The Shadow
Not much has changed since the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony that occurred at “Southern Steele Salon” on Thursday, September 7, 2023. There is an immediate and intoxicating aroma that still lingers in the air, reminiscent of rose petals, lavender, and vanilla, greeting every customer as they walk in the door; there is still a staff full of friendly faces eager to ensure that each person who enters the salon will leave feeling better than they did when they came in; and there is still that feeling of a home away from home, complete with snacks, drinks, and a kid-friendly corner that houses an XBox.
The few changes that have been made to the salon are ones which stand only to make it better! While getting my hair done inside the newly remodeled building that houses “Southern Steele Salon,” owner Tia Steele sat down briefly to answer a few questions about the new additions that are sure to put a smile on the faces of both new and current customers.
To start, “Southern Steele Salon” has hired Jaimee Kimberlin to do facials at the salon. Kimberlin —who has 8 years of experience and won “Esthetician of the Year” more than once in Roanoke— is expected to start on March 24 and will offer custom facials, premium facials, back facials, brow waxing, eyebrow tinting, and lash tinting, among other services. To view Kimberlin’s full list of services, visit https://j-kimberlin-esthetics.square.site. Her main focus, as she explained over the phone, is on “corrective skin care as opposed to relaxation.” However, the way Ms. Steele explained Kimberlin’s services, it would be no surprise if clients experienced both.
As Ms. Steele continued her breakdown of Kimberlin’s services, one huge thought entered my mind: What on earth is a back facial? I couldn’t help myself. I just had to ask. “Basically, it exfoliates your back and gets all that dead skin off,” Steele explained. “Who can scrub their back that good in the shower? She [Kimberlin] goes in and gets all that buildup off your back and exfoliates it.”
Kelsey Moses and Brittney Stull are two more new faces that customers will see at the “Southern Steele Salon.” While Moses is already serving as their manicurist, Stull will be taking care of lashes, which includes lash extensions.
Her remaining employees include Olivia Simpson, London Critzer, and Lexi Ostling. Critzer and Ostling are both hairdressers while Simpson specializes in men’s haircuts.
Prior to leaving, I took note of the fact that I could not smell the dye in my hair —one of my personal grievances about salons— because of the pleasant scent of vanilla and flowers in the air. While I took that in, Ms. Steele pointed out the kid-friendly corner in the salon that consisted of an XBox, several books, and a few toys. “Bring your kids! I don’t care,” Steele said about the salon she hopes always has a “homey” atmosphere.
The remaining services offered by “Southern Steele Salon,” according to owner Tia Steele, are “colors, cuts, [hair] extensions, dreadlocks, synthetic extensions, we have the barber services with Olivia [Simpson], nails, facials, lashes, eyebrows, and wedding hair.” They also have “fairy hair” (tinsel) which clients —particularly young girls— can receive free with a haircut. “Fairy hair” can last up to two months, is beaded into the hair, and is available in a variety of colors of pink, blue, green, white, purple, etc.
Steele, always eager to expand on her business, has plans underway to offer massage services to her ever-growing clientele and welcomes the opportunity for continued growth in the future which may include temporary spray-in color —particularly for young boys who wouldn’t want “fairy hair”— or even bikini services. As the title suggests, the sky’s the limit for Tia Steele and her well-oiled machine at the “Southern Steele Salon.”
“Southern Steele Salon” is located at 804 S. Highland in Covington and does not have a scheduled set of hours. According to Steele, “We typically get here at 10. We don’t have a close time. Some of us stay here ‘til 9, some of us leave early. It just depends.” They are open Monday-Saturday, closed Sunday, and stylists are available by appointment, but take walk-ins after 12 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call Tia Steele at 540-958-1545, Olivia Simpson (barber) at 540-958-2804, London Critzer at 540-958-6065, or Lexi Ostling at 540-816-8623.
