'A little bit of heaven'

Salon worker manages makeovers for 10 from shelter

Cheryl Katinas was a bit nervous about getting her long hair cut. (David L. Ryan/ Globe Staff)

Cheryl Katinas sat with a black smock draped over her clothes as a stylist in high heels and a skirt meticulously snipped away at her long brown locks. Around her in the Newbury Street salon, people chattered over the hum of blow dryers and crisscrossed the sleek floor, exchanging makeup, hairbrushes, and compliments.

Katinas, 41, was nervous about getting her hair cut yesterday, but it was time for a change.

For months, Katinas had been on the streets after fleeing her home in Worcester when a boyfriend beat her nearly to death. She moved to Boston to start over, but hunting for a job and living in and out of homeless shelters take a toll. Yesterday was a respite.

Katinas and nine other homeless women were treated to makeovers, courtesy of the Daryl Christopher Wellness Salon and Day Spa.

For a few hours, the women worried only about how they wanted their makeup done, whether their hair would wind up too short, and finding an outfit they liked.

"It feels great, awesome," said Katinas, who walked into the salon in an orange T-shirt, her hair in a loose ponytail, and left with her hair straight, wearing a pink knit top, a stylish brown jacket, and jeans. She added later: "I needed a new hairstyle. I needed a change."

The women came from The Women's Lunch Place, a day shelter a few blocks away on Newbury Street, in a visit arranged by salon receptionist Vanessa Rodgers.

Rodgers, 22, spent months organizing the event after taking a women's activism course at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. She collected clothes for the women by holding a drive on campus. Then she got her co-workers to agree to donate their time and workspace to the project.

Rodgers, a senior from North Reading, coordinated with the women's shelter while classes were in session, but couldn't fully dedicate herself to the project until her summer break.

"It was something I was really passionate about," Rodgers said while the spa guests got the finishing touches on their hair and makeup. "So I didn't just want to give up."

The shelter provides hair trimming but not the full service the women received yesterday, said Susan Gallagher, director of programming at Lunch Place.

"Haircuts are actually the most popular thing the women ask for," said Gallagher. "It makes so much difference to the woman and it makes such a difference, I think, in someone's self-esteem."

The women also had their hair dyed, dried, or curled with irons. Some skipped the makeup; others sampled shades of eye shadow. They tied scarves around their necks, tried on shoes, and swabbed on lip gloss.

One woman went straight to a job interview.

Mitani D'antien wrapped a black feather boa around her neck and modeled a pair of teal high heels down the center of the salon. Her short blonde hair still shone from being styled.

The shoes and boa were a small portion of the outfits D'antien pieced together yesterday before she got her makeup done.

Among her other favorites were some glittery heels, green and checkered skirts, and black capri pants from Banana Republic that were just her size. (She has a hard time finding pants that fit her tiny waist).

"I'm just sort of blown away at walking into a little bit of heaven," said D'antien, who has amnesia and Lou Gehrig's disease and came to Boston in a so-far unsuccessful attempt to locate her family.

Earlier, Darlene Leblanc, 49, sat by a window, her eyes closed and face raised, as Rodgers dusted gold powder over her eyelids for a "sun-kissed look."

Leblanc, who grew up in Watertown, had picked out a polka-dot skirt and light pink top, and her auburn hair was cut and straightened.

"I love it," she said.

Jonnelle Marte can be reached at jmarte@globe.com.