The Hairdresser – Client Privilege

Today’s headlines are filled with references to the attorney-client privilege. Do you have that same relationship with your hairdresser?  The sounding board that exists in most salon chairs is likened to a modern-day surrogate for the confessional or the therapist’s couch. Let’s face it, the emotional connection cultivated during every salon visit, sometimes makes the hairdresser-client relationship even more intimate.

With the social media environment of today, there is a certain desire and necessity for privacy in, at least some, of our public conversations. “Some of the most successful hairdressers I know are not the most technically talented,” says Tommy O of Modafino Salon. “Developing a relationship is all about communication and if you don’t talk, and build relationships, you won’t succeed. You really have to keep negativity out of all conversations. A wise man, my Dad, once told me, ‘Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things and small people talk about other people.’ To me, it’s like visiting Las Vegas, what’s said in my chair, stays in my chair.”

There is an artform to being a shrewd hairdresser. Some clients relish the silence. They prefer to seize the opportunity not to talk. They don’t want to give detailed life updates and prefer to relax. For them, letting the hairdresser focus on their hair is pinnacle.  “The adage of never talk about politics, sex or religion does not always apply in the salon chair. In fact, it might be the only place where clients feel like they can talk about those things. I just try to be conscious of who might be in audible distance.”

At Modafino salon, stylists use the consultation to begin and define the clients needs. “I try to get to know my clients and, bring it back around to the hair and makeup, so when we actually start the service, meaningful conversations transpire,” says Tommy O. “I consider my clients, friends. There is no better job than making your friends excited and happy about how they look and who they are. “

At Modafino Salon, you have a sounding-board in your hairdresser.  Building and maintaining an emotional connection is so important. There are some things that you never want to compromise, because the consequences can be life changing:  Your Lawyer; Your Plastic Surgeon;  Your Tattoo Artist; and finally, Your Hairdresser.