I have never been comfortable with salons. I go there only when I can’t deal with the problem myself. And since I am not so hirsute, it hasn’t mattered (to me at least) that I am not very regular.
Recently I did need to go into a salon. Now I picked this salon because I had had a good experience (overall) in another city and after a few bad moments of stinky armpits poised over my face and filthy floors in other salons, I decided I would stick to a brand I was familiar with.
Two minutes after settling down into a wait for my appointment, one lady asked me if I would be interested in weight loss. I know I am fat but I would also like to believe that if I was interested in a product, that is what I would ask for. I said, no I wasn’t interested. She thankfully left it that.
Five minutes later, another executive spots me. Zeroing in like prey spotted, she waltzed toward me and without any background, asks me “Weight Loss?” I make a production of looking up from the book I am reading and say, “No.”
“Why” she asks me back. I am little stumped. “None of your business” is a response I almost give but instead say, ” I am already on a regimen and would not like to switch.”
I almost cancel my treatment at this point. Now memories come flooding back where, even in other salons of this brand, they were forever trying to sell me their weight loss programs.
At that moment, I get called in for my treatment. I tell myself this once. Just get through this treatment once. You don’t have to come back. Ever again.
As the lady prepares the equipment, she starts the spiel again. So I go through the motions again. She grins, congratulates me on my weight loss and I start to feel a little better.
But as she starts working on my face, she starts pointing out how my skin is sallow. How it needs this treatment, that treatment and all those other treatments. In my mind I am telling myself, she is just trying to sell the brand’s services and she can’t help if I have esteem issues. But she goes on and on and on about how my skin basically is crap.
All through the treatment it went on and on like this: my skin and my weight. Alternating. I think a couple of teeth came loose due to all the clenching and unclenching.
And no it isn’t only me. Turns out these places aren’t very receptive to people who actually come there for the weight loss program. They start off making it sound like such a ghastly state to be in that it inevitably makes the customer’s hackles rise. It seems to be a favourite method: Criticise and that’s what will get me to improve. Whatever happened to encouragement? Does everyone have to be slim with polished, fair skin?
Am a little curious. Is this a known method? Keep criticising… and the customer will spend on all possible treatments so that they think they go out not feeling like shit?
