thethrillofthechaise

I am under no delusion to think that I am anything but a very lucky girl.  Though I am not the type to make decisions completely on a whim (ask anyone I know about how much I appreciate a plan or anyone I work with how reliant I am on post-its), I have taken some chances through the years that could have ended up in disaster.  One of these potential mistakes was quitting my career after 7 years and going back to school to study fashion.  Despite having spent some time working with a trend forecasting agency and taking a short course at Central St. Martin’s, my only real insight into the industry was a pretty rotten day ‘shadowing’ an editor at Seventeen Magazine when I was fifteen (read as; organizing shoes by color, archiving magazines by date and not ever actually figuring out what it was my host did).

The point of this ramble is that I was terrified that what I came across in the fashion industry may actually be something as horrible as that single day I had and then I really would have made a huge mistake.  But as it turns out, my luck stuck with me and I have spent the last 18 months working with not only the best of the best, but the kindest of the kindest.  I am really banging on a lot for a post that’s about a haircut…apologies.

My point is, I met the Ruffian boys.  I get to work with the Ruffians and I also get to be friends with them…which means I get to see first-hand how well they look after the people around them.  To preface, I am very particular about my hair.  If you ever think I would even trim it myself, you’re out of your damn mind.  And I spent a lot of time routinely spending a lot of money to get a really sad haircut.  So when I emailed the boys to see if they had any suggestion on someone they would trust with my lovely locks, the response was ‘Of course! Leave it with us!’  And a couple of days later, I was booked into New York City’s downtown Bumble & Bumble salon.  Where I had one of the greatest hair experiences of my life.

As someone who gets nervous about spending the money on a high-end treatment, I wanted to share my experience so if any of you are humming and hawing…I may be able to help.  First things first, a lot of care was taken to place me with the perfect stylist for my needs.  As I was up for anything, the best I could give about what I wanted was explaining that I have spent most of my adult life trying to morph into a French woman from the 1960s.  And that was all it took…Bumble knew exactly who I should see.  Now, let me say that walking into the Bumble salon in the Meatpacking district is an experience all in itself.  Taking the elevator up, it is impossible to expect that when the doors open, you’ll be greeted by a massive warehouse style room with floor to ceiling windows showing off just how beautiful the city is.  There is a fantastic shop with all the Bumble products you could ever want, a small cafe, a series of very cool couches where I sat sipping on mint tea taking in the entire experience.

My stylist Tashina greeted me and I knew I was going to adore her.  It’s a beautifully relaxed environment filled with people who you know just love being there.  Tashina listened carefully to my hair woes and quickly offered up a remedy.  And to my surprise, she didn’t say ‘let’s chop it all off’ but wanted to create a slightly more fabulous version of me.  She walked me through the process, the products, gave me tips and tricks on how to get my hair to behave when it simply refuses and really just spoke to me like we were old friends…which it felt like we were.  She said that hearing my 60s French inspiration got her really excited because she is going through a real phase of that as well, that she had spent the weekend hunting for records with her dad where they had stumbled across a stunning, baby-faced Cher on one.  We were meant to be.

The result of my entire experience was one of a real focus on me as a client, a true passion for the craft and all-around proof of what true pampering and luxury not only are but how much they can mean.  Spending a little extra money for the level of treatment and incredible attention paid at Bumble & Bumble is more than worth it.  So go, treat yourself!  A huge thank you to Ruffian and to Bumble & Bumble for taking such good care of me!

(All images c/o Bumble & Bumble.  Please note, though my haircut was offered to me free of charge, all opinions and the decision to write this post are all my own.)

Tags: bumble, bumble & bumble, hair, hair cut, hair salon, nyc