Day of pampering??

My lovely mother bought me a day of pampering at a local salon (in town of 5,000 there are only 1 or 2) to include highlights, cut and style and a 1 hour massage. Thanks Mom!

I arrived at the salon at 9 am for my massage appointment which by some fluke (or someones complete ignorance) was not on the schedule. They offered to do my highlights first then the massage at 10. Whatever, it didn't matter to me.

I sat down at the stylist station which was covered in products, hairdryers, scissors, combs and foils. Okay so she is not a neat freak...should this concern me? It does.

The stylist began cleaning off her station and preparing for my color. My hair is sectioned off, you know how they do with all those clips, and I look perfectly ridiculous. She takes her materials to get the color ready and I am thinking.. umm don't you need to ask me what color or something. I have never had highlights but there are different colors right?? So, trying not to sound like a complete moron I ask how I choose a color, is it just one that's a little lighter than my natural? Her response : They will be blond.
Excuse me?? What kind of blond exactly, I ask. In answer she shows me a picture of woman with medium brown hair like mine that had huge chunks of bright blond almost white hair throughout.

Are you freaking kidding me??? No way!! Of all the thought running through my head I only allow "I don't think I want THAT blond" to leave my mouth. The girl just stood there staring at me a moment, like I was the crazy one. Just as I was about to give in to my fight or flight response (that had kicked in upon seeing the picture) and run...she gave me a few other options. Once I had decided on a color that wouldn't leave me looking like a skunk we got started.

Or we would have if she wasn't so busy texting and answering her cell phone (which she also did throughout my whole appointment) How dare I intrude on her phone time at work!

Eventually she got started with the foil and comb applying the highlights at a rate f 1 every 19.5 minutes..I had like a million of these. Do you realize how long this took?! Needless to say, when 10 rolled around my head was covered in white goop and purple gum wrappers so I had to reschedule my massage. *sigh*

When the stylist finally finished the highlights (like 40 hours later) I was taken to sit under one of those hair dryer thingys...I sat on a small wooden chair that was pulled over under the machine. After about 5 minutes both my back and bum were complaining. 10 minutes later, just when I thought I couldn't take anymore and my bum was screaming complaints I was finally allowed up from my stylist induced torture.

Time to remove the gum wrappers from my head, wash, cut and style. Whew almost done and my stomach is only slightly rolling and my head only aches a little after 2 plus hours of chemicals and my stylists questionable knowledge.

I requested that she just trim and layer my hair... not much of a change. As she cut I caught glimpses of my hair in the mirror and the rolling in my stomach became a furious boil. Oh God, Oh God it looks orangy and I am wondering...what did I have for breakfast and how hard will it be to clean from the floor and this smock?

While I focused on keeping down my breakfast the stylist finishes my hair. I am afraid to look. Then the stylist says...
"Come outside to look because the light in here at my station is really really bad"

Lord help me...she has just cut and colored my hair and she couldn't even see!!?? I am going to be sick. My hair is probably butchered and bright orange! What am I going to do, how can I fix this??

Luckily, before I could have a complete meltdown we step outside, she hands me the mirror and after a few deep breaths I look.

And nearly faint in relief...even though it took 3 plus hours and certain parts of my body are still recovering, the final result was good. Not fantastic and not good enough to make me come back and endure this process EVER again..but good.

The stylist should consider herself lucky. If my hair had not come out looking at least ok, I would have either screamed, cried or shared my breakfast with her...maybe all three.

I will be going back next Friday for the massage. I will let you know how that goes.....If I survive.
Krista