Moving brings about a great deal of change. I mean, that goes without saying – change is the point! But while I’m excited for a new city, new apartment, new friends, etc., there are also changes I’m not so excited about. Most notably, facing the fact that I’m going to need new “People.” With each new city comes new “People” – new doctors, new dentists, new pet sitters. People you put a fair amount of trust in because they take care of precious things. Close to, if not right at, the top of this pile sits the mighty hair stylist.
Not everyone cares about who cuts their hair. But, I do – and I’m not the only one. My boss still gets his hair cut in New York City. (He lives in San Francisco.) And when I mentioned how I was nervous to find a new hair person in Boston, my friend Kim said, with only some irony, “well, yeah. You figure a doctor is going to be properly trained no matter where you go, but you never know what’s going to happen when someone new cuts your hair!” So while I’ve managed to find someone great in all of the cities I’ve lived in, finding a new stylist is a truly nerve-wrecking prospect.
I don’t know what it is about girls, but we sure do like celebrating the big changes in our lives with a haircut. Breakup? Haircut! New job? Haircut! Get married? Haircut! (Actually, I’m told that one has its own name: the “post-wedding chop.”) The pre-move haircut is a tradition of mine, partly because it signifies turning over a new leaf, and usually also because it helps me put off finding a new salon for as long as possible.
But, you know what? There’s one big difference between this move and all of the others before it. For once, I’m moving somewhere that I have a network of people I trust already in place – and those people can refer me to their “People,” so I won’t need to go into my next hair (or doctor or dentist) appointment feeling like I’m putting all of my trust into some quack. Having that kind of network in place is exactly why I’m making this move – and it feels good.
Here are the great salons/stylists I’ve used in my various cities:
Philadelphia – Jennifer – Liquid Salon, Rittenhouse Square
Chicago – Dave Fonseca – Lincoln Park (This guy is an AMAZING colorist!!)
San Francisco – Katey B. – Beauty Company SF, Russian Hill
