Simply Scalp by Gina offering head massages in Naz716 - Yahoo

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When Gina Strech’s neighbor Trish Pileggi was diagnosed with inoperable cancer, Strech would go over to her house to massage her head to help make her feel better. Before passing away this past August, the Maple Avenue school teacher encouraged Strech to market the skill at her job at Salon Diaz on Military Road.

“No one’s gonna pay me to rub their head,” replied Strech, unsure about it at first — “but they are.”

Now the Niagara Falls woman has branched out to offer these particular massages at her new business, Simply Scalp by Gina, which opened last month in Naz716 on Williams Road.


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Falling under the cosmetology umbrella, scalp massages first happen during shampooing when salon workers run their hands through someone’s hair. The process can supposedly help with hair growth by increasing blood circulation to the follicles.

At first, Strech had a separate room in the salon where she would work on the massages, one she did not utilize as much as she wanted to. The salon owner Dianne Ziuko also encouraged her to market the massages.

The move to her current location came from a need to work in a quieter location away from people using hairdryers and the gym next door.

How she conducts a massage depends on what a client wants, with some restrictions if they are seeing a dermatologist or have hair extensions. If someone wants help growing hair, she will use different tools and oils to stimulate the hair follicles. If all they want is relaxation, she will normally use a lighter touch.


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Gaining momentum through word of mouth and social media, Strech’s appointments are now normally booked months in advance. Eventually, she wants to teach others how to do this. Clients have asked if she will bring in new tools needed for a Japanese-style head massage, but she is more interested in working with her hands.

“I really like what I’m doing,” she said.