So I walk into the salon the other week, and I am immediately filled with the usual mix of excitement and dread ... Yay, I'm getting a haircut! Shit, I'm not very cool! Damn, maybe I should have combed my hair this month!
I did not expect to feel this at the training salon, but the Gary Manuel Aveda Institute is not your typical training salon. It's JUST LIKE a schmancy joint, down to the vaguely distainful people at the front desk, and the pitcher or water next to the herbal teas that you're invited to relax with while you await your special moment.
But then, my haircutter arrived. Belle was her name, and she had a big, friendly smile. No disdain, no too cool for school-ness that can sometime accompany hipsterism. Then she said, "You're my first customer!" And I immediately knew that she didn't mean "First customer today." Though I kind of hoped it. Then I thought, fuck it, it's just hair. What's the worst that can happen?
Well, Belle did a great job. She was careful, precise, and fun to talk to. I learned about the beauty school process, which in this case involves a lot of learning the "Aveda/Gary Manuel" way. That is to say, students often already know how to cut hair. They just don't necessarily do it exactly as Gary would want. And they do things like use the word "bangs" when they should use the word "fringe." Though when Belle referred to my fringe, I thought of the surrey with it on the top. (That's a show tunes reference, kids. "Oklahoma," a classic).
Anyhoo, I'll be going back to Belle. My $12 bought me a solid haircut, a stress-relieving shoulder rub (part of the deal all the time, not just for "first customers ever") and a good story to tell.
Here's the info: Gary Manuel Aveda Institute
www.gmaveda.com
206-302-1044
1514 Tenth Ave., just off behind Broadway, between Pike and Pine.
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