Switching stylists

I've been going to the same stylist for about 4 years now, and I've been satisfied with her work. My current stylist has recently gone on maternity leave, and my last appointment was with someone who is filling in until she gets back to work. My dilemma is that the person filling in did a terrific job and was actually much less expensive than my regular stylist. I have one more appointment with her before my regular stylist comes back. Would it be tacky to switch stylists at his time, or should I just find a new salon?

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Permalink Reply by EVA SCRIVO on August 19, 2011 at 4:39pm

As a client, it is your right to see any stylist you wish at your favorite salon. Remember that you're the paying customer and you're not in a committed relationship with your stylist. It is a business relationship. I actually talk about this at length in the Salon Confidential chapter of my book. One way to handle this is to send your former stylist a note thanking her for the years of service and simply explaining that you've been very happy with the work of the new stylist and would like to stay with her for now. Say hello when you see her at the salon and there's no reason for anyone to feel weird about this. Hopefully your former stylist has many clients and won't be too concerned over losing one. If she makes you fee awkward over this, like you've done something wrong, then she's not a true professional and you'll know that you've made the right decision by leaving her. You can also speak with the salon owner/manager to help smooth out the situation. Hope this helps.