Hey Fam!
I hope the new year is treating you well, and that you're actively looking for those nuggets of joy that get us through the day. I've made a few updates to how you book your sessions that I wanted to highlight for you here.
Booking Process Updates: Last year we all did our best to get back into the swing of things, and I encountered some new challenges when it came to last-minute cancellations. While I understand personally how hard it is to get sick and have to miss things you've scheduled or been looking forward to, I had a lot of instances at the salon of guests messaging me very close to their session date to say they were sick and would need to reschedule for a few weeks later. These messages usually read something like this:
"Hey girl! I hate to do this but (insert person that is sick, or situation preventing you from coming to your appointment) and I'm going to need to come in some other time, what do you have available?"
Absolutely understandable! That being said, in those situations, I was expected to eat the cost of the last-minute canceled session (I wasn't left with enough time to fill these last-minute openings), and also lose availability later in the month. This was most frequently coming up with my existing guests, rather than new guests. I understand the comfort, familiarity, and bonds that can come with visiting the salon regularly but it was beginning to feel like guests might not be valuing my time and the reality that if I'm not working I don't get paid. As a stylist, I don't have sick time or PTO. That means that when I get sick, or am not working it is extremely costly because there are no safety nets for me if I don't build them.
My solution is that I'm now requiring a $150 deposit for all bookings. You can cancel and you can reschedule your session one time, but if you do so within 1 week of your session you'll forfeit that deposit and will need to pay a new deposit before booking. If you are someone who books your session, and doesn't move or cancel this won't impact you. If you do get sick, say the day before your session, then you're only losing $150 instead of losing half the cost of your session like I used to charge. The only people who will be charged 100% of their session fee are those who don't contact me and no-show for their session. My intent is for this to not only cost you less in the event of a last-minute cancellation, but also protect myself financially on the days when my guests cannot come in and I’m not given enough time to fill the session with another person.
Who Is A New Client?: Beginning this year, if it's been more than 9 months since your last haircut with me, you'll need to book a New Client Session. For years, I'd allowed returning guests to go up to a year before they'd have to book a New Client session. I found that many guests were waiting just shy of a year to book a haircut, with the intent of maximizing their investment and getting longer hair.
I get it, but let me explain why that method doesn't yield the results you might want.
The challenge with waiting too long to get a haircut is that damage compounds over time. For as long as I’ve done hair, I’ve heard individuals say “I wanted my hair to grow long, so I didn’t cut it.” When you don’t cut your hair for a long time, small issues have the chance to become big issues. Little knots turn into broken patches. Hairlines thin, ends split and damage from overstyling can leave guests with so much damage that their long hair isn’t healthy or aesthetically appealing to them. Do we want long hair if it’s damaged and we don’t ever want to wear it down?
When guests come in more regularly, we have the chance to address damaged or compromised areas before they have the chance to spiral out of control. By cutting less hair, but doing it slightly more frequently I can typically set my guests up to see and RETAIN their hair growth with each passing session.
As I tell every guest at the salon, you know it’s time for a haircut when you feel damage or when you notice that your shape is no longer looking strong. For most individuals, this is anywhere between 3-5 months.
As always, my hope is that you feel seen and respected in my space. If you ever have questions you can always reach out at kiafaystyles@gmail.com, I'd love to hear from you.
All best!
Kia
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