Eureka!
I found her... I Finally found her!
Sometime last year I called the local salon to schedule an appointment with my favorite hairdresser, Patricia. Can you imagine my horror when the receptionist said, "Patricia isn't with us anymore." Now, I'm not sure what the protocol is on this sort of thing so I was reluctant to ask where she went... I mean, is it proper etiquette to call a salon and then say something to the effect of, "Well, I was only gracing my presence at your establishment because I like that one stylist... You know, Patricia?... Because she was really excellent and the rest of you I could give a flying fig about." Yeah, No, I'm just not that blunt. So I didn't ask and hung my disheveled locks in despair. I waited until the last possible minute to find a stand-in stylist... Someone who 'might' do the 'do' I adored but nothing compared to the way Patricia did my hair... And you know, it's not so much they way she did my hair but more the way she treated me as a customer. Patricia was the rare breed of stylist who listened, advised without being critical and always valued her customers. One time I arrived a little early for an appointment... Patricia was running a little behind and even though I didn't mind catching up on some light gossip mag reading, she instructed the shampoo girl to treat me to a hand massage while I waited. A hand message I'll never forget, not just because it felt WUN-DER-FUL but because Patricia said, "I value your time and I want to make up for, making you, have to wait on me." I know, Awesome, right?
Anyway, fast forward to about 2 months ago when I read in the paper that a new hair salon was opening in town, in a brand new strip mall, just 3 minutes from my house. I noted that the owners name was Patricia but I wasn't 100% sure it was indeed MY Patricia. So I went to the website Mirror Mirror Salon and checked out the pictures of the staff. Unfortunately, at the time, there was no picture of Patricia. That's okay, I'll just bide my time, I wasn't particularly desperate at that point. Last week however, my daughter informed me that she was simply dying to get her haircut so I checked back at the website and there was Patricia's sweet face. I immediately made an appointment for myself with Patricia for the following week. My daughter didn't really care who cut her hair so she opted not to wait and got it cut that night.
So today, Patricia cut my hair for the first time in over a year. It was so good to see her and remarkable to hear the details of why she left the other salon. She had a baby since I last saw her and opened her own business... A busy girl to be sure. After she finished cutting my hair (remembering all the details of what I like and don't like done with the styling) I stood up from the chair with a big smile and a thank you and she said, "Oh give me a hug... It's so good to see you again!"... Now, if I can only get 'em to treat me like that at WalMart.
Sometime last year I called the local salon to schedule an appointment with my favorite hairdresser, Patricia. Can you imagine my horror when the receptionist said, "Patricia isn't with us anymore." Now, I'm not sure what the protocol is on this sort of thing so I was reluctant to ask where she went... I mean, is it proper etiquette to call a salon and then say something to the effect of, "Well, I was only gracing my presence at your establishment because I like that one stylist... You know, Patricia?... Because she was really excellent and the rest of you I could give a flying fig about." Yeah, No, I'm just not that blunt. So I didn't ask and hung my disheveled locks in despair. I waited until the last possible minute to find a stand-in stylist... Someone who 'might' do the 'do' I adored but nothing compared to the way Patricia did my hair... And you know, it's not so much they way she did my hair but more the way she treated me as a customer. Patricia was the rare breed of stylist who listened, advised without being critical and always valued her customers. One time I arrived a little early for an appointment... Patricia was running a little behind and even though I didn't mind catching up on some light gossip mag reading, she instructed the shampoo girl to treat me to a hand massage while I waited. A hand message I'll never forget, not just because it felt WUN-DER-FUL but because Patricia said, "I value your time and I want to make up for, making you, have to wait on me." I know, Awesome, right?
Anyway, fast forward to about 2 months ago when I read in the paper that a new hair salon was opening in town, in a brand new strip mall, just 3 minutes from my house. I noted that the owners name was Patricia but I wasn't 100% sure it was indeed MY Patricia. So I went to the website Mirror Mirror Salon and checked out the pictures of the staff. Unfortunately, at the time, there was no picture of Patricia. That's okay, I'll just bide my time, I wasn't particularly desperate at that point. Last week however, my daughter informed me that she was simply dying to get her haircut so I checked back at the website and there was Patricia's sweet face. I immediately made an appointment for myself with Patricia for the following week. My daughter didn't really care who cut her hair so she opted not to wait and got it cut that night.
So today, Patricia cut my hair for the first time in over a year. It was so good to see her and remarkable to hear the details of why she left the other salon. She had a baby since I last saw her and opened her own business... A busy girl to be sure. After she finished cutting my hair (remembering all the details of what I like and don't like done with the styling) I stood up from the chair with a big smile and a thank you and she said, "Oh give me a hug... It's so good to see you again!"... Now, if I can only get 'em to treat me like that at WalMart.
posted by EmBee at 2:35 PM
6 Comments:
Oh my gosh--I have totally been in that situation and I didn't ask either. But I wasn't as lucky as you have been b/c I never found the hairdresser I loved again, and didn't end up getting my hair cut again for around 10 months (until we moved out here, in fact!) Too funny!
you have curly hair right? i need a haircut and i am having fits finding someone who can deal with my curls and not make them look like i went in and said, "please hack my curls into utterly bland submission." maybe i should look for patricia when i come to your neck of the woods in july. she sounds like a gem.
Christy, isn't it funny how we put off haircuts because we're so unwilling to put our hair into the hands of a stranger?
Lime, Curly hair yes, but not near as curly as yours... Used to be, but the older I get the flatter my hair becomes... However, I would LOVE to introduce you to Patricia... And LOVE to meet you too of course! So let's plan on it! :-)
I totally Feel ya on this! I don't have a hairstylist since moving here and man do I ever miss my old one. I've had my hair done 4 times in the last year, by four different stylists, waiting just a bit longer between visits each time because I just can't find the ONE who will not only treat me right, but won't charge me an arm and a leg to do it.
Stacie, Oh the sacrifices and the trials of beauty... Something men JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!
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