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Published: August 31st 2007
Vidal Sassoon Academy
The Academy is located in the Davies Mews, very close to the Bond Street tube station and Oxford StreetWhenever a woman moves to a new place, there's always the practical issue of finding a hairstylist she trusts. Jay told me that when ex-wife Maggie visited London long ago she had her hair cut at the Vidal Sassoon Academy. The students did a great job and she has never looked so good since. I was enthused about the idea of a designer haircut at local salon prices, but wary about putting my mostly raven tresses into the hands of a student. I looked up the academy on the Internet and read the user reviews. The reviews said not to worry because an instuctor supervises every stage of the process. Many students are already trained stylists who are learning new techniques.
I really wanted to go to Vidal Sassoon because I remember him from tv commercials during the late 70s. He had great confidence and presence and seemed really interested in making women look good (that they were more than mannequins for his art). While in the Army I had a Vidal Sasoon travel hair dryer that was a real gem and lasted for years.
I had to wait a month for an appointment. That meant letting my hair
grow grayer and more shapeless than it's been in 20 years - the horror, the horror!. I made an appointment for Dr. Amber as well because I thought she could use a little pampering after her search for the wild pinus sylvestrus in the Siberian forest. Amber's appointment was on Monday. All went well. Everyone there was gracious. They didn't look us over with a disdainful glance as though we were hopeless fashion-wise and even seemed grateful that we were willing to sit there patiently while the students learned.
Amber left for a conference in New Orleans and I went back on Wednesday for a cut in the morning and color in the afternoon. The style of the cut covered most of the gray and poof! I looked ten years younger - amazing. I had a break for lunch and went back for color in the afternoon. In the waiting area, a small woman with curly black and silver hair sat beside me. She wore a long greenish brown crinkled cotton skirt with Birkenstock sandals - a sure sign of a Baby Boomer nostalgic for those wild Hippie days of the 60's.
She looked over at me and
Leisa with Vidal Sassoon cut
This isn't the best photo, but you get an idea of the style. If you want to see what I looked like before, look at the photo of Amber and me in the Spamalot entry. asked me if I'd ever had a massage while getting my hair done. I said no. She let out a long sigh, leaned back and said she'd had a wonderful massage when she lived in China. It must have been lovely when the English still had a colony there, I thought, knowing I could hardly expect a massage at a student academy in London and imagined this woman living the posh life of a privileged expatriate. She looked me over and said that she had been a really mess in her 40s . She let out another sigh and said she was now old- in her 50s. I smiled to myself and didn't tell her we might be the same age.
We chatted a little more until my name was called to go to the color room. The student assigned to my hair was Ah-Li, a 21-year old stylist from Korea who has lived in London for the past two years. At first her English was not easy to understand, but soon my ear became attuned and we communicated pretty well. She asked if I were Canadian. I said no and asked what made her think that. She responded by making horrible nasal honking sounds to demonstrate what Americans sound like. I had to laugh because I've been trying to get rid of my nasal Midwest monotone most of life (with varying success).
When it came time to wash the color out of my hair, Ah-Li looked at me and asked if I had a headache. I was puzzled by her question. She didn't wait for an answer, but instead rinsed my hair and began massaging my head, temples and neck. It was wonderful! This is the last thing I expected. I'm told I was a wicked child, but I must have done something good along the way to have this silent wish granted - and so soon after making it!
Before leaving the salon I gave Ah-Li a big tip because I figured as a student she didn't have much money and that great massage was worth a lot. I insisted on taking the photo of her that you see here in front of the studio.
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Erin
non-member comment
very chic...you're a trusting soul...i could never! glad to see that you are both still enjoying your time abroad.