Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Staples.
Hi Amanda, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve approached my life from an often unconventional and always creative perspective. I moved to LA at 16 as a runaway and quickly enmeshed myself in the rave scene here, which led me to meeting a ton of creatives–musicians, artists, you name it. I started as an assistant for creatives and then eventually opened my own independent clothing line. I was traveling a lot back then and eventually moved down to Mexico. When I moved back up to LA some years later, I decided that I could have a real creative outlet with all of the expressions I loved from my clothing line without so many of the personal and environmental stresses by doing hair. So, I went to hair school, graduated, and started assisting at Sally Hershberger and The Well. At The Well, I transitioned to working on the floor and then eventually moved over to The Hive, where I worked for four years before deciding to open my own salon, Cactus Moon LA.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been so many challenges, but I truly feel like I’ve been divinely guided to doing hair. It is creatively fulfilling, intuitive, and a truly compassionate way to show up for my clients, my community, and myself. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been bumps in the road–most recently with COVID when so many business owners and stylists were out of work. It was an identity crisis for me, but at the same time, I was gifted with so many amazing clients who reached out to me and gave me the confidence to start my own business with Cactus Moon LA, which–as someone who is dyslexic and never graduated–has been a rewarding challenge.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I really want to change the way our industry functions, starting with my own chair. So often a person comes in and they’ve only ever had really transactional experiences at salons. They’ve never really known or experienced what is actually possible–beyond just “I do this service and you pay me.” My approach is rooted in authenticity, self-awareness, and from a therapeutic and educational standpoint.
I want to bridge that gap of misunderstanding and end the cycle of abuse that happens in the chair. The chair should be a place of empowerment, and I want clients to feel like they can maximize their opportunity there and that I’m integrating co-creation, self-healing, and self-awareness into every session with them.
The way I operate, and the way we operate at Cactus Moon LA, means open communication, transparency, co-creation, and mutual responsibility to the craft of hair and to the client. I ask questions like, “How do you find a good stylist? How do you communicate what your needs are?” Getting your hair done here is an act of therapy, it’s literal self-care but it’s also self-awareness. I want people to feel that we’re holding space for them when they walk through our doors; it’s the change I want to create in my industry and the change I want to be in the world. And I want every one of my clients to feel like they are empowered and educated about what happens in the chair. That is my commitment to my craft.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Cactus Moon LA is a co-op, and it would not have been able to be successful without my fellow stylist, Katie Sveinsson, and our assistant, Logan Ford.
One of my biggest mentors is Ramses Granados from Substrate Art Gallery. His guidance as an artistic individual with a fine art background helped me develop my own attention to detail.
Lenny Strand is an amazing colorist at Sally Hershberger, and I value deeply his mentorship from my time assisting.
I would not be in the position I am without Lissa Renn, who owns The Hive. Her hard work in building her business allowed me a space to build myself, my clientele, and my craft in Highland Park, and I’m deeply grateful for that.
And, of course, my wonderful, eclectic, and creative clientele, who allow me to bounce my professional and personal thoughts and feelings.
Pricing:
- We’re a full service salon and service all gender expressions. Cuts start at $100 and color starts at $150.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cactusmoonla.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cactusmoonla/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cactus-moon-la-los-angeles-6?uid=T1RtU8KOtu6WKba6Zib64Q&utm_source=ishare
