For Lynessa Looney, this day has been a long time coming.

“Things like this don’t come by often,” said Looney, of Rochester.

Salon owner Hazel Azcona is Looney’s go-to. But it’s been a year since she’s sat in the chair of Azcona’s salon, Hazel Alexandra Hair Studio.  

For Looney, a new mom with four kids at home, life sometimes gets in the way.

“The other day I came to the conclusion that I don’t have the finances right now, and I’m just going to put that towards bills,” she said.

It’s a story Azcona hears often.

“A lot of times, you don't know what a person is going through,” said Azcona. “Just because they look from the outside that like they have everything all together, you don't know how they feel once they get home and that door closes.”

This is why Azcona got an idea: Pick one woman a month who may be going through something, and help her feel good and look good — for free.

“I want to reach out to these women who might be going through these silent struggles,” she said, "and offer my services to them.”

“It was such a blessing to me,” said Looney. “She didn’t even know, but she answered a prayer that I had.”

“I was blown away and I'm so grateful that God put it in my heart to reach out to her, specifically,” said Azcona. “And that it was actually everything she needed and wanted.

Azcona says she wants to lift women up, bring them together and give them a break, if just for a few hours.

Looney says she’s grateful and comforted by the fact that her friend is helping other women in the same situation.

“This is amazing,” said a tearful Looney. “I really needed this.”