Danielle M.
Yelp
I love supporting local businesses, and as such, I started going to Halcyon Salon and Spa two years ago when I moved to Erie from Denver. As a regular customer, I was appalled and embarrassed by how was treated in the salon today. I have an eight week old newborn and I brought her with me to get my haircut. In fact, when I was there for my last appointment about 36 weeks pregnant, both my stylist and the front desk told me they couldn't wait to meet my baby. The whole haircut today took about 45 minutes and my baby slept in her carseat the entire time. I had several people from the salon and other guests come up and say hi to her, and as my appointment was finishing, I was feeling great about having gotten out of the house for a bit and finally feeling pampered as new mom. After I had paid and scheduled my next appointment (which I scheduled for a Sunday, making note that my husband would be home to watch the baby), the receptionist suddenly starting speaking in hushed tones and told me that the owner wanted her to tell me that while they made an exception for me today, I was to make adequate childcare accommodations before coming back to the salon and that they only allow children in the salon if they are receiving a service. It took me a minute to process what she had said, and when she repeated it, I told her that I was really surprised by this policy (especially with babies) and that I would be taking my business elsewhere. About twenty minutes later I received a call from the owner, Whitney, who reiterated the same message but apologized for the way the receptionist delivered it. She shared they they have the policy in place so children don't get harmed in the salon and that the policy is visibly posted online. I told her that I understood why they would have a policy in place and asked why they didn't inform me of it when I walked in with my baby. After all, if the policy is in place to keep children safe, it seems negligent to me that you would notice the baby but not tell the mom about the policy because you want her business before offending her. Whitney tried to tell me that they were doing me a "favor" as a new mom, but I am sure any parent fails to see what favor they provided me with this by making me feel unwelcome with this embarrassing experience. Once I got of the phone with Whitney, I was curious to learn more about this policy I had so obviously missed, and I was surprised to see that the policy stated in the website is not even close to the policy that was communicated to me in the store and over the phone. The website states "...A salon can be a risky environment for a curious child... as such, all children must be under the direct supervision of a parent or guardian at all times" (I have a screenshot of their website in case Whitney decides to change it upon my experience today). At no point during my 45 minute haircut today was my eight week old baby not directly supervised by me. In fact, she can't even rollover yet let along get out of her carseat and become an issue for the salon. I had also told my stylist when I got there that I brought a wrap so I could wear her and keep the carseat out of the way and she told me my baby was fine. It seems to me that Whitney and her salon took something that was completely innocent - a mom getting a haircut with her eight week old baby - and turned it into an unnecessary situation.
While no justification is needed here, I certainly never had intentions of bringing my baby with me to every salon appointment, and just like any mom, I actually would've loved an hour to myself to relax. That said, the salon made it clear my baby was not welcome, and I certainly will never go back and I want to make sure other parents are aware of this situation and how I was treated today. To lose a long-time customer over something so trivial seems petulant to me, and they didn't lose just me but my daughter as a future customer as well. Please think twice about giving Halcyon Salon and Spa your money - I am sure there are a lot of great salons in the area that would've handled the situation better and I would love your recommendations.