Saving a Salon

My dad always says that he doesn’t like to go into restaurants when there are no other patrons there. He says he feels like the manager will say, “Oh, we’re so glad you came! Now we can stay open. You saved us!” And then he’d feel pressure to order a lot of food.

I walked into a “oh-my-gosh-you’re-saving-us” situation last week. But it wasn’t a restaurant; it was a hair salon. I’ve been on the hunt for a new hair dresser ever since my last one got “promoted.” In hair salon circles, that means you pay more for the same hair cut.

I figured I’d go somewhere closer to my house. When I saw a new place open up in the shopping center right behind my neighborhood, I thought, “I could walk there! It will be like I live in New York City except I don’t have to call an overpriced closet my home.”

I should have known they were hurting when I called to make the appointment. They seemed way too excited about booking a trim. My second clue was when they called to confirm my appointment…twice: “Just want to make sure you’re coming…it’s been awhile since we spoke.” Geez, they really need me to come. Maybe I should get highlights too…or a perm?

So I showed up and as you guessed, I was the only person there. The manager guy said, “Oh, hi. You must be Elsa. I’ll tell Sheila you’re here. Sheila! Sheila! Elsa’s here!” What he meant was, “Shelia! Sheila! Elsa’s here! Now our families can eat again!”

Oh, wait. Did I say I was the ONLY person there? That’s not completely true. There was the manager, Sheila and another stylist who was practicing on a mannequin head.

As Sheila washed my hair—a process that was so much more comfortable at my old salon—she asked me what kind of shampoo I used. I told her I liked Aveda and I inquired if they sold it there. She said no. Then the other stylist comes running up and says, “But we do sell this shampoo! This shampoo is the best! Sheila, don’t forget to tell people about this shampoo!”

Great. Now I have to get a trim, highlights, a perm AND a bottle of shampoo. That better be enough to save this place.

Now keep in mind I’m used to Tina and her excessive compliments. So when Sheila started to cut my hair without first telling me how fabulous my mane is, I was a little taken aback. And it only got worse when she started telling me all the things that were WRONG with my hair—the color, the texture, the split ends. Tina would NEVER have said such things. But then I remembered that Tina was full of it. And she got promoted so I can’t afford her compliments anymore.

The good news is that two other customers came in while I was there. So I opted not to get highlights or a bottle of shampoo. But since one of the customers was a man with hardly any hair (and therefore, didn’t have the resources to save this place), I did come close to getting that perm. Maybe next time—if they’re still around.