you know it girls...nothing beats a trip to the salon!!! i went today just for a simple cut, blow dry and style. i left there with a whole new attitude! just the sass of it all. the chatter, the gossip, the rumor, and that is just coming from my chair.....let alone everyone elses!!! my stylist finally said "i can not believe you girls pay psychiatrists!!, just come here, i will listen and charge you nothing!!". i said "but Rhonda... you can not prescribe!!" she says "like hell....in this business...i got connections like you can't imagine...i cut everybody's hair!!!" we were in hysterics! the girl that was two chairs down from me is a free-lance anaesthesiologist (i never knew of such a thing) , the girl under the dryer is refusing to do the atkin's diet because she has to drink alcohol with her prozac, the guy behind me can't wait to get to key west to behave badly, the lady coming through the door for her massage is cussing up a storm because of how badly she needs her massage because of following the tourists all of the way there...the foot bath is bubbling away waiting for some lucky patron's pedicure (not me today...darn), another girl is perusing the hair cut book swearing she needs a huge change in her life, a new unassuming customer is very quiet around all of us old timers just sinking into her salon chair hoping for the best. so, an ordinary day turns into a great day with an awesome cut and great company at a salon... a good salon anyway..

What a fun post. Can't believe you could take all that in! HOw fun! That newcomer doesn't know what she is in for. . Hopefully she jumped right in!

I have to get my friend who works in a salon to reply to this one!

Your description of a day in the salon sounds perfectly normal to me! I'm a hairdresser, and I can attest to the fact that the salon is a microcosm of real life- the raw, uncut version.
I am just a frustrated therapist, longing to listen and solve problems. If I could prescribe anti-depressants, I swear I would be dead-on with who could benefit. I once had a woman who was agonizing over a decision to accept a job offer. She explained all of the details to me and had decided to do whatever I thought was best. This was a bright, ambitous woman with a Masters degree in education. Boy did I love that! One of my proudest moments was when a girlfriend of a client of mine called to thank me for the advice I had given her boyfriend concerning their relationship. This was a mature couple in their 50's. They have since married! I consider the hairstyling an incidental aspect of my job. It's the unlicensed therapy that I am passionate about.

[ April 25, 2003, 09:50 PM: Message edited by: knitwit ]

This must be a trait common to hairdressers all over. They don't like their customers to just sit quietly..if the customer doesn't start talking, they will ask them questions to break the ice. I went in for a trim the other day. The only hairdresser there that day was a young woman I had never seen before, although she knew my daughter apparently. She started asking questions, and before I knew it, I was telling her all kinds of things about my family. I had to keep reminding myself that others could hear everything I said. I tend to get chatty quickly, so it didn't take her long to ferret out information about my family and my job. Is this part of their training?

Thats so funny but true.Im going to the salon tomarrow cant wait.Isnt wierd how a new hair style makes you so happy.Of course Ive had it the other way too.It really takes a lot of time to find the right stylest.Anyone with any salon horror stories????