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Home > Desert Oracle Radio > The Beauty Bubble: A roadside attraction


	Podcast:		Desert Oracle Radio
	Episode:		The Beauty Bubble: A roadside attraction
	Category:		Society & Culture
	Duration:		00:00:00
	Publish Date:		2025-11-30 16:09:37
	Description:		On Highway 62, three colorful, well-worn vintage hair dryers sit outside, marking the Beauty Bubble as one of Joshua Tree’s most unique roadside attractions. It’s listed in multiple travel guides and draws visitors from across the country and around the world. Inside, the salon is tightly packed with vintage curlers, dryers, wigs, and what Jeff Haffler calls “hairstory.” Tourists from Philadelphia and Ohio explored the rooms, pointing at old rollers, vintage gadgets, walls covered with antique salon ads, and reminders of beauty routines from earlier generations. Jeff greets them from the main room, where he still cuts hair two days a week. “Yeah, take your time, enjoy the whole thing. It’s my life’s work in there. Nearly half of this collection has been gifted to me. Since I have been collecting for my entire career, I have become very easy to buy for.” Jeff has been doing hair since he was nineteen and collecting even longer. Ten years ago, his ever-growing archive of beauty artifacts found a permanent home along this rural stretch of highway. He never set out to create a tourist destination, but when pandemic shutdowns closed salons statewide, and Highway 62 kept delivering curious visitors, the Beauty Bubble naturally became one. During the closures, Jeff turned the front room into a gift shop, now bulging with vintage-inspired finds. That shift helped keep the business afloat and made it a must-see stop for desert travelers. The Beauty Bubble sits next to Shari Elf’s Crochet Museum and the Alien Robot Museum. Together, the cluster has helped shape Joshua Tree’s creative district and draw visitors from around the world. “People tell me all the time I’m all over TikTok and social media. When people search for what to do in Joshua Tree, the Beauty Bubble pops up in almost all of their searches. Visitors have nicknamed the Beauty Bubble the “Disneyland of beauty parlors,” a nostalgic stop filled with memories of home haircare: curlers, clippers, razors, and products dating back to the 1920s. “I’m so proud of this place. It’s been 34 years of creation, 10 years in this location. I love this place of artistic people.” Jeff’s work has reached far beyond the desert. His whimsical hair sculptures were showcased in a major exhibition at the Harvey Milk Terminal at San Francisco International Airport. The award-winning documentary Inside the Beauty Bubble, which follows his work, his family, and the pandemic shutdown, has earned more than 30 film-festival awards. Through it all, Jeff says what keeps the Beauty Bubble thriving is simple: gratitude and a positive attitude. Jeff hopes a major institution, maybe even the Smithsonian, will one day acquire his collection. But for now, he’s happy greeting travelers and sharing the story behind each artifact. The post The Beauty Bubble: A roadside attraction appeared first on Z107.7 FM Joshua Tree.
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