#045 Best Place to Get a Mani/Pedi

I think no matter when or where you move, you always have to go through the process of establishing your favorite new places.  For me, that involves finding "my" grocery store, gas station, coffee stand, restaurant, and of course -- salon.  I might be different than most in that I enjoy going to different hairdressers.  I am always pretty conservative when it comes to my hair, so finding new hairdressers guarantees the same hair cut always comes out a bit different each time.  I think I always hold out with a tiny hope that maybe *this* will be the person who can transform my hair into the fabulous style it was always meant to be.  This has yet to happen, but you never know, right?

In Moscow, I started by pulling up a directory of salons and beginning at the first one: A Heavenly Salon and Spa.  Very clever marketing to put an A in front of the name so they would end up first in the phone book!  I liked going there, but it wasn't life changing.  I went to the next, and eventually I ended up at Hair and Face.  This place was great.  I was always open for any stylist (you can usually book must faster that way) and they got a new one (Angie) who I genuinely looked forward to chatting with.

Then, my friend Chalayne said her hairdresser was looking to take on more clients, and I decided to give it a shot.  She cuts hair out of her home in Troy, which is about a thirty minute drive.  The drive was a pain, but it is a pretty drive and it is nice to be one-on-one with your hair dresser.  She also had the most adorable kids and the cutest dogs, so it was fun to go there.  Much more "homey" of a feeling.

To get to the point, I am now in a new town and have been trying to figure out where to get my hair cut.  I decided to do a combo of yelp and living social hunting to figure out where to go, and ended up choosing (after putting it off for waaay too many weeks) Graeber and Co #045 Best place to get a mani/pedi.  Yes, I realize a haircut is not a mani/pedi, but I really didn't feel like spending another $30 for a manicure or $40 for a pedicure!

According to yelp, Angie is a really great stylist.  I went in blind and didn't even know who I signed up for.  It ended up being a guy (not Angie!).  On the other hand, other reviews say that Carrie is terrible.  They also have some reviews saying the staff is a bit spacy, and can sometimes schedule things and then have appointments "disappear."  I didn't have any sort of problem, so I was pleased.  However, it was sort of awkward when I arrived.  They basically told me someone would be with me, and didn't show me where the waiting area was.  I akwardly stood in the entrance way, looking earnestly at each person who walked by.  Eventually one of the stylists took me to the waiting area, but I thought it was rather rude the girls at the counter didn't mention I could wait around the corner.

The hours at Graeber and Co are really great.  Not only are they open Saturdays, but they are also open until 7 pm Tuesday-Friday.  A hair cut ranges from $32-$65 (I think mine was $38?).  A shampoo/style is $20+ (not extra...just if you want only that and no hair cut).   They also offer a full salon with nails, facials, body care, massage, and waxing.  I wanted to get my eye brows waxed but there weren't any availabilities.

The one thing I can't stand when I get my haircut is when the hair stylist won't shut up about how dead/fried/dry my hair is.  OBVIOUSLY that is why I am getting a hair cut! Yes, I can understand a few comments.  But I have had some who go on and on and on and it drives me nuts.  Here, I didn't get too much of that. 

My hair stylist was actually quite nice.  The one thing he did that drove me crazy was he did act very superior...I decided to finally pay attention to how the hair stylist was doing my hair, in the hopes I would be able to re enact it at home.  To be fair, this meant I was asking a lot of questions and seemed very interested in buying product.  What really irritated me was when he asked what shampoo I used (hate that question; always feel like it is quite judgemental sounding).  I told him, and then to make it less awkward, asked what he would recommend.  He started rattling off really expensive brands, and I interjected with, "well is there anything at the drugstore you would recommend or can you even do that?" And he said there was NOTHING at the drugstore he would recommend (citing "you never know what is in that stuff, even plastic.").  I understand you get what you pay for, but there must be a lesser of two evils.  I have read numerous articles where high priced hair stylists recommend drugstore brands, so some suggestion would have been nice.

Overall, this place is great.  You do have to pay for parking ($2/hr) and I think it would be better if they validated it.  However, it was clean, stylish, and decently priced.  I always feel a bit out of place at salons, and they didn't go over the top to make me feel welcome, but no one was rude.  I don't think I will go back.  I might still be searching for that elusive hair stylist who makes my hair magical.