I adore the salon! But I already knew this - When I was in Aix, my host mother took me to slightly pricey salon where my head was massaged and washed and I was served coffee/tea and cookies while my hair was cut and styled. It was a wonderful experience!
The block I live on here in Toulouse is amazing! A pizza shop, a hair dresser, supermarket, ATM, fax place, pharmacy...it's got everything! And of course there's the lovely Garonne flowing by my building. Out of convenience, I set up a hair appointment with the salon on my block....now that the experience is over I have to say that my block rocks even more and I still love French Salons.
Strolling in for my appointment, I pushed the nervous butterflies in my tummy down down down as far as they would go. I'm always nervous about my hair - not that I have fabulous hair - I just don't know how I want it or what looks good...and often I wish the hairdresser would just tell me to sit down and she'd choose for herself what to do with my mane. Ah but the French hairdresser....now there's a keeper.
After the kind mid 50's beautician helped me out of my coat and hung it up, she ushered me to the wash basin...."but I washed it for you". She felt of my hair, decided it was not good enough and turned on the water...guess I was having my hair washed again for the second time in just a few hours. When she touched my head every hint of annoyance left my body. She massaged, she hummed, the water was perfect...I was in a state of bliss. With a dreamy smile I let myself be led to a station where she and I discussed my bangs..."I don't want bangs straight across my forehead...but sweeping to the side....but I want to be able to style them on either side too." The hair dresser thought about it while she ran her fingers through my now chin-length bangs, then she said "Okay, I know what to do.We'll do something 'souple' (soft/flexible) and 'jeune' (young) and 'degrade' (tapering). "
In nervous anticipation mixed with the little chills your body gets when someone's playing with your hair I watched as she cut, combed, shaped, and dried my mane... She took her time, she was gentle, she knew when to talk (it always annoys me in the salon when you want to be immersed in the experience and the hairdresser wants to chat away about nothing), she didn't fill my head with product (also annoying that all the salons I've been to in America spray this and that on your head which makes hair look fabulous and shiny for that day but the next day it looks like one greasy, limp mess), she didn't leave me to answer the phone or chat with a colleague...all her care and attention was on my hair and I loved it.
Furthermore, she asked my opinion...the American hairdressers I've had simply go to town on my head after the initial discussion of the look I'm going for and then straighten my hair repeatedly at the end as if that counts for styling it.... this french woman somehow tamed my mess into soft curls with just her fingers and the hairdryer and she also asked at a couple different points if I was okay with the cut so far.
The price was a reasonable 26 euros for a wash, cut, and loose styling...oh and I got chocolate candy at the end too! If you come to France...whoever is reading this...go to the salon and let yourself be treated like an old friend. It's a truly wonderful thing.
~Tam in Toulouse
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