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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
Vanessa - I think you have it right. The fundamentals of good manners, smart business sense, and a desire to provide service were missing here. The failure seems to have little to do with Cross Dressing and much more to do with the establishment, their staff and the "leadership" there.
Fortunately, you have a recently exfoliated and moisturized cheek to turn. 🙂
Petra
The only way to stop bad service is to stop using the shops that give it.
The problem in the modern world is that with the current trend in bad service, there is almost nowhere left to shop!
I think that the modern consumer doesn't help either. Most people want the cheapest possible, no matter what. So the shops that do care, but have slightly higher prices go out of business, and the ones that remain know that no matter what they do they keep their customers as long as the price is low.
With the internet age it gets even worse...
Yeah, I haven't had a proper makeover/salon day in years and I know that it hasn't been due to a lack of availability. There is an Aveda salon a couple blocks away, across the street from Queen Soopers (yes, I live in the gaybourhood of Denver). I do, however try to do my electrolysis pretty frequently...
Oh gosh ... I get grumpy if I go more than a few weeks without electrolysis. While makeovers are more pleasant, I must say that I've spent far more grueling hours in electrolysis than I think I'll ever spend at a makeup counter 😉
Thank you for the info on Gene Juarez Vanessa...
