Taken to the cleaners . . . at the hairdressers!

Ok, I'll start by saying I wasn't really taken to the cleaners, and that I was a willing participant in the events I am about to relate, lest the title mislead you! It's just that things had a funny way of turning out a whole lot differently than I had planned.

I will start at the beginning. Last week I took The Paying Customer to a hair salon next door to one of the local grocery stores that we have passed frequently. There are always employees hanging out at the door trying to drum up some business. Sometimes all of the employees go outside together and exercise or do a line dance together. They are all dressed in matching clothing and all of them are beautifully groomed. I decided that this would be a perfect place to try. With my Chinese phrase book in hand I pointed out the phrases for "I need a haircut" "Not too short" and "Scissors only, please" and we managed to get a decent haircut  with shampoo that fit all of those requests for 15 rmb, or roughly $2.35! 

Yesterday I spoke to a French friend who told me she also goes to this same salon. So today I decided to try it myself. Now, I wanted the full salon experience, so I readily agreed to the 55 rmb (that would be $8.65) treatment which included tea, shampoo, conditioner, cut and style and my favorite part, a scalp and shoulder massage! That tiny lady had some serious strength in her hands and she really worked some knots out of me! After she was done, I was moved to the stylist's chair. I used my smart phone to communicate that I was seriously overdue for a haircut and was hoping for something stylish but easy to maintain. The stylist then disappeared to search for pictures and 10 minutes later, he came back with 2 photos. One was super short, but very cute and the other longer and curly. Now, those who haven't seen me recently may not be aware of how curly my hair has become. It is no longer straight, especially in the Shanghai humidity. I looked at both photos and pointed at the curly one, with a questioning look. He nodded and suggested we try it. After he cut my hair, he rolled out the curler cart. Ok, does this mean a perm or just a set? I've learned to negotiate as you go, so we set a price ($688 rmb for everything about $101) and he got to work teaching another stylist as he went. It was quite the spectacle, with 2-4 stylists hovering nearby the entire time. They kept asking me if I had Chinese friends, no doubt hoping my new hair style would bring in all kinds of business? Jhonny (not a typo) gave me his card just in case his plan works. But really, I'll go back to him. Another of his clients came in and as she was leaving, she stopped to talk to me. She told me that the staff all thought I was Spanish because of my blue eyes. Hah! Who'da thunk it?