I never imagined when I started working at The Follicle, Burlington’s Spa in 1997 that I would be here today as the owner and planning how best to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the business. I remember the days working at our original location at 3300 New St. Many memories were created in that house including the building behind that was the hair salon.
The house was owned by a lady named Gertrude Schnieder, a hairstylist, in the 1960s. According to the city business directory, Roseland Beauty Salon is shown in the rear in 1966.
In 1972 the house and property were sold and the new owner of the business, Ann, who was a licenced hairstylist, renamed it The Follicle Beauty Center. The story goes that she was traveling to Muskoka for a weekend getaway and brainstorming names for the new business along the way. The name The Follicle seemed like a perfect fit for a hair salon. But it did not stay a hair salon for long. She was soon joined by sisters Irmgard, an aesthetician and Hildegard, a foot care specialist. The spa was born.
Irmgard started offering facials and Hildegard quickly built a loyal and dedicated pedicure clientele. The aesthetics services moved into the little house in front of the salon. From there it continued to grow and expand. Irmgard purchased the business from Ann and continued adding new team members and services, such as Registered Massage Therapy. She expanded the aesthetics services, professional products, and worked on upgrades and renovations to the house. For those that remember, she was the one who had the tunnel/hallway built on the lower level to allow access to the hair salon without having to step outside.
Read Part 2 here
