I just discovered Yelp. I'm actually writing about a visit almost 2 years ago.
I'm a Black woman who grew up in mostly White areas. When I finally moved to an area with Black salons, no one knew what to do with natural hair. Black Salon culture is foreign to me (I admit it), and I may have misstepped, but I shouldn't have been treated the way I was.
When I got a job in Vermont, after 9 years in Boston, my first question was "where can I get my hair done?" If I couldn't find a stylist in Boston who could handle natural Black hair (I ended up going to a hair school), what was I going to do in Vermont? I searched on-line, and I heard a lot about Diversity, some good, some bad. It was much closer than Montreal, so I decided to try it out.
I stopped by in January 2010, just to check the place out. In Boston, I found way too many stylists talking on their cell phone while working on a customer (part of the reason I went to the hair school). The place was clean, small, and crowded, and the stylists has no cell phones on them, so I made an appointment for the following month.
I wanted 2-strand twists. At first, the stylist didn't shampoo my hair. I'd assumed it was included (it was at the hair school). She shampooed it when I asked about it. The process took about 2 hours, and the twists were thinner than I expected, but I was okay with that. She charged $100, A LOT more than I'm used to. Then again, it's not a hair school.
I paid with a credit card. There was no space for a tip. I always tipped at the hair school, and I wanted to tip here, but I wasn't sure if I should. I paid the bill with a credit card, walked out to an ATM, withdrew some cash, and walked back, ready to tip.
When I walked back in, the woman who did my hair was talking to someone, and seemed very surprised to see me. I told her I wanted to tip, and gave her $10. The two women BURST OUT LAUGHING! I stood there, unsure what to do next. Had I offended her somehow? Was I on a hidden camera? Had something funny just happened on TV?
After about 15 seconds, I asked "Do you want the money?" She and the other woman were still laughing (there were tears in her eyes). Now I was mad. I've worked in the service industry, and I'm a good tipper at restaurants. I'm not sure about tipping at salons, but I've never been LAUGHED AT when I tried to tip.
In the end, I left my $10 on the counter and walked out. I've since gone back to doing my own hair, and I've found some natural hair salons in Montreal. I may try TSPA in Williston. I bet they won't laugh at a $10 tip. I will NEVER go back to Diversity. read more