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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Ennio Salvatore Salon and taking a Groupon Coupon Chance


Pre-haircut - long & lifeless!
Short and flirty hair. Love it!

I have been a loyal client to Blue Hair Studio (still LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM) - but when a Groupon Coupon came up for Ennio Salvatore Salon - I thought, eh, why not? I have long hair, they really can't screw it up. The economy is tight and Blue is almost an hour away from my house. So I scooped up the Groupon (35.00 for cut, blowout, express Keratin treatment). Then, since the world is going to be ending on Dec 21st - I decided to go from long to short (because why not, the world is ending a day before my birthday and I'm ready for a change!!!)  and then thought I was CRAZY to trust someone I'd never met before to do the deed. But what the heck - it's just hair, it will grow back (and if the world ends Dec 21st, it won't matter!). Anyway, so I showed up armed with like 25 photos of how I "maybe" wanted my haircut (yep, I'm one of those annoying clients!) and Stefanie listened and added some input and within 20 minutes, I went from long to short and flirty and LOVED IT. Stefanie wasn't chatty -  which for me, is great. There studio is situated on the corner of Germantown Pike and is quite small. There is a very small parking lot, but you can easily park on the side of the street (which I did.) The atmosphere was relaxed and simple.  It is not close to my house, but I used the new 202 expressway and was there in 20 minutes. Some salons make you feel like family when you walk in (Blue does this, but I have been going to them for almost 8 years) - but I didn't get that when I walked in. It may have been a busy day, or perhaps they aren't overly friendly. This didn't matter to me, but if you're one of those people who really likes to be coddled at the hair salon - this could be off putting (it was my first trip though, so, like I said, it may have just been an off day.).
The bottom line - Stefanie gave me a GREAT CUT, and I haven't been this short for....I can't even remember - and I'm totally thrilled with it. The back is much shorter and she gave me the option to wear bangs or sweep them to the side.  I'd recommend and will be going back to Stefanie. Glad I threw caution to the wind and snapped up the Groupon Coupon - sometimes it's a crap shoot - but this time it was a bulls eye!
As of this posting, they are offering another Groupon Coupon...
I'm quite a diva about my hair, so if you are thinking about trying someone new or just want to save some money, I say give it a try!

2/19/2013Update: I did go back for a second visit because they offered me the same deal if I re-booked that day. That being said - I had to call the salon the week of my visit and one time the phone simply rang (it was 3pm on a Wednesday - they should have been opened) I finally hung up and called back, and then someone answered after many rings and I was put on hold and ended up hanging up after 5 minutes. I gave up calling and then called the next day and was able to get through. Though Stefanie is nice and does a good job cutting hair, the regular cost is as much as my old place (Blue Hair Studio) and the building lacks the warmth of my old place. The positive is that there isn't a separate shampoo person (which saves 5 bucks) but for me, my old place - though it is a long drive - succeeds wildly in every area: large waiting area, fabulous friendly warm employees, complimentary muffins and coffee for munching (it's a sweet touch!). So while it was good for me to "go out of my comfort zone" and try something new, I'd be a fool to not return to the place where hair cuts/styling are the same in price but far outshines Ennio Salvatore's when it comes to atmosphere, attention to detail, and making the customer feel extremely welcome (and the staff is super talented!).  It's a really tough economy and every bit counts, which is why since the regular cost is comparable, I'll definitely be returning to Blue.