His arms are covered in tattoos. His voice drips with a Boston accent. The walls in his studio are draped in art. In his spare time, of which he has very little, he makes jewelry, watches documentaries, works as an antiques auctioneer, and works as a constable for the City of Boston. A West Roxbury native, he has dubbed himself the "prodigal son" of his industry in the neighborhood. He is a man of ecclectic interests and abundant energy.

His name is Michael McMurrough, and he owns Centre Street's latest spot to get your hair done, Astra Hair Salon. And -- despit the several salons and stylists already lining the street -- he expects his business to find plenty of success in its second shop.

How, though, does he have such confidence with so many salons operating on the street?

"Because I'm good," he answers simply.

McMurrough has been working with hair for 27 years in and around Boston, and has been operating the first Astra Hair Salon in Dorchester for nearly 12. By opening his second shop in West Roxbury midway through this past January, he's come full circle, returning home. Today is also a grand opening with City officials.

"I'm the prodigal son," he said. "I love this neighborhood. I'm happy to be back. I just thought it needed a kick in the pants for hair styling."

McMurrough has grown a very strong reputation in the industry, drawing clients from as far as Hingham and New Hampshire, and even has one who comes all the way from Manhattan. Therefore, for many of his clients, the new West Roxbury location is easier to get to than the Dorchester shop, meaning that much of the clientele at his new shop is actually already built in.

The Dorchester salon has the highest rating in Boston on Yelp.

His clients, he says, "are always two years ahead" when it comes to the latest styles, and he attributes this to the hours and hours he devotes each week to studying global trends in hair.

The prices are affordable, at just $30 a haircut.

These are all reasons, in addition to simply "being good," that McMurrough expects to find success in West Roxbury.

But transcending all of them would have to be McMurrough's own personality. Between his high energy and wide interests, holding conversation with clients would never be an issue. He exudes confidence when talking about his craft: "I feel like you either have the talent or you don't," he said, sipping ginger ale while sitting in one of his shop's chairs, "And I have it." But it doesn't rub you the wrong way. Instead, he infuses that same confidence in his abilities into the client. "These people," he said, "know they are getting the best haircut of their life."

The route of McMurrough's enthusiasm for the work is as his simple as his reason for expecting success in West Roxbury: he loves the work, and he knows he's good at it. He spends 12 hours a day, seven days a week, at one of his two shops, and he said he's struggled in the past to go on vacation because he "need(s) to get back to it."

"If you have the talent, you've got to live it," he said. "It'd be a horrible waste not to devote yourself to your craft."

Now, open daily in West Roxbury on Centre Street, McMurrough has a chance to live his craft back at home as the neighborhood's newest hairdresser.