My wife and I had a wonderful day planned today. We were going to sleep in, have a late breakfast and then head to the city for facials. After a relaxing hour being pampered we had a pedicure booked at a fancy salon and then dinner together. Truly a luxurious day spent with the person I love the most.
Except it didn't all quite work out as planned...
The facials were a fabulous hour of stress relief and beauty (and all for just $70 for both of us! I love the Greenwood Academy). My wife has sensitive skin, and had a mild reaction to the moisturizer they used. It was nothing a few cold compresses and suitably soothing potions couldn't cure, but we had our pedicures booked across town and after the hastily applied first aid we ended up with less than 20 minutes to get there.
However, luck was on our side even if the traffics gods weren't. We made it to Gene Juarez (the fancy salon we had picked today) right on time only to wander into a chaotic mess.
Gene Juarez = High Prices and Terrible Service
There was noone at the counter checking people in, so we stood around awkwardly wondering whether we should stand in the checkout line to check in. Eventually someone arrived to help us, and we were told that we didn't have an appointment. At this point if I had made the booking I would begin to doubt myself, 'Perhaps I booked for the wrong day?' However, my wife made the booking, and she is nothing if not thorough and fastidious.
The clerk spent a few minutes trying to find us on the computer, enlisted help from his manager and asked us to spell our names three or four times - no luck. After this revelation they then proceeded to blame us - 'perhaps you booked at a different store?', 'perhaps you booked for a different day?'. They showed no concern for the fact that we'd arrived for an appointment that now no longer existed. They didn't even offer to help by trying to find us later appointments or shuffling things around.
If things had concluded more positively I would probably write the whole experience off to a computer glitch or a quirk of fate. Sometimes things happen. The utter disdain the staff of Gene Juarez showed us has prompted me to share a strong recommendation with you: don't go to Gene Juarez. Their prices are very high (more than $60 for a pedicure?!), the service we experienced is terrible and it looks like we're not the only ones saying so. Find a local independent salon to support. I've found a wonderful hairdresser and electrologist who don't work at any of the big chain stores. There's something special about building a relationship with them over many years, rather than being treated like cattle with a credit card.
Sometimes Bad Service Has Nothing To Do With Crossdressing
When I'm dressed I can be overly sensitive to what people say and how they look at me. Sometimes I wonder if the service is less than pleasant because they've seen through my feminine disguise and are subtly sharing their disapproval. Today my wife and I were together, as normal as any couple could be. This experience has helped me look on my misgivings in a new, more positive light. Sometimes bad service has nothing to do with crossdressing. Sometimes it's just bad service.
Here's hoping your spa experience is more beautiful and relaxing than ours turned out to be.
Hugs,
Vanessa