Cathy at hair expo

By Kath Gannaway
CATHY McLean will indulge her passion when she attends the Sydney Hair Expo in June.
That passion is hairdressing, and the opportunity to mix it up with top Australian and international industry professionals is an important part of keeping up with the latest trends, techniques and products.
Cathy’s Altitude Hair Studio in Yarra Junction celebrates its fifth anniversary this year and client satisfaction is fundamental to the success of the business.
One of the first things clients see when they walk into Altitude is their mission statement.
“Times change, fashions change, people do too” – it says, promoting the confidence that Altitude can offer the latest in hair and beauty techniques.
“Keeping you happy and helping you look your best are our priorities,” the mission statement continues.
That statement is very much what Altitude is about according to Cathy who has had her own salons for 14 years and previously managed salons in Melbourne, Toorak, South Yarra and St. Kilda.
“Our main focus is service. That’s a priority,” she says. “I want clients to come here and feel a real sense of service; I want them to go home feeling great and really feeling how much better their visit was for the whole experience.”
While Altitude has established a reputation for excellent service, Cathy says their claim to fame is what hairdressing is all about – colour work and techniques, colour correction work and skillful cutting and styling.
That attention to detail includes individual assessment on each client’s needs – lots of talking and even more listening.
“I look at the eyes, skin, the hair type and texture, I ask questions about lifestyle and how the person wants to manage their hair at home,” Cathy explained.
“I take all those things into consideration before offering an idea or selecting a style and colour I think will suit.”
Using quality products is also important. “We are here to provide a quality service and have shown that PPS products do ensure our results are perfect every time,” she added.
The Altitude team consists of senior stylists Cathy, Jody and Jenni, second year stylist Kyra, first-year stylist Danni and salon assistant Jac.
Keeping up with current trends and products is something Cathy and the team not only take seriously but enjoy.
“We up-skill constantly,” Cathy said. “We have training in-house several times during the year and do training outside the salon to keep our skills honed and appropriate for today.”
Cathy’s enthusiasm and professionalism is shared among her team who share her passion for their work and the people they serve.
Cathy said hairdressing remains as exciting to her today as it was 27 years ago when she started out.
“I’ve never got over it,” she said. “It still gives me a huge buzz.”
Altitude Hair Studio at Shop 3, 2454 Warburton Highway, Yarra Junction, is open from Tuesday to Saturday and late on Thursday nights.
Phone 5967 1550.