Thirty years in the beauty biz is a big deal. To celebrate this milestone, Chatters Hair Salon recently hosted an invite-only event that was equal parts innovative and entertaining. A guest list of media, influencers and key industry partners were invited to toast Chatters’ 30th anniversary at downtown Toronto’s Stackt Market and experience a first-of-its-kind hair museum featuring the most iconic hair looks from the past three decades.

Sounds cool, right? It was!

But there’s no need for FOMO because the ELLE team was in attendance and we’re sharing our five fave things about the Chatters Hair Museum. You’ll feel like you were right there with us.

1. Safety made chic

The spacious venue was dressed in bright colours and had a floral-trimmed DJ booth putting out bumping beats, all of which helped create an instantly uplifting vibe. Adhering to COVID-19 safety precautions, appointment-style visits limited the number of attendees per hour and masks were mandatory inside. An adorable outdoor lounge with picnic tables, fire pits and social-distancing-friendly games (huzzah, bean-bag toss!) made mingling safe and comfortable.

2. Walking down memory lane

The Hair Museum featured stunning images of iconic looks from the ’90s, ’00s and beyond. The exhibition kicked off with a butterfly-clip hairstyle from 1991—the year Chatters was born—and featured trends including textured twists à la Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice, the blown-out layers of “the Rachel” and 2021’s easy and effortless top knot.

3. Play it again!

Designed for nostalgic delight, the Hair Museum was bursting with fun pop-culture references at every turn—we spied quotes from top movies and formerly hot must-haves like a Tamagotchi. The cherry on top: Each section featured QR codes that guests could scan to connect to Chatters’ 30th Anniversary playlists featuring chart-toppers from Britney, Mariah and many more.

4. Blast from the past

Everyone loves an epic photo op! Guests were captured looking their best in a vintage-salon vignette—complete with pink banquette and overhead hairdryers—for a must-have memento.

5. The suite life

A visit to the exclusive gifting suite was the final treat. We chatted with celebrity hairstylist and Chatters Brand Ambassador Cindy Duplantis, who helped guests create their own customized gift bag with the best products from Chatters. And what’s a party without sweets? No food or drinks were served on-site, but a takeaway station with cupcakes and mini bottles of bubbly meant we could extend the celebration after we departed. Cheers!