Hair Salon For Kids Coming To Wauwatosa

WAUWATOSA, WI — People cringe when they think of do-it-yourself haircuts in the 1970s or 1980s, when a mom would put a bowl on her child's head to cut his hair.

Melissa Murray, owner of a local Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids franchise, recalled the days of feathered hairdos.

"My mom cut my hair, and it was a disaster. You would have to go to the salon and get it fixed," she said.

She signed on to run her salon to persuade other moms to put down the scissors.

Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids, a Utah-based company devoted to making children's haircuts stress-free and fun, is coming to Wauwatosa.

The franchiser has more than 100 locations. The first Wisconsin location is set to open at 12132 W. Capitol Drive in January.

"It's a really fun experience for kids," Murray said.

As a mom herself, Murray visited many salons with her daughter and felt a child-focused hair salon was a good business for the area. The Cookie Cutter's caring environment gives parents a sense of ease, she said.

"It can be a very traumatic thing for a child to get their hair cut," she said.

Children get upset by the noise of clippers, and some kids are apprehensive about scissors, Murray said.

"A lot of children just don't want to sit still," she added.

To make the experience less scary, Cookie Cutters offers an array of activities to take kids' minds off of the haircut.

The salon has televisions, video games, a play area, balloons, bubbles and lollipops.

The Wauwatosa salon will have five fun-themed chairs to choose from. Children can pick a race car, train, fire engine, squad car or airplane.

"If mom comes with siblings, there are other things for the kids to do," she said.

Each child is different, with different needs, Murray said. At other salons, a child would be running around, and the stylist would let the child play and cut a little of the hair at a time.

"It depends on the child. Some will sit and be content with watching a show they love," Murray said.

The salon targets children up to 12 years old. For a baby's first haircut, parents receive a certificate with a lock of hair and a "before and picture."

The experience can sometimes be more traumatic for the parent, Murray said. But there are ways to make them feel better, such as letting the child sit on the parent's lap.

"Sometimes a parent likes a lollipop or they like to blow the bubbles at their child," she said.