“I’m really nervous,” was the first thing I blurted out when I sat down. It didn’t help that the day’s drizzle had kinked up my tresses.
When it comes to hair, I am fiercely loyal—and resistant to change. I’ve been going to the same hairstylist for nine years, sported a bob for five and have pretty much had bangs for my entire life.
But when I heard that this week, New York’s Cornelia Spa at The Surrey Hotel was hosting celebrity stylist Billy Yamaguchi as a guest expert in residence, I decided it was time to cheat on my hairstylist.
Yamaguchi has used his Feng Shui Beauty techniques on the likes of Lady Gaga, Deepak Chopra, Jennifer Aniston, Phil Jackson and Charlize Theron. He is constantly on the road, regularly appearing in salons in Los Angeles, Austin, Hawaii and other locations. According to feng shui, all energy can be categorized as one of five elements: fire, earth, metal, water or wood. Yamaguchi claims he can identify a person’s energy and customize hair, color and make-up to reflect it. “When you look good, you feel good and you perform differently,” he says.
My consultation began with four questions about my personality, lifestyle and the colors I thought were representative of both. I chose yellow and green. Yamaguchi determined that my elements were earth (“kind and giving”—I’ll take it!) and wood (“social”). Later, when presented with an array of blind essential oils for a sniff test, I ended up gravitating to the wood and earth scents.