Going to the Hair Salon
Yesterday me and mom and grandma went to the hair salon. Mom was the photographer for the day. I thought that was funny.
Grandma and I got our hair washed in the special hair washing sinks. Adults have a white sheet placed over their face that looks like a wash cloth. Sometimes they use this for children also, but not all of the time. Usually they don’t put it over my face.
(Editor’s notes: ARRGGGHHH! Icky girly stuff! I am instructed to inform you that Pam took mom and Sachan to her regular hair stylist, Okubo-san, the day before David and Carolyn flew back to the States. Okubo-san, I am told, trained in France. Despite his trendy appearance, which may lead you to draw false assumptions, I am instructed to inform you that he has a wife, two kids, and is a well respected businessman and community leader in our former neighborhood. Oh, and the sheet they put over the faces of adults is lightly scented to enhance the hair washing experience. Sachan does not get one because apparently she complains that it stinks. In addition to the bib they put around your neck, they also give you a velor blanket to drape over you to stay warm. I have no idea why this is needed given all the hot air in there and the fact that the special hair washing sinks are heated.)
I decided to see if grandma or I would get finished first. I got done first. Then Okubo-san started to cut my hair. Okubo-san is the only one who cuts my hair. He is the only one that cuts foreigners’ hair.
(Editor’s note: Okubo-san won’t let any of his other stylist cut Pam or Sachan’s hair. I do seem to recall Pam commenting that he let one of the other stylists do something with her hair once. All evidence seems to suggest that the stylist died of a heart attack shortly after this direct exposure to foreign hair. He has never been seen since. We were not invited to the funeral.)
After grandma had her hair washed they gave grandma a neck and head massage. Grandma said she liked the massage. Grandma had her hair blow dried [and styled]. When grandma was having her hair blow dried they asked her if she would like a drink. Grandma said, “Yes,” and ordered an ice green tea. I got green tea too. The tea was very good. After grandma got her hair blow dried it looked much whiter.
(Editor’s note: This story is a lot funnier when you take into account that Sachan spelled massage “musug,” and blow dried as “blodride,” and my personal favorite: foreigner was written as “forners.” There are a few other things I need to point out. A picture was taken of Okubo-san’s styling accoutrement bag because Carolyn thought it was neat that they carry their weapons of mass hair creation around with them. Sachan’s favorite part of her trips to Pas a Pas, the name of the salon, is the lightly sweetened iced green tea. Yes it was served with a fresh flower in a vase. Yes Carolyn drank hers. Yes she said it was good. I am also instructed to inform you that yes, these sessions generally end with Sachan having two people blow dry her hair…heaven forbid the child go somewhere and not be given an excessive amount of attention.)
They put my hair in braids. And then they put it in a bun.
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Comments
First of all, it looked like a lot of fun. Did anyone else find it amusing that the hairstylist had a Confederate flag on his shirt? The South shall rise again! I was especially impressed by the heated sinks for hair-washing. No chill on your neck when you first sit back. Sounds like a fun, pampering time.
Kathy,
You win the prize! We wondered who would be the first to notice. I had downloaded the pictures, looked at them, edited them, saved them into new folders, uploaded them to the site, looked at them there, put them in the post, and it wasn’t until I looked at the post one last time before posting it, that I saw the flag.
The girls sounded like they had had a really nice time.
I didn’t notice the confederate flag until you guys pointed it out. Wonder why the stylist had it on his shirt? Pretty neat. Cindy
The beauty salon experience looked to be quite interesting and different than an American one. When I get my hair cut it is more like the beauty salon in the movie “Steel Magnolias”.
Carolyn has become quite sophisticated – it was fun to see her getting her hair done Japanese style by someone trained in FRance. WOW! and his styling tools looked almost like weaponry. Enjoyed this adventure quite alot. Cindy