevgrad, prepares to meet her first client of the day. With a smile, she arranges the tools and puts on soft relaxing music for the customers to enjoy.
Katia, as most people call her, clicks the scissors a few times as if she is testing them. The door opens, and the first client of the day is greeted with a smile and welcomed warmly in the salon.
Katia was born in Brezhani, a small village close to Blagoevgrad. She moved to Blagoevgrad five years ago in search of better education for her children and a better job. “I like the people in Blagoevgrad and they like me too. Every person that comes here feels connected to the place — maybe because of the atmosphere, the welcoming attitude, or simply the conversations we are having,” Katia says with a big smile on her face.
Katia works in the salon with two other women — a beautician and a manicurist. They met a long time ago and the idea of opening a beauty salon together was merely a dream for them.
Five years ago, Katia realized that she has to gather up the courage to make her dream come true. “I have been working as a hairdresser for 13 years and I have never been happier than I am now in my own salon,” Katia says.
“My favorite part of the job is the satisfaction I get from seeing someone happy with the way they look. Many people come here wanting to change their appearance but they feel skeptical about it. I take great satisfaction in seeing the smile on their faces after the job is done,” Katia says before turning on the hairdryer to straighten the hair of the customer.
According to Katia, the mirror is not simply an object. It is not there for her to look at herself or admire her own work. “The mirror is there for me to look at the eyes of the customer. The eyes reveal the client’s thoughts about their appearance and the secret of a great hairstyle is to always pay attention to the eyes,” Katia says.
Katia describes the days in the salon as calm. “At the end of the day, you will always have a great time at your job if you love what you do. When someone wants to do something, they put their energy and enthusiasm into it. This way, the day passes quickly and you do not feel exhausted in the end — you feel satisfied,” Katia says.
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Nikol Nikolova is majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication at the American University in Bulgaria. She loves to interview people like Ekaterina because such encounters make journalism a magical experience.
