Salon Review: Regis Hairstyles in Lynchburg, VA

I've been going to Regis for about seventeen years now. Considering I've been going there so long, of course there have been a few problems along the way. I once had a perm that was too tight. Another time my hair was colored the wrong color... But I've never had an experience like I did when I went there almost two years ago.

I had made an appointment for a spiral perm with a girl who had been doing my hair for a while. We went through the discussion of which perm rods I wanted to use for my spiral perm. We decided on alternating the peach and pink rods instead of only using the bigger peach ones so hopefully my perm would last longer. The whole time we did this, I was watching the manager who seemed to be in a bad mood.

Since it takes about three hours to do a spiral perm, I usually try to sit back and space out rather than focus on how long I'll be there. However, this was a bit impossible as the manager set about laying into everyone in her path. She fussed at this one girl until she wrecked her nerves to the point she dropped the attachments to an electric razor she was messing with, which also got her a verbal reprimand.

When the manager started in on the girl doing my hair, it wasn't long until I could feel her hands starting to shake. Fully aware that the manager was sitting in a chair behind me, I told the girl to stop for a moment. Turning my chair to face the manager, I told her that getting one's hair permed should be a relaxing experience and that she needed to back off the staff. That wasn't all that I said either. She tried to apologize, but I waved her off. Her actions were inexcusable. Getting up, the manager quickly left the salon and the mall itself.

Not long after she left, the manager called the salon. In tears, she told the person who had answered the phone to share with the other employees that she was sorry. That was nice of her to apologize, but that wasn't enough. Before I left the salon, I asked how to reach the district manager. Berating employees in front of customers like that is completely unprofessional. And customers shouldn't have to listen to it either. Not to mention I didn't know if that was a one time thing or a daily occurrence.

The bigger disappointment here was the district manager's response. I fully explained everything that happened. And in the end when she didn't seem like she would fire the manager, I told her that I didn't feel comfortable returning to that salon. I basically asked her where her loyalty was to the long time customers and to the hard working employees.

The district manager informed me that the manager would not be fired for what had occurred. Between the calm in her voice and her disinterestedness, it was obvious that she had already heard about what had happened. Presumably, a watered-down version.

I called the salon a few months after that happened to make an appointment with the girl who cuts my hair. That same manager answered the phone, but I doubt she recognized my voice. She informed me that the girl I was asking for no longer worked there and told me where I could find her. The girl had opened her own salon, but it wasn't near me. So, I didn't get my hair cut.

A few months after that (which was the end of last summer), I called about having my hair lightened. (Note: To see how that visit went, see my article called, How to Best Lighten Blonde Hair.) The girl who answered the phone seemed to know a lot about coloring hair. Before I made an appointment with her, though, I inquired about who the manager was.

She told me that the manager was on a leave of absence. She also said if the manager returned that she'd be just another employee, not the manager. I don't know what the manager done to finally lose her job, if anything.

Recently, I tried to make an appointment to get my hair cut, but that girl no longer works there either. She moved to work at a Regis in another city.

For now, I'm just cutting my hair myself. But soon, I'll need another spiral perm. I'm unsure if I'm going back to Regis only to get attached to another hairstylist to then lose them not long after. Regis needs to do something better to hold onto their employees. If something doesn't change soon, I know of at least two customers who won't return.