Most Salons (by necessity) work on the principal of volume. What does this mean? To pay their bills they must have many clients pass through in a limited amount of time. I worked in hair salons since I was 18…with a few breaks. Why did I take those breaks? Because the salon environment was stifling my creativity. Uniforms and packed-in chairs does not good hair make! Most hairstylists are artists. I come from a long line of visual artists and there isn’t a person in my family who can’t draw, paint, sculpt, etc. Artists need freedom to fuel their fires. When I worked in traditional salons there was not time or room for creativity, therefore I always felt dissatisfied with my work. I realized a long time ago that I may need 2-3 hours to make the hair PEFECT, not good, not great, but PERFECT. When I didn’t have the time to make it Perfect, I felt dissatisfied. It wasn’t only about pleasing the client, it was about, and is about, pleasing myself. Feeling that feeling of optimism: like, “This woman just went from a 7 to a 10 and she is going out there to rule the world.” That’s how I get my kicks 🙂
We’ve been doing a LOT of tape extensions for the past couple years in addition to the crazy amount of strand-by strand extensions we have always done. Because of this, many new clients have come to us from other salons. I ask a lot of questions, because I want to know what is going on in other extension salons. Shockingly I have found out is that many salons remove the extensions and retape them-whenever- and then have their clients come back in a day or two, sometimes even after the weekend!!!
Maybe I am a snob, probably so. Maybe my clients are snobs too. Who knows? But I cannot imagine taking my extensions out and having to wait days to put them back in!!! I would not accept that. My clients would not either. When they come here it is like a gift to themselves. They know they will meet other intelligent, stylish, and fascinating women here in this very neutral and intimate environment. It’s sort of a ladies club. Discerning ladies: young and “of a certain age” as they say in Paris, all get along easily. They are all here with stories and dreams. They are all powerful and filled with feminine energy. And they all expect to drink their wine from a crystal glass, to drink Fiji water rather than store brand, and get FULL service, even if that means an impromptu makeup lesson or brow shaping, and they certainly expect to leave with their hair looking like they just stepped out of a salon!!
Lesson: IT TAKES A QUEEN TO SERVE A QUEEN ! 😉