Let me paint you a picture. For many of you, it is a picture that will look familiar; a picture that describes the humiliation and fury millions of black women feel on a regular basis all across America.
Your hair is in need of professional attention, so you head to your favorite salon. You get there and you take a seat in the waiting area. And you wait. And you wait. And…
Finally, you’re taken to the shampoo bowl, where you wait some more. Eventually, your hair gets washed and conditioned. And you wait—with a wet head. All the while, you listen to inane conversation not fit for public consumption.
And the music? You might as well be at the local night club.
So much time passes that you become anxious.
You finally are ushered to the dryer, where you sit until the timer goes off. Then you sit and watch client after client go to your stylist’s chair to be serviced. You wonder where you fit in, whether you’ve been bypassed for someone with an appointment after yours.
Now you’re more than just anxious; now you’re angry. Angry and hungry. Just when you’re about to lose it, you get called over to the stylist’s chair. But it’s almost too late. You’re infuriated, disgusted and, above all, disappointed.
By the time you have been styled and stop at the front desk to pay, you’ve been there for six hours.
This is where black hair salons have, for decades, failed black women.
Visiting the salon should be a pleasant, peaceful experience, not an hours-on-end drudgery that leaves you fighting mad—and wondering why you put up with such disrespect of your time.
And yet, this is what millions of black women endure to get our hair professionally done.
It is a failure of gigantic proportions. It is a failure that is sad because black women are failing black women. This has nothing to do with relaxers vs. natural hair. But it has everything to do with respect.
Get What You Deserve: Salon Etiquette, the Column
In this weekly column, Najah Aziz will answer the questions and solve the problems that swirl around hair salons, stylists and clients. If you have a burning issue or question that needs to be resolved, ASK NAJAH. Submit your questions to info@atlantablackstar.com.
If there is anyone who should be operating with the best interest of black women in mind, it should be other black women. There is not another industry in the world where black women dominate and can set its rules and regulations.
But what we get is blatant disrespect of our time, without any trace of remorse. These places go about business in this ridiculous way, as if that is the way it should be, as if it is all right, acceptable.
Well, it isn’t. But it will not end until we, as women, as clients, demand that our time be respected. We certainly don’t send the right message when we go back the next week and endure it again—only because we like the way that particular person styles our hair. How silly is that?
I know because I did the same silly thing for years. Before I became owner of Like The River The Salon in Atlanta, I was a client, and my stylist would not be there for my scheduled time or she would take a break before styling my hair or gossip on the phone when she finally did service me. And I was foolish enough to take it.
It took a man to snap me out of the madness. He said one day, “You spent how long in the salon? Six hours? Why do you tolerate that?” And that was all it took. I knew there had to be a better way.
After a 16-year corporate career, I followed my passion and pursued a career in hair. In 2008, when I opened Like The River, I opened it with two core principles: community service and customer service.
This is not a self-serving position. I simply did not want to fail other black women. We deserve better, especially from each other. In the hair business, we have the power. We can establish professional standards that make the salon an oasis and not a place of discomfort and frustration.
To break it down, we’ve got to do better. But how, when most stylists never worked in a “real” job where they were required to be on time, dress professionally, conduct business in a respectful manner? They get into hair as a youngster and fall right into the disrespectful habits of those before them—and stay there. Those habits include showing up late or not showing up at all, double and sometimes triple-booking appointments to “get the money” and having an attitude that they are doing the paying customer a favor.
In order to change the culture, the clients have to demand it. Do not put up with the madness. Accepting it only enables the bad behavior. Express your concerns to ownership, threaten to take your business elsewhere. And if there is no change, then find another salon.
I had to issue fines to my stylists for lateness . . . until it became a part of their makeup that they be there waiting for their clients, not the other way around. We do not allow double-booking—that compounds the problem. And we operate on the idea that coming to our salon is a break from work, family, kids, men, and so we create an environment of peace.
The failure of black women by black women has to stop. And, really, it is up to you, the clients, to make it happen.
Najah Aziz is the owner of Like The River The Salon in Atlanta, which has been ranked the No. 1 salon in Atlanta for two straight years—and one of the top 100 salons in America by AOL.com. www.liketheriver.
I AGREE with this article 10,000%, This article needs to be seen by all Owners, Stylists and Customers….Stylists demand that a customer show up on time, they too need not overbooked, be understaffed nor take too many breaks;to top it off, the price is STILL the same for those painstaking, all-day event!
This is also why there are a lot of women that continue do process their har at home;to avoid the long hours and not to pay for a hairstyle that maynot turn out beautiful because the stylist may be too tired from the overbookings(trying to make the $$).
This is so true. I would get home and be so tired from just sitting for hours. I decided to just go natural, so I wouldn't continue to waist so much of my time at the hair salon.
Omg you hit the nail right on the head!!! Love it…going to the hair salon is like going to a job and instead of being paid I'm the one paying to wait, wait and wait…just to be rushed out of the chair oncet I finally get in it…youre absolutely correct the black stylist have to do better
I am Stylist as well. I totally agree. I have seen it done. I can honestly say thank God, I respect other people's time. The difference is done do hair and others run a business. You have to have a servant's heart, in order to deliver effectively. Community and customer service is caring and consideration.
I agree with this article completely…I had a wonderful stylists when I moved to Atlanta in 2002 and my hair would look wonderful when I stepped out of the salon…The only problem was I would spend an entire work day in the salon…I have since left her and do miss her but don't miss her extreme hours…I have visited Like the River and was very impressed with your professionalism and that my time wasn't wasted while I was there…
Great Read DeV…. I had to share it!
Finally, someone said out loud what many of us have fumed over for years – the abuse inflicted upon Black women at Black hair salons! But I had a trick for them after my mom purchased me a hard hat hair dryer one Christmas. The stylist wet my hair and thought because my hair was wet I could be held hostage. Nada. I walked right out of the salon with the towel wrapped around my head and positioned myself at my dining room table under my hard hat dryer with my feet propped up – at home. Now that I am battling gray hair, wigs are a beautiful thing. I haven't stepped inside a hair salon in years and my hair is flourishing.
Well I haven't sat like this in a salon in well over 7-8 years because i just wont. Don't get me wrong i get my hair done faithfully bi-weekly however, my stylist is very respectful of my time and she has a life too. Sometimes I am in and out in an hour..there is not even a TV in the salon to lull you. My favorite part next to the person and quality of her work is her website lets me make or break appointments online. If you need a good stylist for either natural or relaxed hair visit mydivinedesignsalon.com
Bless up to the sister. Wish she would open a school and bring her business to BooYorkCity. Once black women keep
NEEDING that "We have to wear our hair like other races to look beautiful, Wendy Will, fix up drug, they will keep getting disrespected. When you put that kind of responsibility in the hands of children they behave badly towards each other. On the other side of the coin tho, many a hair dressers are disappointed by appointments that never showed up. Doctors, especially those in public places, do the same thing. Everyone gets a 10 pm appointment. The blasted room. Must be a, YOU NEED MY SERVICES MORE THAN I NEED YOUR MONEY IDIOT, message playing in their heads thing .
This is one of the reasons why I went natural. I go to a salon 2-3 times a year.
Amazing!
This is so true! I hate waiting 6-8 hours to get an hour and 1/2 worth of service! Glad to know that someone out there is making it happen and doing the right thing. No wonder your schedule is booked 3 months out!
Your work is amazing!
Great post, Najah! I might be slightly biased as a Like The River client but I landed there because my time was previously taken advantage of by other salons that I patronized. What I do love about LTR is that you all practice what your preach! If I've ever been in LTR more than 2 hours, it's because I was running MY mouth. Ha! I look forward to your regular column; it's necessary.
Wonderful article! I Have not been in a salon other than yes.. "great clips" to get my trim in YEARS because of that craziness!!! I will. Def try this salon I pass by it nearly everyday!
Kisha, you will not be disappointed…..Trust me!
Although an interesting point…and valid you get what you pay for. A salon career is one that yields fast money …short time. Most who get into it do not do so to be governed by te salon or the owner. It is an entrepreneurship. As a stylist…my clients never waited longer than 3 hours to be in and out depending on their service….if u have to fine or force ur stylist to do better…let em go. I will say i stopped bby the salon and the reception i got from a womaan who claimed ownership was not pleasant. So top salon billing is questio.able….but good points.
Well I must say that this may be the first time (that I've witnessed) that a salon owner/stylist has told it like it IS! Najah Aziz I concur…..I will speak for myself and not include other women (but I'm sure that I'm not alone) when I say that I actually put up with the "Wait" game for years and literally hated to go get my hair done due to that I would have to spend my entire Saturday or Friday night in a salon. Then I guess I got "use" to it…..Thinking that it was the "norm". Going to the salon should be exactly what you expressed. There should be no double/triple/over booking, unnecessary interruptions (i.e. cell phones, gossiping, etc.), club music, profanity…..I can go on but I'm sure that the point came across…lol! Even though I know you are blogging because I know how passionate you but I can't help but inform everyone that is reading this blog that at Like The River The Salon in Atlanta, GA, there is NO waiting. Everyone is very professional in every aspect and strive to continue to be that way if not better. The salon is very peaceful and relaxing. The overall experience is well-founded. To sum it up, WE as black women DO need to do better and step it up! Challenge yourself and your staff to change that "SHOP" attitude to a "SALON attitude. Ok….I will end this very long comment…..lol…..But I am very glad that you started this blog Najah! I will definitely be reading…..GREAT JOB, as always!
I'm wondering how a company like Like The River deals with it's clients that do not show up or are late. This has been one of the things I have experienced dealing with the general public (I'm not a hair dresser). But when one client does not show for their appointment, that's lost time for the hair dresser. My questions is does the company deal with that client and charge more perhaps for missed or late oppointments? Or do they just eat the cost of time where had they double booked they still would have had a client to fill the spot. Just curious about that. I don't have this problem with my hair dresser, though.
Divaa, Like The River Salon deals with late or missed appointments by taking deposits from clients. If you miss an appoinment that was not cancelled within 24hrs then we charge 50% of the services booked for. Late clients are asked to reschedule after 15 minutes. This cuts all of that nonsense completely out.
Great bussiness woman.
I am fortunate in Philly to go to Bold and Beautiful Salon where Tarren Flowers styles my hair. Never a wait. Always in and out (1 hour or less) Great music and no drama. Everyone is always nice and they provide excellent service. These sisters are doing a great job! I decided a long time ago that I refuse to wait to PAY someone for a service. Great post! Glad some one finally said it! LOL!
I rarely get my hair done but nothing makes me more.mad than people jabbering and wasting time while you are waiting.
So true I have delt with this for years @ one time I stop going to my stylist for 2years, I went back little had change so going natural was one of the best things ever…. Now that I'am natural like the young lady said just I go into a barba shop just to get a trim less time and less foolishness. Well I live in Md hopefully one day I could find a salon as great as yours.. Thank You Najah the Truth Is..
I totally agree with all of what Najah said. On the flip side, the whole truth was not told. Aside from stylist issues with time, the main concern of time depends on what service you are getting done to your head. A full sew-in of extensions can not be done in one hour and a half! Many, if not all braid styles can not be completed in an hour and a half! I have Senegalese twists at the moment and it took a whopping 10 hours (due to size and length)! Maybe what Najah was speaking of may have been a shampoo and a wrap style or a trim. Anything past that is going to take some time. Even when I do my hair at home it takes a couple of hours. Maybe we should invest in "mobile stylists" that make home visits in order to get that personalized time and attention. I'm all for it. So if we are going to tell the truth, then let's tel the whole truth.
When I was in VA, I would get my hair done in Hampton @ Agape (off Mercury Blvd-see Ronnie -quick plug for my big sis). Would leave Fort Eustis on lunch and be back by 1:15-1:30. I'm tlking silk wrap. Rekaxer. She got me in and out. She was quick, efficient and great. She didn't double/triple book. My hair was healthy. Now around these parts, stylist book 3 ppl for 5:30- um why? And you are held hostage waiting to be seen OR you salon hop. It's discouraging and makes you want to shave all your hair off or visit WakeTech and have one of the cosmetology students hook you up. A wash/wrap/style shouldn't take 3-4 hours. Neither should a relaxer (Braids are a different story). And if you get a 'tude you do feel the heat from the stylist.
LaKesha, service timing is everthing. That's where a lot of the problems come in as we (stylists) do not properly schedule services. Poor time managment and "money hungry." A lot of times stylist will get a call and they will just tell the client to come in without knowing what services are needed. Sometimes it doesn't matter to them. It's more about $$$. The focus is not always about money. I think that's where etiquette falls short.
Great article!! Very truthful!
Gave your name to someone today
#Agreed. no matter what the stylist can do nuthn is as good as customer service , its sad truly sad bcuz every black grl has that "my hair been thru it" and that is why only going to the shop occasionally to avoid the wait and having everyone else in our heads…. sad story. us black grls don't rock if we cant rock together!