Salon Adair and Spa is just NOT that into me

So I'm feeling pretty cranky right now. I just sat for 30 minutes in the waiting room at Salon Adair and Spa, across from Hy-vee in Columbia, hoping for a haircut. I didn't need a style, or even sparkling conversation. Just a haircut that brings the ends of my hair back in alignment with each other. I called on Saturday to make an appointment for sometime pretty quick, and after stifling a yawn, the terse and sleep deprived receptionist with barely veiled disdain, told me they had a six o'clock on Monday, and did I want it? Okay, I said, and gave her my name. Mason had a baseball game at seven-thirty, so I reasoned that, surely, an hour would give me enough time to get a haircut, drive the two miles back to our house, and leave an extra fifteen minutes of organization time before we had to leave for the game. Surely. I mean, in this economy, nobody turns down business, right? Right? Is this thing on?

Not so at Salon Adair and Spa. They apparently have so much ridiculous business coming out of their amazingly coiffed ears, that they have no problem treating customers like they were something unpleasant on the bottom of a manolo blahnik. I walked in at six on the dot, and checked in. The receptionist (a new one this time) reacted to my presence like she would extend her help only out of sheer boredom and lack of anything better to do, which didn't bother me too much early on. It was only after fifteen minutes of sitting on their overstuffed couches reading boring hair and bride magazines that I realized I had been utterly forgotten. I walked up to the receptionist and explained I had a six o'clock appointment, and it was now quite a bit past that. She stared at me like she couldn't decide what to do next, and then after a protracted pause, told me she'd go check with the stylist. The stylist, it seemed, was still working on the person ahead of me, but she was just finishing up. I assented, but asserted I had to be finished by seven. The receptionist then said the most amazing thing. She said, "Well, it takes about an hour for a haircut." Hadn't I scheduled an hour? Wasn't six to seven exactly an hour? Ignoring the fact that this obvious point was lost on everybody but me, I said "Well, maybe she can just cut it and not style it or anything." At this point the receptionist and I agreed everything that could be said on the subject had been, and I sat back down.

At six twenty-five, I realized I was not important in any way to the entire staff of Salon Adair and Spa. Neither the receptionist nor the stylist had initiated any contact with me. I had to ask why my appointment was off schedule. (I never saw the stylist at all.) Finally, I stood up. The receptionist, realizing I might be upset, for the first time, said "I'm sorry." To her credit, she actually used a tone that implied she was being sincere. Unfortunately, it was too little too late. I said, "Thanks anyway" and "It is what it is" (in response to her apology), and left.

Nobody up there cares I left. In fact they're probably celebrating getting to go home early. And they really didn't lose a lot of business. I have my slow growing hair cut, maybe five times a year. But if the subject comes up, I wont hesitate to share my experience. Like I'm doing now with you good people out there. See, it's very hard for someone who takes care of a baby all day to get a second to herself for a haircut. Once you carve out the time, it just seems too precious to spend on waiting rooms and rude treatment.

My apologies to anyone from out of town who reads this . . . sometimes a gal's gotta vent.