On one of the coldest mornings of the year, I waltz into Le Salon De Beaute of downtown Mesa with my black leather, knee high boots pulled over tattered skinny (yes, I said skinny jeans…10 months postpartum and I’m pretty proud to wear them!), my AC/DC sweatshirt (one of the warmest I own), and my “rats nest”…almost two feet of jet black, loosely curled mama hair neatly pulled back in the perpetual pony tail (to hopefully escape the curious mitts of my 10 month old).
Whitney, my new stylist, energetically welcomes me almost instantly. I think I maybe sat waiting only long enough to text Daddy (my sons daddy that is…) the most recent instruction for the next two hours while mama is getting pampered. Excitement now starts to appear as my petite, platinum blonde stylist shows me to her station. I instantly LOVED her hair. Point for Whitney.
Once seated I have the opportunity to take it all in. It’s a good sized salon with two rows of stylist booths, maybe 20 or 25 or so. The decor is more toward the upper end but attractive to all walks of life. Since my hubby remodels homes for a living, I tend to daydream about remodeling all day long. This place would look AMAZING with some “wood” tile in grey. The originial tin ceiling and the feel of the older building was just perfect. There was plenty of space for the sinks, nail techs, receptionist, and there was a good bathroom too.
Now, I know I don’t look a day over 35 😉 but I do have a good share of “the greys”. So, as she’s applying color to my roots (oh…before she started she smeared some ointment by my hair line to keep the dye off my skin…brilliant!), I begin asking her about my new passion, Downtown Mesa. It turns out that Whitney has been a stylist in that location ever since the owners established it so she has a pretty good take on what is going on downtown. We talked about the historic home districts, who the business owners are in the area, the consensus on the light rail, etc… you name it. 2nd point for Whitney.
I liked that, during that conversation, she pointed to a cutie pie couple a few stations away and said “those are the owners”. Him…originally from France, handsome, in jeans and black chucks. Her…petite, the most BEAUTIFUL long, layered, blonde highlights and lowlights (I’m not sure if those are the correct terms but they sounded good here), and a pair of awesome red shoes. I liked that they were there and alongside the rest of the crew. I liked that they too had customers in their chairs.
My stylist was indeed the best shampoo girl I have ever had, a skill that she developed the first year of her tenure here. With a brief description of my frustrations she quickly and uniquely transformed my mama hair to something that I’m happy to twist up in that pony tail by day but let down at night. 3rd Point for Whitney.
The impact on the wallet was less than a Scottsdale price but the experience was certainly one of the most enjoyable and I’m more than pleased with the results. 4th Point for Whitney.
Needless to say, I’ve found my salon.
Le Salon De Beaute Facebook
