First, thank you for being a dedicated client of Salon Adelle. We cherish each and every one of you. You could have chosen any number of salons and you chose us and we don’t take that lightly. We truly appreciate you!

Now, lets have a family meeting.

A lot of you may be wondering why Salon Adelle uses the best stylist assistants at the salon. I just wanted to dive into this subject for a minute to shed some light on how we do things here at the Salon, also where we are going in the future. Right now I have 2 amazing assistants. As the business has grown, and the clientele has grown, I have been able to focus more on the specifics and technical aspects of your healthy hair. Having these assistants allows me to concentrate on making your color more amazing than when I was doing everything by myself. (Could you imagine how little growth would take place at APPLE if the CEO, Steve Jobs did everything for the company, you would not have your Imac, Ipad, or Iphone for sure). This utilizes my time to be able to see more clients and make the schedule so much better for you to be able to get in. If I did every single blow-dry and every single shampoo then I would only be able to see about 5 clients per day. Having assistants allows me to do more colors and get you in as quickly as possible. My assistants work very hard to keep my day running smooth and to help each one of you have an excellent experience at the salon. Without an assistant I would be spread so thin and not be able to be great at anything. Having a team of stylists allows for a lot of greatness! I’ve also learned over time that an A team hires A+employees because they need someone there better than they are to do certain things and they dont allow their stubbornness or personality to get in the way,  B teams hires C employees and so on, this is due to pride and lack of confidence. We absolutely have YOU as our #1 priority and are working within a scale to create the best experience, while you enjoy some rockstar healthy hair to be proud of.

I am training these ladies to be amazing stylists. By doing your shampoos, blow-drys, and styles this is helping them be better stylists with each and every visit. It usually takes about 2x for me to learn how you like your hair styled at the end of your visit, and it takes them about 2xs as well. Be specific in what you want and don’t hesitate to make a suggestion to them if you would like it different next time. This is how we learn and if you do not tell us what you like then we, including myself, cannot improve to be the best at finishing your style. Also over the last few years I have had severe pain in my hands and wrists (I’m not that spring chicken I used to be). Most of this was solved by giving over the blow-drys and shampooing. I have been able to keep them in better shape and work longer hours and more days because of this. Praise the Lord for my wonderful assistants!

Tipping (It’s not a dirty word)

Let’s face it – tipping your hair stylist (and hair stylist’s assistants) can be confusing. Am I tipping enough? Not enough? What about tipping on salon specials and/or discounts, etc? Never fear! I am here to answer all of these questions. Im not sure why it hasn’t dawned on me to write a blog about this because I get asked this question on a daily basis when Im working. So here is a little Q & A that I pulled from the web from, other stylists and myself to answer any questions you may have about tipping. Most of these are from a different source to get their perspective and I agree with them.  If you have any other questions I haven’t answered, please feel free to ask it in the comments below, or contact the salon.

What should I tip my stylist?

“Your stylist is performing a service and should be tipped between 15-20% of the price of the service depending on how you enjoyed the service. If you stylist is running on schedule, really listened to what you had to say about your hair and gave you exactly what you had in mind then tip on the higher end of the scale. In some cases, your service may be discounted for whatever reason; it is then expected that you add gratuity on the original price of the service.”-unknown source

What should I tip the assistant?

“This depends on exactly what she did for you. If she only shampoos your hair for a cut then $3-$5 is fair. Again, if it is a shampoo that relaxes you to the point of drooling, go for the higher end of that scale. If she applies your tint and then shampoos your hair, $5-$8 is acceptable. Some clients get a double process color that requires more than one shampoo, in this case she would really appreciate $8-$10.”-unknown source. Side note: If Travis does it, TIP EXTRA HIGH, it will be amazing and will be like seeing a unicorn. Rare!

What is the purpose of the assistant?

It was my dream from the day I set foot into beauty school to own a salon where I would train assistants to be amazing hair stylists someday. All of the top stylists I respected worked with assistants and that was because they were so good and so busy that having help was the only way to manage their client base. So many young stylists come out of hair school not knowing what or how to really do hair. I want to better our industry and make the experience for clients to be so much better. I am achieving this 1 assistant at a time.-Adelle

“As a stylist, I love working with an assistant for many reasons. It gives me daily opportunities to teach, which makes me better at what I do. Every client gives me a chance to show my assistant something that will help her be a great stylist in the future; whether it is customer service, terminology, color formulation, cutting techniques or blow drying. She helps by mixing up color, applying tints, cleaning up and doing shampoos. This allows me to see more clients in a day so I have better availability and to let me really focus on a haircut or color technique. My assistant runs my life in the salon and I honestly believe it has freed me up to do my best work.”-unknown source

Gratuity is a direct reflection that we went above and beyond in exceeding your expectations. This goes for the shampoo and blow-dry as well. My assistants work very hard to please me and each client that walks through the doors. They are trained to make each one of you feel very special and pampered. Without them I would not be able to deliver the same experience level by myself. (I would be running around like a chicken with its head cut off…seriously!!) They are getting paid by the hour while they are learning so having tips from the services they do lets them know that you appreciated their pampering and they will continue to go above and beyond each and every time you are in their chairs. If you are use to tipping on your credit card, having a few extra bucks in cash for them to have separate from any credit card tips would be greatly appreciated (all credit card tips have a percentage taken by the merchant service). Splitting tips between us can get too confusing for our payroll services on our end if it’s not directly given to them. If you tip on a color service, the tip goes directly to the stylists that did your color service and does not get split. -Adelle

What exactly do Assistants Do?

• Greet our amazing clients and be sure you are comfortable until your appointment time. They offer any refreshments you would like
• Keep me on time for each appointment (As long as each client shows up on time for their appointment:)
• Help me get color mixed and completely set up for each client coming in
• Keeping the salon neat and tidy between clients (I can turn the place UPSIDE DOWN FAST!)
• Rinse, wash, massage, and give you an amazing aromatherapy to help you relax
• Blow-dry and prep your hair to either be trimmed or have extension maintenance
• They drastically help with my aches and pains. By not doing blow-drys alone, my hands are able to work longer on color and extension services.
• Basically they are the super heroes of the salon

What will the Future Look Like? 

Our future is exciting and big! I plan to have a large salon with many very talented, highly trained stylists. As you’ve noticed I’ve always been evolving and growing with you in mind to offer better client experience, superior products, and rocking out amazing healthy hair which sets our Salon apart from the rest. My promise to you is that we will continue to be the best of the best by doing this. Customer Excellence is #1 on our list of priorities while achieving these goals and milestones. We will never slack on that to help with growth…EVER. We will be hiring new team members to make things run smoother at the salon as well. First, we will offer an opportunity for a front desk team member. Next, we will continue to grow with more stylist slowly so that we can maintain the integrity of the clients experience and service. Lastly, keep referring more of your friends who are looking for a great salon to land in and anyone who you know would enjoy VIP service. We love sending you gift cards for doing this! Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Much love,

Adelle