I am one of those women who are neurotic about her hair. I bounce around from salon to salon, just trying to find someone who will listen to me and with whom I feel comfortable. Fortunately I have long hair, so I can go longer than your average 6 weeks between haircuts...I think this last time, prior to seeing Nikki at Samuel Cole, it was more like 4 months!
I must say my experience with Nikki was wonderful! From the moment I walked in the door and Natalie greeted me with a smile and an offer of a drink, even though I was frantic because I was a few minutes late (you can't count on Raleigh traffic when there's a dusting of snow on the ground), everything was perfect. I immediately felt at ease, especially after consulting with Nikki. She understood exactly what I wanted, and more importantly, what I DIDN'T want! She really seemed to LISTEN to what I was saying, not just hear me speak. We now have a plan not just for this haircut but for where I want to go with my hair as I grow out my bangs to get the shape closer to what I showed her in the magazine pictures! Since it had been so long since my color had been done, I had some pretty obvious root growth present, but I just hate all the maintenance of highlights! Well Nikki pointed out that in almost every picture I showed her, Hollywood seems to be gravitating toward a more ""low maintenance"" look called ombre, where the color gradually transitions from a darker root area to a brighter end, as if kissed by the summer sun :) All she had to do was blend a few highlights around the crown and VOILA - it's awesome...and trendy, yay!!! She didn't push me into doing something I didn't want, which I loved. It's honestly the first time in all my 36 years (almost 37, yikes!) that I have actually felt like a relationship was building to get to a goal with my hair! And it looks great in the process!! Win-win! I know it may sound stupid or narcissistic to some, but as my sister always says, ""you wear your hair everyday - it's the first thing people notice about you, you want it to look its best!""
Everyone in the salon was so pleasant and the salon is high class without being pompous. I love the pampering and the special attention to detail they exhibit. And I was super impressed with the fact that they are KID FRIENDLY- so often when you go to a higher end salon such as this, kids are a no-no. But the two little ones there during my visit were so well behaved!! Not that I will EVER bring my kids with me :) but it's nice to know I can if I get stuck. I think it's great that they trust us moms to judge whether our kids will behave and if so, bring 'em along! In the end, it just makes the place that much more client friendly.
They also treat their NEW clients great: I got a goody bag full of discount coupons and samples and they had a drawing for a discounted service if you book your next appointment (which of course I did)! To me, it's those little details that separate Samuel Cole Salon from the pack. I can't wait to go back!
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