I found my amazing hairstylist at a party when I approached her with my burning etiquette question:

“Whose responsibility is it to clarify pricing… the client’s or the stylist’s?”

I was asking because I was HORRIFIED with a friend’s recent experience. We will call her Claire. Claire’s friend recently opened a space at a salon and kept telling her, “I want to do your hair! Come and see me before your wedding so I can do your hair for you!” This situation is one of my WORST nightmares because it’s unclear if the friend is just encouraging to book her professional services or if the friend is offering to provide her services as a gift.

Claire found out soon enough. When she booked online, there was a range from $100-$300. Claire was prepared to spend up to $300 but figured it would be somewhere in the $200 range. During the appointment, her stylist friend asked if she could apply her make up. Claire accepted and then the friend took lots of photos to use on her social media.

When it was time to check out with the receptionist, Claire was astonished to learn that the bill was close to $600!

This is a tale as old as time and unlike being able to “price check” at the register and put back that unexpectedly high priced item, your hair is ON YOUR HEAD and there’s NO going back once it has been cut/snipped/dried/curled. There is literally no way to say, “Wow! That is way beyond my budget, I had no idea it would cost this much, I would like to remove the highlights!”

So… ‘whose line is it anyway?’ Whose responsibility is it to specify the pricing?

If you have a budget to honor, then it’s your responsibility to yourself and your stylist to say what your budget is. (Because if you overspend, you are likely to not return and trust me, your stylist doesn’t want that). I personally feel that the person offering she service SHOULD have clear pricing and say how much the services they are proposing will cost, but that doesn’t seem to be the norm. THEREFORE, the ONLY way you can be sure to spend within your budget is to say very frankly, “My budget is X including tip. I am generally hoping for X. What do you recommend within those parameters?”

Considerations:
What the services actually cost before you use this move. Obviously, if they charge $80 for a haircut, you can’t say you wanted a trim and to go lighter for your budget of $75. Your budget and what you are asking for need to be realistic. You need to ask around (friends, family, at Trader Joe’s) to find out what others pay. You could also call a few salons to ask what other providers charge in your area, at least for haircut and highlights to get an idea.