In today’s highly competitive job market, personal grooming can impress a prospective employer as much as your resume, expertise and intelligence,
Whether you are looking to work in a department store, an advertising agency or in government, personnel managers often feel your personal appearance reflects how you think about yourself and those around you.
Because Zagobi Beauty Care Centers recognize the importance of good grooming, they offer total beauty fashion care for women and men of all ages. The centers, established in I975 by Laura Rodriguez and Phyilis Pitts, provide professional analysis, suggestions and personal assistance to help the black men and women of today to create new and exciting images.
“Our concept of total beauty care is designed to reflect our client’s feelings and desires and to maximize self-esteem,” Laura Rodriguez explained in a recent interview. For Zagabi centers, that means helping clients choose their individual look through consultation on hair, nails, skin care and fashion.
A client’s day at Zagobi may begin with a haircut, set and manicure for $25. For those with more time and money to spend, Zagobi offers a sauna, massage and a fashion boutique to help give you the total look. This may cost anywhere from $160 to $200, but if looking one’s best is important to your professional and personal life, it may well be money wisely spent.
Zagobi centers are pioneers of sorts, offering middle income black clients a unique type of beauty care treatment that up until now had been reserved mainly for the well-to-do.
“Our clients range from little old ladies in Forest Hills to Teddy Pendergrass and each one receives the same carefully regulated attention,” Ms. Rodriguez emphasized.
At least 25 percent of the centers’ customers are men, who are introduced to an innovative line of German manufactured beauty products offered exclusively at Zagobi, These products, called biostatics, were especially created by Ms. Rodriguez and are composed of scientific compounds and natural ingredients that can change hair texture without damaging it,
In the area of skin care, Zagobi offers clay masks, wheat germ and seaweed masks and a facial wash composed of sea kelp which removes impurities from the skin quickly, leaving the face moisturized and refreshed.
Zagobi’s unusually high ratio of male clientele reflects the immense pressures that are now being put on men to look good. “During the 1960s,” Ms. Rodriguez explained, “men had large Afros which obscured their features. Today, men are cutting their hair closer to their heads and the emphasis is on the clean-cut style. While women can always use makeup to hide flaws, men cannot,” she continued. “This is why we sometimes suggest face waxing instead of shaving. It leaves no razor bumps or stubble.”
Staff members will also offer some very important pointers on hair care, Zagobi’s specialty, maintaining healthy hair, by choosing the right conditioner, the proper haircut and having a trim every six weeks, is the key to keeping your stylish hairdo — stylish.
“Every look is not for everyone,” Ms. Rodriguez went on, “but there is a look for everyone. If a hair shaft is too weak and chemically damaged from straightening, we would not encourage a client to have a cornrow.”
Instead, they might suggest a Gerry Curl, which is achieved by applying a mild relaxer that gently changes the texture of the hair to leave if in short, glistening curls, known popularly as the wet look.
Although Ms. Rodriguez conceded that men give her less problems in the initial beauty consultation than women, Zagobi’s fashion boutique caters exclusively to the feminine gender. Outfits range in price from $40 to $60. Everyone who comes in for the total treatment is welcome to relax and watch the fashion show in the salon’s plush and cozy atmosphere.
Zagobi has one location in Manhattan at 170 West 23rd Street, call 212-675-8169 for appointments; and two locations in Forest Hills, Queens: 106-11 Continental Avenue [844-2700] and 70-54 Austin Street [544-6383]. There’s also a Zagobi Beauty Center in Philadelphia at 1722 Walnut Street [215-546-3828].
Ms. Rodriguez, who runs the centers and rears a family at the same time, plans to open another beauty center in Washington and ultimately hopes to expand throughout the United States and abroad.
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