Salon Cu follow up

[sly-salkie.livejournal.com]

I am starting a new job and have come to regret that I cut my own hair a while ago... I'm not that interested in my looks and I previously worked from home, so it was no big deal, but I made a bit of a mess of things. It looked okay, albeit a bit shaggy and sloppy, but it was time to fix it. I remembered the post in the hair tags a while back about someone wanting to go to a place that wouldn't rag on them for trying to cut their own hair. Comments in the hair tags have been warm in their recommendation of Salon Cu.

Apologies in advance for how inane this entry is, but I need to put in my two cents on this place.
I went this morning, though not to Umberto (whom everyone seemed to love). Other guy.
1). He made me feel awful about what I had done to my hair.
2). He did not even remotely try to connect with me about what I wanted, but seemed more intent on trying to "fix" what I had done.
3). He didn't ask me any questions about my hair type, which is on the insane side, or tell me what he was going to do.
4). He didn't ask me if I wanted it blow-dried and styled and just went for it anyways. I looked ridiculous leaving that place. Is that normal? I don't go to salons often (years and years). It didn't feel right.

Yes, I probably should have spoken up, but I'm meek and was already embarrassed and I didn't want to offend him, and I didn't realize until it was over that I had been made into

but with nerdy glasses and poofier hair.

So yeah, I'm not giving them a good review, and I'm not going back. I don't like salons.

Comments

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't be my preference, that's for sure.

[inahandbasket]

(I'm the guy who cut his own hair...)
I went to Umberto, not the guy you did, and had a great experience. I actually enjoyed it and I too hate salons.

Not to be snarky, but i talked to him, made sure we were on the same wavelength, and got exactly what I wanted out of it.
You didn't speak up and didn't get what you wanted... I'm really not surprised.
Just about any service industry will be like that. They're not mindreaders.

(Guess that was slightly snarky anyway, I apologize, but felt it needed to be said.)

[ron_newman]

You were made into Fortune City? I don't understand.

[sly-salkie.livejournal.com]

Ha, that's not snarky, that's just reasonable advice. I tried to tell him. I talked. I explained my situation, but he wasn't really feeling it, and I think it's because he was too busy sneering at the bad job I did. So at some point I just shut up and hoped that he would be doing something nice to my head.

[ecdysiasm.livejournal.com]

Does Fortune City bear that strong a resemblance to Ringo Starr, or are you seeing something different than I am?

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

I see the fortunecity thing too:

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

I also see Fortune City and was confused.

[sly-salkie.livejournal.com]

Is this a mac vs. PC thing? I just made a mac friend look, and he can't see it.

[sly-salkie.livejournal.com]

There, different picture! Same effect.

[firstfrost.livejournal.com]

I'm using Firefox, on a Mac. Could be. (Often that sort of thing is from web servers that don't want images hotlinked; I hadn't run across platform-dependent versions of it!)

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

Nope. I use a PC, but Opera is my browser. Maybe it's an IE vs. every-other-browser problem.

But anyway, you fixed it, it seems, 'cause now I see Ringo.

[ravenword.livejournal.com]

It's normal to feel "weird" after a salon cut and blowdry if you don't usually style your hair that way. I always wait until I've washed it myself, styled it myself, used my own products, etc. before passing final judgment on a haircut. I always feel too news anchor-y after it's blown out, but that's me. Typically if I say what I want and they do a good job, I like the end result when I put my own touch on it. So, see if it looks different tomorrow?

It sucks that you had a bad experience and felt belittled by this guy who is being paid to make you feel good about yourself and your appearance. A little bit of constructive criticism is good (e.g., "I don't think bangs would look good with your face shape" or something), but making fun of you and ignoring your requests isn't helping.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

I think that's useful feedback. Do you remember this stylist's name?

[veek.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, this is not my normal salon experience. This guy just seems like a bad example of salon stylists.

Ya gotta laugh, right? Enjoy the goofy until you get it cut again. :)

[mizufae.livejournal.com]

i always feel stupid walking out of a salon with the blowdried product-y thing. But normally after two days or so I've had a chance to experiment with my hair and I find a way that I like it. Give it at least a week to grow on you. Also remember that you did this so you would look better to other people, not yourself. While I agree that you should always try first and foremost to be comfortable with how you look, perhaps it is some comfort to you that others may like your new 'do even if you don't.
Don't feel bad about disliking salons. They are an acquired taste! Next time you get your hair cut though, be as assertive as you can. It especially helps to bring a picture with you of what you'd like.

ego strokins

[alasbabylon.livejournal.com]

nerdy glasses, poofy hair and ringo starr are attractive

[slinkr.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you had a bad haircut experience.

There's definitely a personal element to finding someone who you want working on your hair. No stylist is great at working with everyone, so it can take a bit of trial and error to find someone with whom you feel comfortable.

If salons generally make you uncomfortable, it sometimes helps to bring a friend along. They can help you feel more at ease and give you a sanity check on the results.

[ismymiddlename.livejournal.com]

If you still hate it after washing it out and trying to style it your way, as others have suggested, you may be able to go back to the salon to get it fixed for free. I'm not familiar with Salon Cu's policy, but in my experience most salons would much rather take an extra half hour or so to fix something you hate than have you telling all your friends you had an awful experience there. Again, not sure if that will work, but it might be worth a phone call to find out. And you could probably ask to see someone different for the fix, which might make you feel better about going back...

[ceo]

After too many similar experiences, I found an excellent solution to the problem.

[thedoubleduches.livejournal.com]

I second this. My stylist is awesome and I love what she does, but my hair is huge whenever I leave. She has the skills to put WAY more volume into my hair than I do. After I wash, dry & style, I look more like myself and less like a news anchor. :)

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

:-)

[lac.livejournal.com]

If you still hate it after playing with it...call the manager of the salon and talk to them. I'm sorry but you paid for it, it's your hair and you should get what you want. Without being berated and without making someone making you feel worse. You shouldn't have had to pay for it.

There's nothing worse than a bad salon experience. I love salons but I'm like that and I love having my hair done. Not to get you to try someplace else but you may want to try Salonika. I know one of the owners and she's a peach.

[sly-salkie.livejournal.com]

lol! That's fantastic, and I'm really considering it.

[sly-salkie.livejournal.com]

There are two guys, Carlo and Umberto, and I went to Carlo.

[watchamacallit.livejournal.com]

I know plenty of people who have been to Carlos before and had absolutely no complaints. Sorry you didn't.

need wax advice

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

Sorry to jump onto this thread with my own question but I don't know how to post a new topic. Does anyone know where in Davis a guy might go to get a thorough body wax? I'm a competitive swimmer / porn star, and I've just moved to the area.

Re: need wax advice

[teko.livejournal.com]

Welcome to Davis Square, Mr. Porn Star! There's several spas/salons in the Davis/Teele area that offer waxing; you might check out Breathe Spa or Skin & Body Works.

Re: need wax advice

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

"full" waxing?

[ad-lib.livejournal.com]

i went to him twice (the second time was to see if it'd be any different) and he never did what i wanted. he'd be like do you want what you're asking for, or do you want to look good? then he'd do what he wanted, and i ended up hating it and feeling like i never got my hair cut. i know dj_daeva has had trouble with him, too.

that's why i go to my best friend again, despite the hour drive. :)

Re: need wax advice

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

ps thanks for the welcome.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I think you're wrong on this. He cut her off at the pass by belittling her about her existing hair and in so doing shut down any dialogue. He sounds like a self-important jackass who thinks he's on Newbury Street. When someone comes in with even the most shitacular hair, there are ways to fix it without making your customer feel like crap.

Hair dressers *aren't* mindreaders but by that same token it doesn't sound like he *wanted* to be told anything. He wanted to do whatever he felt like, express *his* artistic expression at the expense of the customer. And that's pretty lousy customer service.

liiiiiiittle off the top...

[nora-rocket.livejournal.com]

My number one gripe about salons is that they castigate anyone who comes in with a home haircut, no matter how simple or well-intentioned, or maybe even well done, that home haircut is. I am pretty well committed to cutting my own hair, a position reinforced by the crap attitude I get from stylists when I get the wrongheaded notion that I might like something different. I interpret snark as social control: they must make us feel dumb for cutting our own hair or we'll all catch on that it is both possible and fun to do so, and that hair *almost* always grows back.


(Though I will say that I got very, very little attitude from Mario's when I went in over the summer--they washed and trimmed with little comment, only remarking once on my self-done bangs-and-fringe. 'Twas a fine cut, but I needed a trim in four weeks and, as a notorious cheapskate, could not rationalize the expense. My $20 Oster trimmer has paid for itself about four times over each year I've had it since 2001.)

Re: need wax advice

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

For waxing, I highly recommend Linda at Salon Femia on Holland. If you go, tell her Jude sent you.

(I also live in Teele Square, but I am not a porn star.)

Re: liiiiiiittle off the top...

[sly-salkie.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything here. I really do have fun cutting my own hair, but I'm getting my first *real* job, which means putting away my ink-stained clothes and buying nice ones, and, sadly, getting a professional looking hair-cut. It takes a lot of women (and probably men too) a long time to build up enough self-esteem to feel comfortable being natural, and to go to a salon usually feels like a plunge back into middle school. The stylists roll their eyes at you if you don't use any products, like there is nothing worse than frizz.

I'm just going to grow it! But a trimmer sounds like it would be good to have on hand. Thanks for the Mario's recommendation.

i cut my own hair too...

[mechamy.livejournal.com]

and i have really awful results. The only one that "works" is where all the hairs are equally long and I let them grow and grow as they wish. The problem with this is every time I'm somewhere near the equator for an extended time I go crazy and hack off all of it to about 1-2 inches with any pair of scissors or knife I can find... (return to "really awful")

I'm sorry you had a crappy experience. I dislike salons, too. (I somehow always wind up walking out with my hair a different color and crunchy). If it makes you feel better, somewhere in Davis Square is someone walking around who looks like her hair was hacked off with a pocketknife and has since grown out a little...

Re: i cut my own hair too...

[sly-salkie.livejournal.com]

We should start a club!

Re: i cut my own hair too...

[mechamy.livejournal.com]

The good news is that winter is coming and we can all blame our hair on the sock hat... or we can permanently wear sock hats like the kids in South Park.

Re: liiiiiiittle off the top...

[nora-rocket.livejournal.com]

Real job, schmeal job. I'm in ur office, sportin' ur buzz cut:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/norarocket/1812158916/

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Some people want a "take-charge" hairstylist, while other people prefer a more collaborative approach. I think it's great to get as much feedback out there as possible, so that folks can make an informed choice.

[squonk.livejournal.com]

I wasn't thrilled with Salon Cu, either. I saw Summer, who was nice enough and not at all the jackass it sounds like this guy was. But after I told her about eighteen times that I wanted my hair colored a deep reddish-purple and did NOT NOT NOT want it looking orange, she colored it (without showing me the color first) and it came out...orange. She seemed a bit baffled. I asked her to deepen it, and she tried, but it really didn't look much different when it was done. She also couldn't seem to believe that I would really possibly want my hair as short as I said I did. We just kind of weren't on the same page in general, and there was something about the whole vibe in the salon that bugged. I don't think I'll be going back.

Re: liiiiiiittle off the top...

[sly-salkie.livejournal.com]

*aspirations*

Re: need wax advice

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

Linda said she doesn't do 'private areas' on men for waxing.

Re: need wax advice

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

In case anyone else is looking for waxing services for men, I ended up finding this guy via google. Tim Medas http://absolutekarma.net/