Behind the “Spa” Mic: How Finding a Holiday Hair Stylist is Like a One Night Stand
While recording this week’s Hair Raising Holiday episode of the podcast, I had the craziest aha!, finding a hair stylist on vacation is like a one night stand.
As part of my trip departure ritual, I make a pre-vacay date with Ruth, my uber talented friend and hair goddess for a freshen up and style. Like many beauty habits, it began out of vanity, then I discovered it saved me time at my vacay “vanity” which meant more playing and less primping. We’re talking 2 to 3 weeks of good hair days y’all!
But recently my travels extended beyond that. Not only were my locks beginning to resemble puppy dog ears, but I had a big meeting with Lush the latter part of the trip. Range “rover” was not the look I was going for! And here I was stylist single in a foreign country — OMG.
Like any gal looking to woo a “mane” mate, (it gets a bit creepy here y’all hang on) I began stalking the prettiest ponytails, whimsical waves and ravishing reds online, at spas and in high street salons. I even found the “Tinder” of stylists in the UK, SalonSpy.
I courted my first stylist at a salon down a clandestine alley in Bournemouth. The salon was right out of Steel Magnolias but with mod products. The receptionist def had a beehive vibe, but hey, salon workers tend to be more avant garde.
Like any courting ritual, I arranged a consult. The stylist — a dapper gent in his 60s with a Mick Jagger meets Sting shocking white shag, was so excited about my hair, with color wheels galore and even offered to draw a sketch of his plan for me.
Glancing at his next client as I left, she had more of a vintage vibe than myself too. Hmm I wondered “How long has she been dating him?”
But, when I returned for our second date to go “all the way” — a cut and color, blow out-he was like your soon to be ex, blase about the whole shebang — like “whatever you want to do it’s up to you” he said, and where was my drawing? My chest started to tighten.
Scissors started flying, hot pink colors gurrgling & shampoo flying, four hours later, I had maroon hair with big loppy curls and stringy tendrils — kinda Martha Washington collides with Bridget Bardot look — eeeeee!!!!! The worst hook up ever!!!!!
After a few days in seclusion, washing that “man” right outta my hair as much as could be with clarifying shampoo, apple cider and super hot water — I was in repair mode, googling for glamour and instagramming frantically, I discovered SalonSpy.co.uk — it’s like Tinder for Tendrils!
Taylor Taylor London was my perfect match! I mean, come on, a salon inside Liberty my fave store??? Yeehaw. And this time I went all the way to hair perfection — instragramming their stylists til I found the one who was spot on my style. Of course, I haven’t seen her again, but next time I’m in town, I’m totes making a secret rendezvous with her.
Hear all about Taylor Taylor and more ways to find a perfect haidresser on Hair Raising Holiday.
