It was a pleasant day in March and spring was already awakening in nature when my path took me to Domžale. In the heart of this beautiful Slovenian town, where the eye can rest with a beautiful view of the mighty Kamnik-Savinja Alps, Leja Cerar has her beauty salon Belleja.
Leja is pursuing the business path she set out on a few years ago with a team of likeable girls who care for their clients with heart and dedication. You can feel it as soon as you walk into the salon, which has a touch of warmth. Perhaps the latter is the main reason why people can relax and feel at home in this salon.
As I have found, beauty salons and similar spaces are not only havens for grooming and pampering, but also meeting points where different people's paths intertwine, and many interesting and joyful conversations develop, bringing people together and filling the human soul. Leja can recount several adventures that have happened in her salon, because in addition to her regular clients, she also meets many people she has never met before, who sometimes share their own stories with her.
Every now and then, someone confesses to her about a problem. One such case was shared by a client who was unable to clip and trim her toenails because of lower back pain. Leja came to the lady's rescue and gave her a pedicure, and they got into a conversation as they worked.
The client complained that she had a very modest pension, which she barely managed to get by on month to month, and that she sometimes ran out of money before she received a new transfer. She said: "I already have a low pension, but then most of that money goes on bills, rent and other expenses. I manage and do a lot on my own and buy practically nothing special, but I can't cut my toenails now." This was the reason she decided to go to a beauty salon in the first place, which she could not afford otherwise.
Leah was too frightened to give the lady any relief, so she decided to give her a full pedicure for free. "How much does a good job cost me? It won't make me feel any less," she told the lady. Even if Lea takes this for granted, because she is close to values such as helping each other, it was very valuable for the lady who gratefully accepted her gesture.
Mateja Sekavčnik, 26 Mar 2025
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