
Raquel Torres of Raquel.Does.Hair. is an independent veteran hairstylist who gives her clients an exclusive salon suite experience in her own private room located in the Visionary Hair Company salon in the Cypress Glen Professional Park off of S.R. 56 (just east of I-75).
âYou pay for my full attention,â says Raquel. She says she never double-books, so she wonât be attending to someone elseâs haircut while youâre sitting under a dryer. âI control my own schedule, which is nice because I can set the appropriate appointment length to give each client the best experience possible.â
Raquel became licensed as a cosmetologist in Florida in 2003. She was dual enrolled in high school, where she thought cosmetology school would help her gain independence and an option for supporting herself while she attended college. Instead, she âfell in love and found I had a knack for hair.â
She did go on to receive her Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree from Pasco Hernando Community (now State) College in Brooksville in 2005. In addition to her cosmetology schooling and general education, she also recently went to barber school and became licensed as a barber last July.
Raquel says men, women and children come to her for, âeverything in the color and cut family.â She says that includes hair cuts, razor cuts (which she says offer more texture versus a blunt cut using scissors), pixie cuts and short hair cuts for women, among other styles. She does color and highlights, and especially loves a technique she uses with many of her clients called âbalayage highlighting,â where she hand-paints your highlights instead of using foils.
âIt makes it so the outgrowth is more natural with no heavy horizontal lines,â Raquel says, âso people can carry their natural color much longer without needing any kind of touch-ups.â
Especially now that Raquel has her barberâs license, she says she offers men much more of an experience than any of those âquick placesâ men often go to for their haircuts. Her high-quality cuts include shampoo and a scalp massage, which she says men really enjoy.
âWhen a man comes to me for the first time, they often tell me no one had ever given them a scalp-massage before,â she says. âNow, they wonât let me skip it. They enjoy the relaxation of the experience.â
Raquel worked in salons in Brooksville, Gainesville, and Wesley Chapel for many years before she says she âtook a leap of faithâ and began working independently in 2012. She found the room for rent at Visionary Hair Company and felt that striking out on her own at that time in that location was meant to be. âMy faith played a huge part in this,â Raquel says. âI really wanted this decision to come when I was sure it was what I was supposed to do.â
Raquel says that, to date, her business has grown primarily from word of mouth and referrals. She encourages clients to refer their friends to her when theyâre looking for something new.
âEvery client you refer to me means $10 off your next service, and your friend gets $10 off, too.â says Raquel.
âI hear from people all the time that itâs harder to find a new hairstylist than to find a new doctor,â she adds, âespecially because, when you try someone new, you have to walk around âwearingâ that until your next experiment.â
So, Raquel wants to make the experience of giving her a try easy and pressure-free. She says she talks with each client for 5-10 minutes before she ever takes out her cutting tools. Because her room is private, she can close the door, so thereâs no one else watching. She says she prides herself on being able to communicate with her clients.
âAnyone can say they are a hair stylist, but I really work to understand how my clients see themselves so that we can agree on a vision for their look,â says Raquel. âI take as much time as needed to be sure we find a style that complements them and their lifestyle.â
She also says the private room allows each client to have the experience that really fits their needs at that time. âA lot of moms come in and just want peace and quiet while they drink their coffee,â she says. Then she laughs, âOthers want to talk, and I tell them they can talk as much as they want as long as they hold their head still.â
She says she also has clients who want to come in and have a good time, so sheâll put on some good music and maybe even sing and dance while she works. âIf youâre looking for entertainment, I can do that, too,â she laughs.
Client Allen Williams says that Raquelâs warm, bubbly personality, and excellent work has kept him coming back to Raquel since the day he went to a salon and the person he wanted to see wasnât there, so he ended up with her.
Allen says she cut his hair and his response was, âWow! I like this.â Allenâs been going to her ever since, following her to her new location.
Allenâs wife Julie started going to Raquel a little over a year ago. âSheâs always in a happy mood, and I feel super comfortable with her,â Julie says. âShe really seems to know whatâs going to look good on me.â Julie adds that she wanted to âgo blondeâ for the summer, but Raquel talked her out of it.
âSheâll do what you want,â Julie says, âbut the times Iâve gone against her advice, Iâve regretted it.â Julie says Raquel suggested she tone the blonde way down so it goes with her complexion, and she loves the end result.
Allen and Julieâs son, who is a high school student, began getting his hair cut by Raquel, too. Raquel describes his style as âhipster chicâ and says heâs âvery particularâ about his hair. His parents say people often ask him who cuts his hair, so they refer them to Raquel.
âI love her,â says Julie, âand everyone Iâve recommended her to loves her, too.â Allen concurs, âI refer everybody to her, because you can pretty much guarantee theyâre going to be happy.â
Thatâs Raquelâs goal. âI donât care how you looked when you came in,â she says, âIâm responsible for how you look and feel when you leave.â
Raquel.Does.Hair. is located at 2405 Creel Ln., Suite. 101, inside the Visionary Hair Company salon. Raquel is available by appointment Tuesdays-Saturdays beginning at 10 a.m. To make an appointment, call Raquel at (352) 442-1082. You can see before and after photos of her work, check her prices, and read client testimonials at StyleSeat.com/raqueldoeshair.