MESA — A few years ago, Amber Ortiz decided to open a smaller hair salon to help clients on a personal level.
Recently, Ortiz began to offer a new, silent service.
"They look like me and you,” Ortiz said. “They look like everybody. They have normal jobs. They just, they hide it really well."
"Compassion Appointments" are catered to those battling severe depression.
"They'll come in with their hair matted or tangled to a point where they just feel like there's no sight,” Ortiz explained.
Whether it's a few minutes or hours, Ortiz carefully combs through every strand.
"We'll just listen to music, I'll light a candle, I'll sit here and then I will just work, and you know every once in a while, I'll touch them,” Ortiz explains. “Just let them know everything's okay."
She continues, "With a little bit of time and patience, it can be untangled and then it's easier to maintain and they get their life back."
Ortiz’s empathy for her clients is echoed by the pops of yellow in her salon's namesake.
"We used to call him a ‘Lemon. Sour Lemon, Lemon Drop,’" Ortiz smiles. “He was well, we say, he was my mom's favorite."
She says she had no idea her youngest brother, Lucas Alexander Romero, was depressed at 23 years old. He died by suicide in 2016.
Ortiz said, "I kind of wanted to turn something terrible into something good. And so that's when I created my Lemon Bar.”
Her mission in life is to prioritize mental health and to make lemonade out of lemons.
"It's something that was in the past and they can hopefully move forward,” Ortiz said.
To make an appointment, reach out to Ortiz through her Instagram page.