First Haircut in China

I finally HAD to get my first haircut here in China. As many of you know, a women's haircut can make or break her day, her week and in some more severe cases, her next several months! C'mon girls, you know what I'm talking about!

So, when I found myself NEEDING a haircut...you can imagine how nervous I was to make an appointment. So far, the pattern of having things go "smoothly" are nil to none. The more I need something to happen, the less likely that it will...at least, MY way.

So, with great trepidation, I began to do some research. Through my online sources, I saw a couple of recommendations and saw many "nightmares" for both cuts and color. Uh-oh.

I finally booked an appointment at a salon here in Pudong (our side of the river). The head honcho (stylist #1) is a guy who came from the US? Britain? and teaches how to cut hair here in Shanghai. Not just HIM, but his salon as well come highly recommended by a few expats. Whew! Ok. Here we go...I booked an appointment.

Later, I was talking to another couple of expats who were talking about their hair experiences and I almost choked when I heard how much they had paid for them! Unbelievably, one of them admitted she was unhappy with her experience and the other one SHOULD have been! I'm sorry, but her hair color was horrendous! They had gone to two separate places, but both cost just as much...BECAUSE they are expats and the salons are in expat communities. I'm telling you...you never really can get over the feeling of being commercially "raped" every time you leave your house here. This, just being another example.

I realized I had never asked the price of the haircut because I was so happy with booking an appointment at a "recommended" salon. Who care about price, right? Ha! After hearing what these ladies paid, I figured I had better find out. So, I called the salon and they quoted their price for Stylist #1 - Yikes! Ok, I admit, it wasn't as much as those ladies paid...but still steep. Hmmmm.

The boys, Allen included, have been getting their haircuts at a very local salon near us. I have loved every single haircut they have received. The owner of the salon speaks English and supposedly, her #1 stylist, named Link, was trained at the Toni & Guy School. Ok...technically, that means "nada" here. I can't tell you how many times I have been told something that wasn't quite true. So, this stylist could have enrolled at Toni & Guy and dropped out after the first day for all I know!

But, for those of you who get regular haircuts at nice salons, there are typical techniques the stylists will use that indicate..."yeah, they seem to know what they are doing." Especially, at places like Toni & Guy, where their schools teach very uniform techniques among the trainees. At Toni & Guy, you are either trained for cut OR color...but rarely both.

Here in Shanghai, they have a Toni & Guy school and a Toni & Guy salon not too far away from us. However, I haven't heard any good recommendations about the Toni & Guy salon here. In fact, I had heard some bad things. So, moving on.

The stylist who cuts the boys' hair charges a FRACTION of what the other stylists would charge me, because we live in the countryside...in a mixed community. But, do I want to risk a bad hair cut for the cheaper price? Hmmm...what to do, what to do.

I finally decided to keep my expensive appointment, but try the "local" place first. That way, if the local guy really screws up, then I can get it "fixed" at the other place.

The hair cut I want is simple. It's the one I always get, which looks good on me. So, I knew I wasn't asking for anything really complicated. This is NOT the place to go for something new, different or complicated. The consequences of that tragic decision are MANY! The idea here is to "maintain". Maintain, maintain, maintain...until you can get the h*** out of Dodge.

Knowing I wanted something simple, I had a hard time digesting paying SO MUCH MONEY for it. Really! So, off to the local salon I went. I have to say...

What a butt-clenching experience that was! Sitting there in a remarkably less "posh" salon, PRAYING that the stylist really DID attend (more days than not)the Toni & Guy school of hair!

Well, folks...the risk paid off. The salon itself might have been a stripped down version of what we are usually used to...however, the experience was totally decent! In all of $12 US, they give you a 30 minute neck, shoulder and arm massage, the products they used were divine and the stylist really was #1.

I had brought in a picture and he had to just glance at it and he knew exactly what I had wanted. The techniques he used were familiar to me from previous haircuts. And, really, my hair feels just wonderful! My hair hasn't felt or looked this healthy since moving here! I'm certainly 'tickled' that everything worked out. Whew!