
Welcome to Parlour RVA
Meet Lenise
Although I never liked getting my own hair done as a child (I’m tenderhead), I’ve always loved watching the relationship between stylist and client. I love how, in just one visit, a stylist can transform how a woman sees herself.
I tucked that away as I grew older, but in 2004, I was deployed to Baghdad, an experience that forced me to consider my mortality and my legacy. So, I vowed to knock out my bucket list once I was home: visit Australia (not done yet), shave my hair off (done multiple times), and go to cosmetology school so I could recreate that bond I saw behind the chair.
I graduated from Empire Beauty School in 2008, and told myself I’d be a business owner by 35. And so, at 35, I left my plush corporate job in IT testing software with the intention to finally let go of fear and do hair full time. It was also very important to me that my son have a clear example of turning your passion into a successful career.


So, I left my job and sure, I had some money saved, but as a new business owner, I learned quickly that you can easily run through it. That landed me on a 3-way call with my mom and my mortgage company so she could bail me out of being 5 months past due on my mortgage, and the very next day my foreclosure letter for my home was in my mailbox.
This is when I had to get creative and find ways to grow my brand, and Twist and Talk was born. I also engaged my business owner friends and offered to be a beauty sponsor for their events. Both of these moves put me in front of audiences that I hadn’t been exposed to, and business began to boom!
In 2016, I left a salon partnership and launched Parlour where I focus on healthy hair and scalps, and creating a safe space for curls, coils, and waves, and all trauma women have experienced around their naturally textured hair. Including Parlour, I’ve worked as a booth renter, salon owner, suite renter, brand, ambassador, educator, and mentor, and in July 2024, my business partner, Star Coston, and I opened what I hope to be my retirement business, Bloom Salon & Suites. I am eternally grateful for the journey to get here and everyone who had a hand in it.