The Cowrie Shell Center

Founded in 1991 by Yendys Nefer-Atum, the center began as a salon and wellness facility that paired natural hair care with a holistic approach to everyday living. Today it focuses on natural hair, locs and holistic lifestyle services across two floors, with an eclectic interior. The business says it received the 2015 Best of Brooklyn Award in the Hair Salon category from the Brooklyn Award Program.

Loc services cover starts, repairs and maintenance. Loc initiation starts at $200 and depends on length and texture, and free-form locs are started with a lemon mint shampoo, an herbal conditioning treatment and a warm oil scalp massage before the hair is left to grow without combing or twisting. Repairs are $5 per unit. Maintenance ranges from a $80 time-saver retwist and style, which clients pre-wash at home, to $120 and $140 sessions with an herbal tea rinse, and a $160 session for hard-to-loc hair using the Inter-Locking Method. Other services include cuts for locked hair from $55 and for unlocked hair at $40, trims at $20 and $30, coils at $45, updos at $30, loc styles with braids at $20, a $65 natural hair maintenance session with wash, herbal tea treatment and hot oil scalp massage, and a $75 aromatherapy scalp massage. Natural hair consultations are $35, and children's hair care is also offered.

Plant-based coloring uses Herbatint Permanent Herbal Gel, which the business describes as ammonia-free and paraben-free with aloe vera, and it says the color gives full coverage of gray hair. Clients bring their own color. Touch-ups are $45 and full-head coloring is $75, and extra time should be requested at booking. The business also sells its own Ancient Blends line of plant-based, vegan hair and body care products through its website, an Etsy shop and the center, with international shipping.

Het-Heru yoni steam bath sessions last one hour, with about two hours needed on site, and cost $100. Each includes a wellness consultation, womb wellness tea, bottled water and a goddess tarot card reading, and the steam uses a seven-herb blend that includes basil, rosemary, wormwood and calendula. The business says yoni steaming supports menstrual, fertility, postpartum and menopause-related wellbeing; these are its own claims. Private spiritual wellness counseling is also offered in confidential sessions of up to 90 minutes. A consultation fee applies when treatment calls for a recommended holistic protocol, and private hair appointments carry a $50 fee. A 20% gratuity is already added to bills, and extra tips are welcome. Cancellations need at least 24 hours notice, while late cancellations and no-shows are charged a share or all of the reserved amount. Clients are asked to remove shoes and keep voices low, and checks are not accepted.

Holds that a healthy body supports healthier hair, and describes hair locking as a long-term commitment that should not be entered lightly.

The space spans two floors with an eclectic interior and an aromatherapy scent.