Stylin’

Mentoring through a pandemic

Coral Pleas is one of those people who makes you feel welcome. She has an easy smile and an elegant but casual style that exudes warmth, confidence, and taste.

Coral has long been a respected member of the Sarasota community as owner of the two Cutting Loose beauty salons as well as a leader and educator in her field. She’s a philanthropist and has been donating her time and expertise to SPARCC for 20 years in various capacities. She’s also a member of the Legacy Society, ensuring that she’ll continue to give back to her community, even posthumously.

Coral works closely with her daughter, Taylor, and her son, Travis, but she treats all of her 70 employees as family and has a vested interest in their success. Coral believes in education and there is a continuous continuing-education policy at both Cutting Loose locations.

All 42 of her hairstylists have been through the French Cutting Program. Her goal is to provide an environment that encourages and promotes pride in a trade. She’s working to keep people in our city rather than losing them to big salons in bigger cities. I’ve been visiting Cutting Loose Salon for many years because I know that I can trust the process and the results of any kind of treatment I receive from a stylist who has been mentored by Coral.

I’m in awe of the talented men and women who create transformations as a daily part of their routine. Don’t be mistaken: A good hairstylist is an artist. There’s a reason why one of the things that Jennifer Aniston is the most recognized for is a hairstyle; who didn’t want “The Rachel”?

Cutting Loose Salon is big, the stations are private and well-spaced, there’s a Color Lounge, a Lather Lounge, and a Blow Dry Bar. Everything is beautifully displayed and the overall feeling when you enter is one of vitality and cleanliness. File this under: Things That Have Not Changed Because of COVID-19.

Cutting Loose Salon has always been a leader in education and in cleanliness. I visited the University Park location for this interview a few days before quarantine was imposed in Sarasota and everyone was using hand sanitizer and practicing social distancing before any of these things had become a part of our lexicon.

I visited again a few months later and the changes are minimal but in line with what I would expect from a leader in our community: temperature checks at the door, masks worn by employees and guests… Everything else is as it was before because it was already incredibly clean and there was already a lot of space.

Coral came to say a quick hello and her easy smile was hidden behind a mask but, as always, it reached her eyes and was no less welcoming. “We’ve been Barbicide-certified continuously as part of our continuing education initiative for years. We always will be.” For the uninitiated: Barbicide Cerification is the course you take to learn about infection control and sanitation in salons, spas, and barbershops; for Cutting Loose Salon, it’s business as usual.

Cutting Loose Salon: 8429 Honore Ave, Sarasota; 941-388-6000; 5820 Ranch Lake Blvd, Bradenton; 941-404-7100; cuttingloose.net