I was wandering around the Ilikai Hotel last week and saw a Grand Opening sign for a new hair salon. The salon, like the rest of the vendor spaces had glass walls so I could see that the staff were definitely from Japan also known as JN’s for Japanese nationals.
I went in anyway because I was curious to know if they could buy advertising from my other job at KIKU tv, or I could try them out as stylists.
The staff were extraordinarily friendly, and in the very Japanese way, very gracious and welcoming. I took to one nice looking young man stylist and walked out without making an appointment but with their brochure.
The rates are very reasonable especially when I compare them to what I have been paying for $100 for retouch to color grey.
I must be tired because I have been feeling pretty put out about the entire experience of paying $120 for a retouch where only the assistant touched my head for 90% of the time I was at the salon.
Seriously.
Ok I feel the snark coming on.
It just riles me up to pay that much of my hard earned cash to not have the stylist do my hair, walk out with a black band of color on my forehead, drops of color on my face, plastered bangs sprayed into place and a burn mark from a too hot blowdryer.
I am one of those easy going customers when I am at the mercy of the hairstylist, but once I have to start scrubbing the black dye off, my patience wears as well.
Anyway.
Everything about my experience made me feel very happy about my choice.
My hair was dry as toast (after nurturing it for years with organic high grade hair products and non amonia color) after the assistant from the other salon spaced out and left the color on for 1.5 hours!
So, I opted in for the moisture treatment, haircut, retouch roots and got a complimentary ozone treatment for half the price of the last salon without any treatments. So half the price and twice the treatment.
The stylist was upfront with what they were going to charge me–something that seems to never happen. My experience with so many stylists is they add on and add on and never say how much more something is going to be until they present you with a $200+ bill! Or, they raise rates and never say anything!
They started with a shampoo and moisture treatment which had a warm steam directed at my head while I sipped herbal tea.
Then after the moisture was rinsed out, the stylist applied an ozone treatment-which felt reminiscent of a bubble rinse from Ryan Jacoby.
Off to the chair, and the stylist put on little shower caps to cover my ears. He also applied a thin type of tape around my forehead-none of that disgusting vaseline goo.
Then he applied the color very thouroughly. Yes he used a paintbrush, but he went through and did one coat, then using the comb side, went through the entire head again until he was satisfied.
Rinsing the color out was followed by the stylist blow drying my hair by hand and with a brush.
Then a precision cut style I had never seen before–I got long layers and some bangs. (I really look like my avatar).
Man-I think it was way back in the 60s when that much graciousness was part of the trip to the hair salon! Complete with Japanese style “doomo arigator gozaimashita, please come again!”
My last snark-why are stylists so possesive about their clients and treat them like sh$t? If they gave a hoot about clients then they’d treat clients alot better, not be so sloppy, and be upfront about costs for services.
What’s up with that bad behavior?
It’s alot easier to keep a client than to try to get new ones-
k
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