Tuesday, May 24th, I arrived for my 7 o'clock appointment some minutes early. I'm usually late everywhere, but left work (in the heart of Orange County) with time to wind down from an hour's worth of traffic and to see if I could flip through any magazines or books for some last minute images of inspiration I could show the hairstylist I'd booked with, Nassim.
A week prior I had done research (here on Yelp actually), clicking through much of her Dean Anthony Salon portfolio. After being unhappy with results from a different, hipster-vibe salon in Orange County in February and getting somewhat snarky responses from other receptionist desks while I called around places by work for a pre-30th birthday haircut, I decided I should come back to Long Beach.
The 5-star experience started with my request for an appointment. I submitted the request via the website after hours while putting in some overtime at work and was followed up with the next day by the receptionist desk (I believe the man's name was Rob). Rob's attitude and energy were wonderful. Though they didn't have an appointment for me as immediate as I requested, his polite tone and accommodation made me feel really good. Speaking with him I knew Dean Anthony Salon was going to be worth the extra few days wait.
When I arrived for my appointment, Nassim was finishing up a young man's haircut. The receptionist offered me beverage, which I declined at first. After sitting a minute, she came around again with a 10% off coupon for products (a first visit deal) and said, "Are you sure I can't get you anything? Water? Juice? Wine?"
My ears perked up. "Really? Wine?"
"Yes."
"You've got a white back there?"
"Sure we do."
"OK. That'd be awesome."
And it was awesome. Just a few sips was enough to loosen my tense neck muscles from the stress of the day. I flipped through a Kerastase style book there. I found no visuals for my trim, but wasn't terribly worried without that visual back-up. Dean Anthony Salon and Nassim had already earned my trust. Shortly after those few sips, Nassim was ready for me. We introduced ourselves and I explained to her what I didn't like about my previous haircut and what I would like. She touched my hair, said a few "hairstylist things" to me ("how do you usually style your hair?" "we'll lighten the weight here, blend the layers there") and then I was off to the washing room.
I do not remember the products used on my hair in the washing room. One thing I know for sure is... I received the *best* scalp massage I have ever received in my life. The wine was the perfect precursor to this experience too! I was completely silent and nearly drooling in relaxation. This is coming from someone who's had more than a few massages from Glen Ivy, Burke Williams and Nordstrom Spa. It was utterly delightful and I really needed the TLC.
Once washed and conditioned, Nassim tightly wrapped my damp hair in a towel (not a drop fell near my brow or down my neck), and I walked back to her station.
Nassim understood--all I really wanted was my layers evened around (apparently one side of my hair was rather drastically longer than the other, hahah) and blended through. I had made a point to tell her that I do not like bluntly-cut layers on my medium-long hair and she totally got that. After the cut and dry, she blended the layers beautifully.
Then she asked me the million dollar question, "How would you like your hair styled tonight?"
I've gotta admit, I'm a tried-and-true wash and air-dry kinda gal. I will occasionally blow dry my hair when the weather is cold, but more often than not I'm driving down the 22 in the morning with all my windows down while simultaneously fluffing my fingers through my hair, steering, and sipping coffee. And when I do blow dry my hair, it's not a "blow out," it's more like a "let me dry the roots as quickly as possible so I don't freeze" kinda-method. So, no, I don't really know what I'm doing. I just know that with the right cut, the air-dry or my haphazard blow dry still looks rather put together.
I did confess my "regimen" to Nassim, but also expressed my ideal hairstyle--beach waves. I asked her how much styling was required to achieve that. She shared honestly that it definitely required a good amount of styling, but did also later suggest some products to make it easier for me if I cared to attempt something like it on my own later.
She took her time and gave me some beautiful beach waves. I watched Nassim's technique as she wrapped inched-off sections of my hair on a rather skinny-barreled brush. I regret I did not capture her artistry in a photo--my face was looking rather haggard that evening. But when I visited my mom and her neighbor that night, I was told it looked "very Julia Roberts" (which is perfect because I sometimes have a goofy smile like her).
Thanks to Nassim and Dean Anthony Salon for making me feel like a better version of myself... just in time for my 30th birthday. I will definitely be back! read more