United States > New York > New York > Mario Diab

Name:

Mario Diab

City, State:

New York, New York

Country:

United States

• Stylist:

  James

  Review:

  Two words: James. Rocks. I walked in with a shapeless (think Dilbert women) mess of drugstore blonde, frizzy long hair and walked out with an amazing cut and perfect, creative color, and a new friend, all for $200 on a "summer special". I was a little uneasy about the fact that James cuts the hair dry, but then it seemed like Edward Scissorhands was working on me. I watched the shape evolve in front of my eyes in a flurry of snips, and it was wonderful. Then the color, which James paints on one tiny curl at a time. He said ahead of time that he works fast and hoped I wouldn't be put off, but then he seemed like a genius painter that is eager to see the finished work. How can I explain it? He was fast but not rushed. Then the shampoo, and another finishing cut, this time wet. Then he showed me how to style my hair, well enough that I actually replicated the style the next day! He explained the products he used and offered them all, but there was no hard sell, and he acknowledged that the combination Ouidad/Deva products I am using works well. So many stylists talk down on products they don't sell, but James wants you to have products that you can work with. I did end up getting the Curl Glaze they sell; I LOVE it, and I almost never buy salon product because I am so often disappointed when I use it at home. James chats as he works as so many stylists do, but he was sensitive to my mood, too, not intrusive or a non-stop talker. The last specialty curl place I went was Ouidad, and they "stepped" the back of my hair so badly it took two cuts elsewhere to finally fix it, so I was uneasy about some place new. Don't you be! The reviews concentrate on how good James is with color, and he is a master, but his cuts are every bit as good. And. . . he's easy on the eyes, too! Um, one little thing. They don't take credit cards for tips, which is annoying, but then when I suggested that they tell new customers when they book that it's cash tips only, I was told first that, "Most people know." Um, how would I know??? I'm new??? And then she hastened to add defensively that she wasn't the one who booked me. Well, excuse me for trying to make a suggestion that would keep you from chasing new customers off who mind walking two blocks to an ATM to give the stylist a much deserved tip. Then she forgot to give me the product I paid for, which was easily fixed, but still. . . checkout was not a happy experience. You need to make paying, which is the painful part, as comfortable as possible, folks. As to the salon itself. . .it was just fine. No problems there. I dound it easily. It's a little funky the way it's in a basement, and a little disorienting when you come up out of the warren, but I wouldn't take off points for that. All in all, it would have been a perfect 10 except for checkout, so James gets a 10 and the visit gets a 9.

  Reviewed by Kathrynne on Jun 25, 2009