Featured Business: Bombshell Beauty Bar

Bombshell Beauty Bar is a boutique, heart‑centered salon collective in the heart of Kitsilano, offering everything from luxury colour and extensions to classic barbering and affordable junior services in a warm, neighbourhood “hidden gem” space. It is the kind of place where clients grow up with their stylists, dogs nap on laps, and community connections matter just as much as great hair.

A hidden gem in Kitsilano

Bombshell Beauty Bar operates out of a cozy, light‑filled salon just off Cypress Street in Vancouver at 1909 West 1st Avenue, surrounded by other small, locally owned businesses that contribute to its relaxed, village‑like feel. Large front windows open onto a cobblestone patio with tables and umbrellas, reinforcing the salon’s identity as a neighbourhood gathering place rather than a high‑pressure beauty bar.

Owner‑stylist Jessica Proulx has been in the hair industry for more than 20 years and has led Bombshell since 2013, building a a space where clients often travel across the water or across town because they feel seen, remembered, and welcomed. The salon’s vision is “to shift the culture of beauty by creating spaces where everyone feels they belong,” and its mission is “to serve with heart, skill, and presence—one guest, one moment, one connection at a time.” As a result, Bombshell has become a trusted Vancouver salon for people looking for more than a quick transaction.

A collective built on community

What makes Bombshell stand out is its small, tight‑knit collective model: independent specialists work under one roof, sharing space, values, and clients, while each brings deep expertise. The team includes Jessica Proulx, known for blonding and extensions; advanced cutter and colourist Cynthia Skabar; in‑house barber Khalid; two other experienced stylists; and a junior stylist offering more accessible price points for neighbours who want a luxury experience on a budget.

Cynthia describes Bombshell as “a very unique, boutique salon in the heart of Kitsilano… a collective” where strength in numbers and shared values matter more than scale. Over time, the space has evolved into an extended community hub that even includes Woof, a dog grooming salon next door run by Cynthia and Jessica’s friend Yuki, with whom Bombshell shares a washroom and, frequently, four‑legged visitors. Clients joke that you might go in to freshen your colour and find a poodle saying hello in the hallway.

The experience: more than a haircut

For Bombshell, the service begins long before scissors or colour come out. Cynthia talks about riding to the salon by bike with her pug, Edison—originally a surprise gift from the salon team after she closed her hair school—and how that simple daily ritual has become part of the way local families first meet her. One neighbouring couple met Cynthia on the sidewalk because of Edison; years later, she had the honour of giving their baby’s very first haircut and has watched that family grow, turning a chance encounter into a multi‑generation relationship.

Inside the salon, small touches are intentional: when the weather turns chilly, chairs are set with heated blankets ready for clients as they sit down, and guests are routinely offered coffee, tea, wine, or a favourite drink so they feel cared for rather than rushed. Cynthia often emails long‑time clients if she hasn’t seen them in a while, just to check in after the holidays or a busy season—gestures that reflect what she and Jessica see as a “heart‑centered business” where people “feel valued,” not just booked.

Outside, Bombshell quietly serves the block each morning by putting out umbrellas with hot tea and treats for people walking by, inviting neighbours to pause, warm up, and say hello whether or not they have an appointment. “Pretty much any single individual could walk in for something,” Cynthia explains, emphasizing that the team will always try to match a guest with the stylist, barber, or junior who fits their needs, budget, and personality best.

Services for every story

Bombshell’s service menu is broad by design, but the team uses it to tailor experiences rather than overwhelm guests with options. Some highlights include:

• Colour and transformations: Jessica is known for complex blonding, major colour corrections, and tape‑in and K‑tip extensions, offering everything from subtle refreshes to dramatic “short‑to‑long” or dark‑to‑blonde changes that require advanced technical skill.
  
  

• Advanced cutting and colour: Cynthia brings decades of experience as an educator and Red Seal stylist, focusing on advanced cutting, colour, and education‑driven consultations for clients who want both creativity and clear guidance.
  
  

• Barbering and men’s grooming: In “the men’s section,” Khalid creates what Cynthia calls the “gentleman’s gentleman experience,” offering fades, short cuts, beards, and traditional hot shaves in a corner of the salon that has become a busy hangout for regulars.
  
  

• Accessible luxury: A junior stylist provides high‑quality services at lower price points, making it possible for clients who might not usually book at a boutique salon to enjoy the same welcoming environment and attention.

Cynthia often redirects husbands, sons, or short‑hair clients to Khalid for that specific barber experience, while extension or high‑impact colour inquiries go to Jessica, and advanced cut and colour guests gravitate to her chair. “We’re not going to try to put somebody who isn’t going to relate with one of the stylists with that stylist,” she says. “We cater to the client—their needs, what they want, what’s going to work best for them.”

That tailored approach has helped Bombshell build a reputation as a go‑to Kitsilano hair salon for clients who want expert results without sacrificing warmth, humour, or a sense of belonging.

A neighbourhood woven together

Bombshell’s community roots show up in countless small stories. Cynthia recalls meeting a woman on First Avenue struggling with heavy groceries and mobility issues; when she offered help, the woman replied that Cynthia was the first person she had spoken to in five days. Cynthia invited her for coffee at the salon, only to discover the woman was already a client of one of her colleagues—now, every appointment has become a social check‑in that extends far beyond a basic service.

The block itself feels interconnected: next to Bombshell is a small, family‑run Korean deli and corner store that once stocked a handmade congratulations card Cynthia bought for a client. When she returned to compliment the card, she learned it was designed by one of the women who works there—a detail that mirrors Bombshell’s own appreciation for local makers and creative, homegrown businesses. Over the years, clients’ children have grown from babies in carriers to teenagers now attending Kitsilano Secondary, with families still coming to Bombshell and Woof for haircuts and dog grooming.

“Yesterday, my last client sat down and Edison was in her lap, and she said, ‘I always see Edison as a puppy,’” Cynthia laughs. “When you walked in the door, I thought, ‘I always think of you as a baby.’” For many regulars, Bombshell is less a salon than a time‑capsule of shared milestones, where haircuts mark graduations, new jobs, fresh starts, and quiet check‑ins after hard seasons.

Looking ahead with heart

Having survived the shocks of the pandemic—Cynthia closed her Hair & Beauty International School after 25 years, and Jessica consolidated her White Rock salon into Kits—Bombshell’s team is now focused on thoughtful growth rather than aggressive expansion. Cynthia emphasizes keeping standards and products high, supporting education, and continuing to “do the best that we can… providing the services that we do,” while slowly introducing new offerings, such as artist‑collaborated products she is developing and grooming products Khalid is testing in‑house.

The salon continues to rely heavily on word of mouth, but there is a growing recognition that telling these stories—about Edison’s bike rides, first haircuts, heated blankets, and the neighbour who hadn’t spoken to anyone in days—will help more people recognize themselves in Bombshell’s vision. For anyone searching online for a welcoming Vancouver salon that blends technical excellence with genuine human connection, Bombshell Beauty Bar offers a simple promise: you will belong, be remembered, and leave feeling more like yourself than when you arrived.

To learn more or book an appointment, visit Bombshell Beauty Bar’s home page at https://bombshell.salon.