Meet the team (old version)

Suzie – Salon Owner

At 16 I told my parents I wanted to leave school to do hairdressing.  I was quite academic and my parents were not happy with me leaving school and so encourged me to continue with my studies and go to university.  I did a business studies degree, tried various office jobs (which I hated!) and was even a wedding planner for a while but I never stopped wanting to work in the hair industry.  After the birth of my two children I took the leap to train and have never looked back!  The business studies didn’t do any harm either as 15 years ago I was able to fulfill my dream of having my own salon and The Players Lounge was born.  I love working as part of a team, looking out for each other and watching the team blossom and grow.  At the end of 2021, I took the decision to no longer be on the salon floor cutting hair to spend more time on my product business @mooandyoo but I am still very involved in the salon, training and helping the team reach their best potential.

Susana – Salon Manager & Creative Director

My hairdressing career started at 6 years old when I hid in the bathroom and cut my own hair.  Feeling quite pleased with the results, I then turned my attention to my 5 year old sister who seemed happy to let me practice my scissor skills! Unfortunately my mum was not so impressed with my attempts! However, she didn’t argue when I left school at 13 to do my three years hairdressing training in my home town of Madrid.  I love to travel and after working in some great salons locally, I made the big move to London.  After London, I only ever intended visiting and working in Scotland for a year with plans to keep on travelling and working around the world.  I had no idea after that first visit that I would fall in love with Scotland and be here 11 years later!   I love working at The Players Lounge and being part of a fantastic team.  I love my career and have a huge passion for hair.  I adore chatting to my clients and giving them the best advice about hair styles, teaching them how to maintain the salon look at home and how to dry and style their hair at home.  In return, its fantastic when they give me advice on what to do and where to visit in Scotland  as after hair, travelling is my second passion.

Lynn – Senior Stylist 

At 15 I started a Saturday job in a local salon, never in a month of Sundays thinking I actually wanted to be a hairdresser…..how wrong I was!   I immediately fell in love with the buzz of the salon, meeting all the different clients, working so closely with a team and 36 years later I feel truly blessed to be working in a job I adore and that I still have such a passion for.  I have been with the Players Lounge for 8 years and am so lucky that work never feels like a job! I love speaking to and hearing peoples stories, and meeting so many people whose paths I would never usually cross.   It is an honour to sometimes take the role of counselor, confidant and friend and even if I can help one person look and feel good about themselves, I feel fullfilled.

Lindsay – Senior Stylist

I was always creative and knew even at school that I wanted a career where I could use these skills.  In fourth year at school I did a weeks work experience at Cheynes in Edinburgh, loved it immediately and was hooked!  When they offered me a job as a trainee I leapt at the chance and that was the beginning  of my hairdressing journey.  I love everything about the job and no two days are ever the same.  After working in Edinburgh for a few years I moved to top salon in Manchester and that is when I found my passion for mens hair.  Being a hairdresser is so much more than cutting hair.  Its about making sure your clients enjoy the experience and leave the salon happy and feeling good about themselves.  I feel so lucky that after 24 years in the industry and 8 years with the players lounge, that I still have the passion and enthusiam that I had on that first day.

Carla – Salon Assistant Manager & Senior Stylist 

From the age of 15 I always loved experimenting with my hair, trying different colours, styles and even the odd perm!  I was obsessed with the TV show The Salon, it looked exciting and fun with every day different and I knew that was the industry I wanted to be in.  I did try a day job at the airport but I knew quickly that it wasnt for me and so my career in hairdressing began.  I was lucky to land a job with a top Edinburgh hair salon before moving five years ago to the Players Lounge where I quickly fell in love with being part of a lovely and creative team.  Its fun chatting to people and learning new things about them and no day is ever the same.   I love connecting with clients and making them look and feel their best.  It is a really special feeling to give someone the gift of self confidence and see them feel good about themselves.

.

Rachael – Salon Stylist 

As a young girl I used to adore going to the salon with my mum and was facinated by the glamorous stylists!  That really was the beginning of my love of the hair industry and I knew that this is where I wanted to be.  By 12 I got myself a job as a Saturday girl and within a short space of time I knew that this was the right career for me.  Hairdressing has taken me around the world and I have worked in Australia as well as Scotland and love meeting different types of people and learning about them.  After moving to The Players Lounge 4 years ago, I realised that mens hair and grooming was what I wanted to do.  It is such a great feeling to make someone look and feel better about themselves.  I love to make a difference and hairdressing is the best way I know how to make people feel better.

Jen – Senior Stylist 

I always wanted to be a hairdresser, even as a little girl.  I grew up in Italy in a family who were all very involved in hospitality, they assumed that my love of hair was just a phase and enrolled me in catering school!  I hated every minute of it and after a year of skipping classes and complaining about catering, they realised that my hair passion was here to stay.  After four years of working and studying to learn my craft, I moved to London to start my dream job with Toni and Guy.  Hairdressing has taken me around the world and allowed me to meet some amazing people.  I love the art of cutting hair and as a super creative person I love how much freedom it gives me to express this side of me.

Briana – Salon Receptionist

From an early age I had always been drawn to the glamour of the beauty industry, especially makeup and hair, which inspired me to train as an esthetician in Canada – where I grew up. I’ve been playing with makeup since I was a kid and my mom would take me to her hair appointments. I started my professional development in 2014 after graduating from Gates College and then developed a close professional relationship with my then hairdresser who would eventually become my boss. She gave me the opportunity to work at her salon in many capacities, including as an esthetician, a receptionist, and as a personal assistant. I love the opportunities which reception work has provided me – meeting people, helping clients, creating relationships, understanding the needs of the clientele and the trends of the day. It is very fulfilling work for me. I love the salon atmosphere and the industry generally – how creative and inspiring and innovative it is. It allows me to be true to myself and it is a place where I can express who I am.

Moving to Scotland was a long-time dream of mine after my first visit in 2011. I have dreamed of creating a life here for myself – a challenge which I wholeheartedly embraced. Finding a new job in a new city is never easy. Finding a new job in a new country is an entirely different challenge. When I first found the Player’s Lounge I knew it was a workplace that would be a great fit for me – from its aesthetic to its eco-ambitions. Meeting the team really sealed the deal and I can’t imagine working anywhere else. It’s really helped to ground me in this great country and to help make my dream into the most wonderful reality.

I decided to leave school at the age of 15, I had out grown school life and wanted to get a job and earn my own money! With no idea of what I wanted to do, I decided to apply for an apprenticeship within a salon in Edinburgh. I was naturally creative and took to it like a duck to water!  Hairdressing became so natural to me, I loved creating new styles and colours for my clients and when in 2013 I started at The Players Lounge, I discovered my true passion for cutting men’s hair. After a few years, I left to be self-employed and also took that time to follow my other passion in life, yoga!  I am now a fully trained yoga teacher and when not teaching yoga, I am back part time at the Players Lounge where my love for barbering began. I’m lucky to have a career that I enjoy, every day is different and each hair cut is a creative journey; challenging me and making me feel good about my work.