She Comes in Peace, at 3811 Charters St., in the Bywater, is part salon and part costume shop that really pops. Unique colors and designs take the typical hairstyle to the next level and, with the bright colors and designs in gorgeous styles, I just had to learn more about this shop.
Teleport to another universe in the Bywater
Walking into the salon, you are immediately transported into owner Dara Quick’s world — a universe in itself that includes positivity, color, costumes and, of course, aliens. Quick grew up in Chalmette and has called New Orleans home since just after Katrina. She worked as a hairstylist for 14 years before opening She Comes in Peace three years ago.
“I previously worked at Salon D’Malta in the French Quarter, as well as Rocket Science and Fifi Mahony’s,” Quick said. “I started working out of my home before opening my salon.”
The salon is most known for its creative, eye-catching colors and designs, but the shop is also full service. In other words, if you’re just looking for a regular cut and color, this is the place for you.
Quick explained, “Our salon is 80% creative color, but we really do everything. We want people to feel welcome here, especially those who might not feel comfortable in a typical salon.”
A cut, color and costume?
In addition to the salon, She Comes in Peace is also a costume shop — a haven for any creative who might be looking for a unique costume or wig for that perfect party or festival. The costumes lean towards a futuristic/sci-fi feel and include sparkly tops, dresses, sunglasses and more. There are even custom pieces made at the shop and Quick works with Chrissy Stardust to create unique looks that they think people will like.
“Chrissy is my ‘artner-in-crime’,” Quick said. “We used to do warehouse art parties together and we’re inspired by what’s around us. We buy synthetic wigs and restyle them and we have human-hair wigs that we color and style.”
Past the salon and shampoo room, is the shop’s wig and costume creative center. This is where the magic happens and where the team brings their artistic vision to life. Work stations are adorned with wigs from pink to blue to rainbow and costumes hang on a rack, waiting to be transformed into something inspired. A part of me wanted to hang out in the studio just to see what the team was going to come up with next.
Back in the salon, good feels are in the air; Quick said that she thinks what makes her shop stand out among other salons is positivity.
“We want this to be a positive space,” she explained. “We greet everyone with, ‘We’re so stoked to see you!’ because we want people to know that they’re welcome here. This is a free space and an uplifting environment and we’re all about good vibes.”
Another way She Comes in Peace stands out is in that their services aren’t gendered.
“We did away with gendered services because we want to be all-inclusive,” Quick said. “We label our services for ‘long and short hair’, not ‘men’s and ‘women’s’. We want people to know that She Comes in Peace is a safe space for everyone.”
The shop is also making customers feel comfortable by offering a Deep Space Treatment, which gives the client the option of enjoying a salon experience without talking.
“Some people come to the salon and they want to talk, and some don’t,” Quick explained. “Just tell us what kind of mood you’re in that day, and we’ll be happy to accommodate you. We’re happy to give someone a completely quiet session; I don’t want someone to avoid the salon because they don’t want to talk.”
During COVID-19, Quick said that the shop did well because people needed a place to go in order to safely relax and get back to feeling like themselves. It also gave her the opportunity to launch an online store where people can pick out a few of the shop’s creations for their own.
Whether it’s a fun new out-of-this-world hair color, a touch-up, a unique costume, or a custom wig, the She Comes in Peace team wants you to feel good when you leave the shop.
“We want to make everyone happy,” Quick said. “When a client is excited about their hair, we’re excited too!”
Everything you need to know about She Comes in Peace
Website: shecomesinpeace.com
Instagram: @SheComesInPeace
Some of the other spots in the Bywater you might want to check out
