Sabrina Szinay: On Ritual, Rest, and Refinement

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Photography by Sophia Aerts
Interview by Anna Harding

Sabrina Szinay has a way of creating space—both physically and emotionally—that feels immediately grounding. As a hairstylist and the founder of Sándor, a design-led haircare brand, her approach is one of intention, restraint, and quiet confidence. Originally from Denmark and now based in New York, Sabrina’s world is one where ritual meets refinement, and where wellness is less a trend and more a way of being.

Her time spent in the fast-paced world of fashion—fourteen years of it, to be exact—has shaped her understanding of beauty beyond surface level. For Sabrina, true beauty radiates from authenticity, from presence, and from the energy we carry. Sándor, named after her grandfather, reflects these values: a brand rooted in minimalism and an enduring reverence for the natural world.

In our conversation, Sabrina shares her thoughts on well-being, creativity, and the deeply personal philosophy that guides both her life and her work. From the grounding power of breath work to the discipline of design in the mid-century era, she invites us into a slower, more reflective way of moving through the world—and perhaps, of caring for ourselves, too.

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On Well-being & Rituals

What does true rest look like for you, and how do you protect it in your daily life?

I’ve created a space that calms me the moment I walk in. There’s something about the simplicity of it - objects made from ceramic, wood, and high-frequency fibers like cotton, hemp, and linen - it feels right. It’s important to me to be mindful of what I listen to, as our subconscious is always absorbing. At home, and especially when I’m in transit, I listen to frequency music. It’s a way of protecting a softer energy, something that is easily swept away, especially in a place like New York, where there’s constantly people around. True rest, I believe, isn’t just something you find; it’s something that comes with a lifestyle. It’s personal, it’s individual. For me, the more I drop into my body, the more I work with it - through exercise, dance, meditation, breathwork - the deeper I go and the rest follows.

Are there any rituals—morning or evening—that ground you?

I aim for either a guided meditation in the morning or ten minutes of breathwork. Simple, but necessary. I’ve been traveling a lot this year, and there are mornings when these routines slips, usually because the day starts too early, the hours demand too much. And when it does, I can feel it - the absence of those moments, the quiet that’s lost.


Your brand, Sándor, embodies a quiet luxury—thoughtful and deeply restorative. How does your personal approach to well-being shape the way you create?

The philosophy behind Sándor is, at its core, personal – named after my grandfather, I knew his name would be a constant reminder of the respect and love I had for him in would continue to inspire in the form of my creations. Developed from my own feeling and sense of what feels right when it comes to ingredients, scent, and design. But it’s more than that. It’s about the values I hold, the belief that creation should leave as little trace as possible on the Earth, which we get to share with each other. 

“I feel it more now than ever - the real beauty, the kind that resonates, is the one born from authenticity. From a person who loves themselves, their wisdom and who lets that shine through and pour it into others presence.”

On Creativity & Inspiration

Before Sándor, your career was rooted in fashion. How did that world influence your perspective on beauty and self-care?

Fourteen years in fashion has given me the privilege of watching people create, of seeing how the world can be shaped visually - myself included, both in fashion and beauty. But what I’ve come to understand is that beauty, the true kind, isn’t just skin-deep. It’s how we feel, how we carry our emotions, how we see each other through them. We are, whether we know it or not, vessels for energy, for vibrations that can be seen in the way we hold ourselves, in the way we move through the world. I feel it more now than ever - the real beauty, the kind that resonates, is the one born from authenticity. From a person who loves themselves, their wisdom and who lets that shine through and pour it into others presence. That, to me, is the true mark of beauty.

If you had to describe your creative process in three words, what would they be?

Visualization, Reflection, Harmony.


How do you stay inspired? Are there books, artists, or places that continually spark something in you?

There was a time when making things meant something, when form was deliberate, inevitable. The fifties and sixties carried a discipline, a belief that design - whether a chair, a building, a painting - was meant to hold. That we still sit in those chairs, admire their authority, speaks to a devotion to craft that resisted the pull of the disposable. Reflection was once a given and now, it feels like a luxury. 

In certain books, in certain works of art - when something has been made with that same attention, that same weight of consideration, I recognise it and it inspires me.  A reminder that meaning is still possible, if only one is willing to sit with it long enough.

On Founding Sándor & the Self-care Space

Sándor is redefining hair care with a design-led, sustainable approach. What was missing in the beauty industry that you set out to create?

I found myself looking for something that didn’t seem to exist. A haircare brand that felt accountable, that felt considered - not just in its ingredients but in its physical presence, in the way it sat on a shelf, in the way it felt in my hands. Something that understood the quiet pleasure of good design, of timelessness, of the connection between what we use, what we put on our bodies. The experience mattered. The scent mattered. Earthy, natural, but never obvious. Luxury, but not in the way the word is so often misused - luxury as intention, as restraint, as a kind of confidence. There are so many medicinal plants that have existed long before us, waiting to be used.


Bringing a brand to life is an act of patience and vision. What has been the most rewarding moment in business your journey so far?

There is a particular satisfaction in knowing that something you created has settled into people’s lives in a real way - that their scalp feels better, that the scent touches them, that the experience lingers beyond the product itself. And then there are the photographers, the ones who have given Sándor its visual language, who have understood, without much explanation, what it was meant to be. The best things are shaped not just by those who make them, but by those who see them clearly.

Sustainability is often discussed in beauty, but not always executed with integrity. What are the non-negotiables for you when it comes to creating truly sustainable products?

There are certain things I will not compromise on. Ingredients that do no harm - to the body, to the Earth, to the places where they will eventually return. Packaging that can be infinitely recycled, that does not linger in landfills long after it has served its purpose. Waste, once you begin to see it at scale, is no longer an abstract problem. It is not just about what one person consumes in a lifetime, but what happens when thousands do. When a business grows, so does its responsibility. The Reusable Pump was a decision made with that in mind - to eliminate unnecessary plastic. Our aluminium bottles are made of recycled aluminum and is infinitely recyclable. These are not small choices. They are the choices that define everything. Because to love the Earth is to love the people who live on it. And if you understand that, really understand it, there is no other way to create.

“Through breath, through presence, by simple practices of meditation or movement, I could reconnect with my body. It was a kind of rediscovery, a remembering that seemed to come from somewhere far deeper.”

On Spaces of Rest & Sensory Experiences

Scent, texture, and environment play such a huge role in relaxation. What sensory experiences make you feel most at home in yourself?

In certain moments, breath can become a sensory experience, when it aligns with presence, with the texture of the world around us, or with the quiet pulse of our own being. Breath and touch - these are the things that pull me back, that make me feel most at home in my own skin. There’s something in the simplicity of it, in the quiet rhythm, in the way the body remembers itself. 

Are there places in the world that you return to, physically or mentally, when you need to reset?

I focus on the energy centre of my heart and gut, the places where, I believe, we all carry a quiet depth of wisdom. Recently, a journey with Ibogaine and Bufo revealed something to me - how, through breath, through presence, by simple practices of meditation or movement, I could reconnect with my body. It was a kind of rediscovery, a remembering that seemed to come from somewhere far deeper. Traveling often broadens my perspective, but sometimes, a simple meditation brings a reset.