Two weeks ago, I found myself at a cute little salon called Frilly Lilly. Entering the boutique is quite lovely, everything in shades of pink and white & products that smell like sugary goodness. I was wearing a dress and it felt like I was going to a sweet afternoon tea party.
That’s the beauty of Frilly Lilly. They make you forget why you are really there…to have hair ripped from your pores.
What I found fascinating in the thirty-minute process was the depth of conversations I had with my hair removal specialist. Just like the service itself, this was no simple ‘how’s the weather’ conversation. Each time she’d reach over to dip that damn Popsicle stick in wax and blow on it, I knew that I’d need to come up with another good topic before the ya-owww.
(I actually was in the middle of the sentence when instead of inserting a word, I inserted ‘ouch’.)
- The various class of immigration status into Canada (the difference between temporary workers, permanent residents and citizens)
- Bachelorette parties
- Ectopic pregnancy and/or why do you have C-section scar but no kids?
- How it feels to live in Calgary as an immigrant
- Pressure from family or friends after marriage to have babies
- Why I don’t like winter sports (answer: too much fiddling with gear when its cold outside)
What about you? Have any go-to topics for those fun Dr’s appointment or beauty treatments?
Hey, it could be worse. You could be recognised…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nitLtsarXC4
So hilarious! And horrible. But I can see how old and Russian has its perks. 🙂
Funnily enough, “old and Russian” was the only hairdresser in Seattle from whom I could consistently get a decent cut. No problem with conversation topics either; there was loads to talk about and it didn’t affect her standard.
Which brings me to haircuts. That’s the real challenge of conversation. I mean what can go wrong with a Brazillian? Actually, if there is anything I really don’t want to know about it.
With hairdressers, once you’ve worked out the golden rule never to go to anyone young and cute, and to head instead for the most narcissistic-looking 40+ gay guy, the tricky bit is knowing how dull to be in conversation. Too interesting and you still get a terrible cut, too dull and, well, it’s boring (“How do you want your hair cut today?” “In silence.”) If you’ve got the answer to that one, I’m all ears.
Here’s a topic – try explaining what philanthropy is and how it is that you “do that” for work 🙂 That definitely takes a while. Though, it might have lead to some bad cuts. (And just an FYI, a bad wax = bruising. So make that conversation fun!)