My High-Priced Haircut

Posted on October 2, 2011 5 Comments

Budgeting friends, we’re talking hair today. It’s our source of endless frustration, helps define our style and often our self confidence, and sucks our time and dollars from our wallet.

My quarterly haircut is one big item in my budget that has not changed since my formerly far too-spendy days. It is damn expensive, with downtown Chicago prices now at $65 for a simple cut and style, to $75 for a half-head of highlights, and more for full highlights and other color processes. As I said, I go four times per year, and my prices usually hover between $150 and $200 before tip. This will be hard for my readers to justify, I know. But when I started this relationship with my stylist I did my research and shopped around, and I’m happy with decision – and most of all, with my hair.

After sticking with a relatively cheaper menu for my last several haircuts – simple trim and half-head highlights – and streeeetttchhhing out my time between appointments, last week I decided it was time for a change. I had been keeping my hair long because man-friend and I had talked about wedding possibilities several months ago, but with the economy and job market the way they are, it looks like we are delaying our plans yet again. So f’ it – I cut my hair, engagement isn’t happening anytime soon.

I cut off about six inches, to my chin.

I also got a highlights refresh and a toner process over my whole head. The entire process took about 3 hours and cost $200.  I tipped my stylist $30 and the shampoo lady $5.

That’s totally outrageous to most people, I’m sure. But I have gone to other stylists, and I can always tell when I look at old pictures which stylist I was going to, and which haircuts are my “budget” specials. And, though I have yet to see any scholarly research on this, I’m pretty sure having a bad haircut isn’t doing anything for the professional image. Call me crazy, but as I sat in a room full of working women as a young employee about 10 years ago, I swear I could tell which women were management level vs. entry level by observing their haircuts. But maybe that’s just my own insecurity.

Ultimately, I spend a lot on my hair at this point in my life because I like the results better than budget hair. I don’t buy $600 shoes or $300 purses, I don’t shop for retail full price, I don’t get manicures, I don’t get facials, I don’t buy electronics, I don’t have a mortgage or other big loans except my car, and I generally try to save money wherever I can.  I’m allowed a CRAZY EXPENSIVE haircut four times per year.

But what if I lost my job or stopped working full time? What would I do if I had to cut the high-priced hairdos? I’d go back to my super-frugal college ways: doing my hair color at home in my bathroom sink and getting $20 haircuts at a suburban salon. Or I can always go back to the lady who cut hair in her basement while her kids threw horrible temper tantrums and tried to bite me when I left the house. No problem. But at the management level and speaking in front of people for work, there’s no way I’m doing it now.

And that’s probably a good thing for the local economy. My stylist, a simply amazing woman who is a former Romanian refugee and once made a living doing hair on a beach in Italy, said this month has been the first in her 40-year career that she hasn’t made enough income to cover all her bills (medical, mortgage, debt, etc.). Her clients are all stretching out appointments or avoiding the salon altogether. She hopes it’s a temporary situation but wonders when everyone will come back to downtown salons. She worries that if the city starts taxing services as is currently proposed, it will be the nail on the coffin of her salon, which has been raising prices steadily since new management took over a few years ago.

For the sake of my stylist, I hope things pick up soon and that women start flocking back to her for high-priced highlights – and that the city tax doesn’t affect her. But beyond the stylist, there are plenty of others that are affected by the loss of clientele, from the shampoo lady (also from Romania and still working on her English) to the receptionists to the management.

So I’ll keep going to Suzy, my wonderfully caring and knowledgeable stylist who I’ve been seeing for almost 10 years now, and Anka, my shampoo lady who gives a killer neck massage during the rinse, and the rest of the salon crew, who keep us entertained with stories and lots of Madonna CDs. And for four relaxing afternoons per year, I’ll pay a ridiculously high price for a good haircut and a self-confidence boost and a big bear hug from the best stylist in Chicago.

Category: Life, Money
   Tags: Spending

Comments