A Very Happy-With-My-Hair New Year! thanks to: (kim! @ victorias salon!)
if i may borrow from my recently acquired knowledge about what it means to be a 3 star michelin restaurant; victorias is an easy 3 star salon, and i currently have a 5 star stylist!
now, i admit here, sometimes i give big compliments without having lots to compare from, but!
when it comes to hair stylists, i have lots, and LOTS, of experience with different stylists, at different salons, in different locations over many years,
and, while many have been good, none compare to the level of artistry, professionalism, personality, efficiency, accuracy -all around wonderfulness, of my current stylist, kim. she is straight up magic!
and i am extra grateful for the mishaps that redirected me to victorias salon; and ultimately landed me in her chair and station.
the salon itself is so beautiful! i mean, a very special -space- to relax in for the amount of time it takes to receive any variety of services, from a quick detailed cut, to a fresh color with full highlights. -something about the history.. those bricks.. the stenciled walls.. the chandeliers.. the furniture.. design and layout of the stations themselves, the windows, seating.. lighting.. mirrors.. way products are displayed
and i remember, but not how long ago, there used to be a beautiful fountain write in the middle of the salon! this outdoor fountain, which somehow camouflaged itself and blended as well in the environment as it would if it were placed in a beautiful english garden.
i remember a number of things about victoria's salon because i had opportunity to go there when my children were toddlers.. and return there, very occasionally and sporadically, over several decades.
but, my life, the way it was, for many several years, made it so that i could not return consistently. not just for budgetary reasons, but, my string of part time, seasonal jobs, and ever changing hours and locations made it so that the only places i could go were 'walk-ins accepted' -making an appointment was out of the question, returning to the same place was out of the question, and sometimes the prices for services left me with only one question: where to look next?
as a result, i was here for a while, there for a while, here once; there twice.. but have had the polar opposite experience of many people i know who locked in with a wonderful stylist and stay together through richer or poorer, sickness or health, over many decades, 'til death due them part
i've had break-ups; and make-ups; more than one divorce, i've fallen in love and been ghosted by stylists -in many cases, because THEY were going through a break-up; divorce; sudden move or dramatic career change
my relationships with stylists and salons have fluctuated as much as hair trends themselves.
but, when i could...
as circumstances allowed, and planets aligned, as gift certificates were received.. the salon i always most wanted to return to and did: victoria's.
in fact, when my kids were young, and i had my hair done at victorias, i so fell in love with the atmosphere i was sitting in that i inquired about who painted/stenciled the walls.. if memory serves, -her name was ruth (?), and i ended up hiring her to paint the walls on the house i lived in at the time -she did a magnificent job with tuscan color theme flair, texture, which still attracts me, and even did a wonderful trompe l'oieil on one wall, which made it look like there was a beautiful bakers rack in our dining area, with personalized cook books, and relevant kitchen embellishments. i loved it! -and it was only very recently removed during a full out remodel of that house [which i moved out of in 2006].
anyway.. when it comes to interior design, and creating a beautiful space, not just visually, but experientially; spiritually -victoria has the magic touch
i was discussing recently what a success story! woman entrepreneur success story! victoria and her salon.. there 26 years now (or very near), and let's look at that closer: 1996 - 2022
just consider the economic challenges, the other salons in downtown pleasanton that have come and gone; -my goodness, throw in the recent pandemic, utter shut-down that wiped out another large number of small businesses.. -add in the number of styles that have come and gone; being able to keep up with current trends, honor classic styles, add new services for skin care.. nails.. i remember at one time getting a massage.. recruiting/finding/retaining top talent -each stylist ultimately representing victoria herself, while working independently
well, great place to repeat this then, isn't it: kim -as a representative of victoria and victoria's salon: the best you could hope for
fun for me to learn on my last visit that kim (and her sister), used to clean victoria's salon for part-time work while they were in high school; this, before she had any idea or intention of having a professional career in the beauty industry.
i could go on and on.. but, will close here by trying to itemize and capture what it is, specifically, that sets kim so far apart and high above:
-there is the kindness factor; chair-side manner for stylists is write up there with bed-side manner for doctors, and she has excellent chair-side manners.
-there is her consistent professionalism -on time, ready, reliable, dependable [* this requires that -we- the clients are on time, ready, reliable, dependable also]
-i wildly appreciate how fast kim is! honestly, i want to say here for the record, with the same amount of hair on my head, i've had the blow dry experience take anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 20 minutes.. and, faster is better! i've had the root touch up painting process take anywhere from an hour to 15 minutes; faster is better! i've had cuts/trims take forever.. i've had styling my hair take two lifetimes.. but kim has this magical way of being fast and efficient at everything she does, without ever having any of it seem or feel rushed.
i would say that about victoria and her salon in general; across the board: they operate on a realistically tight schedule, but there is never a vibe of stylists rushing.. it is beautifully warm, welcoming & relaxed
let me not leave out, what a treat it is to sit in a beautiful bricked wall room, with views through beautiful windows onto main street in downtown pleasanton.. see outside, watch the passersby, chit-chatting with my husband-of-the-year while we sip on mimosas in pretty glasses.. all just to pass the time it takes for chemicals to magically make my gray roots disappear...
-kim gifts me with what i ask for! i have been places where i brought a specific picture, and even with a clear visual guideline, i end up leaving with a different style and color..like, why did i even bother to bring the picture you asked me to bring? -but, kim, listens, understands, and most importantly, delivers! the look i have currently is the look i've been after [inserting recent picture]; and when i'm ready to change, i am confident she will deliver again
.jpg)
-the style can last for days! honestly, i don't know what she does; some of it is top secret, i'm sure, but, she makes my hair look a whole lot better than i can make my hair look, so i want to get as many days out of it as possible.. and, speaking of top secret.. i was recently joking with her as she shampooed my hair, and out comes the secret passcode for the vault.. 9, 7, 32.. because her scalp massage casts a perfect spell, i can feel my i.q. increasing... my, this is helpful..
when you find your match made in salon heaven, of course, you just wish you could see them all the time; take them on vacation with you.. make room in your home, and move them in
-none of that being realistic for either of us.. she sure is worth the drive for special occasions! and extra thank my sexy, my husband here, for doing the driving for me..
oh! the construction! these shrinking lanes, and ever increasing walls.. these k-rail, rat traps, with zero margin for error and very error-oriented careless, dangerous drivers we are forced to share the freeways with
and so, what makes the drive worth it for my husband? a second, and very wonderful, family owned business success story, also in pleasanton,
jim's restaurant -a family favorite for us in the past, a fav for my dad.. and as far as my husband is concerned, michelin star worthy for their best-he's-ever-had cheese-bacon-burger on sourdough with best-he's-ever-had steak fries. -and, doesn't really matter, because everything on the menu is solidly good, and the service is always down-home, salt of the earth, fast and friendly. this restaurant is celebrating like, 28 years, i believe.. and they made it through the pandemic also.. no small accomplishment for any restaurant; but especially, not a chain, a family-owned and operated.
we learned at least part of their secret ingredient for success: the local koopman family ranch, who hand deliver only the best, fresh, all natural beef -and my connections with the koopman's is worthy of an entirely different blog post, so, let me just say a big "thank you!" and "congratuations!" to victoria, to kim, to everyone at jim's, to the koopmans
to my husband, to my Jesus,
and, see.. i didn't even mention kira.. the only person i have ever felt comfortable with, for the very vulnerable and humbling 'spray tan' experience.. also, victoria's salon..
-hard to find a place for this post to come to an en
~blessed to begin a happy-with-my-hair new year! hallelujah & amen
posted by SANDRA HARRISON KAY @ 1:50 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home