Having recently moved to Manhattan Beach, I was on the lookout for a local salon since I'd gotten tired of schlepping down to Newport Beach to go to my old salon--Christophe. A friend referred me to Kelly K. at Hush. Upon first entering the salon, I stood in the reception area for more than five minutes while the receptionist chatted on the phone making dinner plans. P.F. Chang's, just in case you were wondering. When she finally hung up the phone and deigned to acknowledge my existence, her manner was sullen and it was quite obvious she resented having to cut her phone call short to do her job.
While Kelly was more polite than the receptionist, she certainly wasn't friendly, which was surprising given that I'd been referred by one of her regulars. During the course of my 40-minute cut/blow dry, she left repeatedly to take phone calls, advise a fellow stylist who was cutting her own hair, and coo over a chihuahua which belonged one of the employees. While the cut I received was decent (although my bangs were shorter than I'd wanted), I will not be returning to Hush because of the snooty demeanor and unprofessional behavior of the staff. Of all the employees I encountered only the woman who washed my hair was warm and friendly. The so-called "receptionist" was even ruder when I paid my bill, which ended up being higher than what I pay for a cut/blow dry at Christophe, a world-class salon which may have actually earned the right to be snooty but somehow never is. Unfortunately, Hush is anything but world-class. I don't expect to be schmoozed and waited on hand-and-foot but when I'm paying $100 for a haircut I do expect a good cut and a modicum of politeness. My friend who originally referred me is baffled by my experience but even she hasn't been back in a while since she now gets her hair cut closer to work.
I've since found another salon in MB that I'm very happy with and they even have parking. And I don't get frostbite walking through the door.
Pros: I'm thinking, I'm thinking . . . chihuahua's cute
Cons: Snooty service, Beverly Hills prices for a decidedly un-posh experience, difficult to park
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