Paper short abstract:

Nowadays, hairdressers are emotional workers by shaping places, whose constructions reflect themselves on the ways of feeling a specific work and service atmosphere. Emotions become a resource of the own work style, a basis of their creativity, a capital to differ from others and a source of dealing the job-related requirements.

Paper long abstract:

In postmodern times, as uncertainty constitutes the only certainty and emotions gain more social importance and public awareness, western societies are entitled as customer-orientated. In this context, wellness turned into a keyword and hairdressers are no longer old-fashioned barbers but emotional workers. The cultural activity of wearing hair, understood as a sense-generating process, means occasionally "Become who you are" in the individualised mass.

Identifying what kind of self-concepts and intimate client request sit hourly in front of the hairdressers mirror image, empathy, the capability of (non-)verbal communication and the management of emotion are important job-related requirements. Between well-known patrons and foreign new customers, feelings become working instruments, and emerge as a (re-)source of the personal work-style.

Likewise emotions are conceived as a basis of the hairdressers' creativity and therewith as a capital, to differ within the business competition. Moreover they serve for handling the workload and doing identity-work. Between expression and suppression, emotionality and rationality, the credo "Nobody leaves having a bad feeling" requires double emotional work - both on the customer level and the private level - which leads to a certain body management, gesture and face expression. In the interaction of the salon, emotions are shaped, as a cultural practice, in order to create and perform a salon specific ambiance, so that the clients feel welcome and taken care of. The created place affects both sides, as the constructions of the salon reflect themselves on the ways of feeling a specific work and service atmosphere.