The Beauty Bubble is a salon and museum displaying a collection of over 3000 pieces of hair and beauty memorabilia assembled, archived and maintained by Jeff Hafler in Joshua Tree, California. The Collection includes vintage and antique products, advertising, equipment, hair and beauty related books, toys and collectibles.
The collection began decades ago when Jeff started doing hair. “I had always loved history and thought I would have been an archaeologist. I went to beauty school because I received two grants that paid for the entire tuition. I turned my love of history into the history of my occupation … Hair and Beauty. A good friend of mine bought me an antique hair dryer at a thrift store while I was in beauty school and the rest is “Hairstory”!
Jeff’s career and collecting started in Columbus, Ohio in 1991. He worked in Seattle, Washington and Hollywood, California before settling in the Mojave desert, in 29 Palms, California. Jeff owned a salon in Hollywood from 2001-2003 and a home salon in Wonder Valley, California from 2004-20015. He opened the current location in Joshua Tree in January of 2016 and his dream of creating an Americana roadside attraction was fulfilled!
One of the most cherished items in the collection is a Duart permanent wave machine, circa 1940. The machine was donated by Earle Adams, the Hollywood hairdresser who styled Veronica Lake’s famous fingerwave! Earle and his wife Bernice owned a beauty salon in Hollywood from the 1940’s through the 1980’s. The Beauty Bubble represents a cultural history that everyone, regardless of whether they have hair or not, can relate to.
A client recently referred to the Beauty Bubble as the Disneyland of beauty parlors! One of the happiest places on earth!