Years ago, when Craig Whipple was in his 20s, he had a client who made a big impression.
Whipple, who has now been with Juut Salon Spa for 25 years and is a master stylist, master educator and hair director of the Wayzata salon location, says this guest was a powerful, fierce woman who ran her own business with a big entrepreneurial spirit.
“She was passionate and had a story for everything,” Whipple says. “But then one day, she came in and told me she had a diagnosis of ALS. But what was amazing is she never let it effect her attitude.”
Slowly, Whipple watched his vibrant client deteriorate. She walked with a cane, a walker, a wheelchair, and finally, he got a call from her husband that she couldn’t make it into the salon anymore.
“He asked me to come to the house, which I did,” he says. “To see her in the advanced stages of this disease and still have a smile for me and want to look good was so powerful.
“When we’re in our 20s, we think the world revolves around us. This was a big turning point for me because it wasn’t about me,” he says.
He adds, “Doing that small thing for her and making her day as much as she had made my day so many times when she came in, changed my perception of what Daymaking was.”
Whipple says before this client, Daymaking was just this thing David did. Now he realizes what a big deal it truly is.
“I think we get wrapped up in the idea that Daymaking has to be big, like traveling to India and taking care of people from a monsoon or running into a burning building to save a baby,” he says. “But small gestures and conversations impact you in ways you don’t ever realize. My client’s attitude for life really affected me, in particular because I was young and took good health for granted.”
Even though he has been Daymaking for 25 years, Whipple says he is always evolving.
“Everybody has a story to tell,” he says. “Just being present and listening to guests is so important because they have stories they don’t tell anyone else but you. I never would’ve thought some of my guests have such personal strife and struggles, and it has taught me to be more vulnerable.”
Ultimately, Whipple has learned to live in the moment as a Daymaker and not ask for anything in return.
“I don’t need to be recognized for dropping food off at a shelter or sweeping hair off the floor for someone,” he says. “I’m just thankful it’s the next day and I’m still here to be a part of it.”