09/28/04’s illustrious band:

A Cut Above

Brought to you by Stylin’ Ryan and Dapper Daniel.

I confess: I’ve been cheating on Ruben. Ruben and his staff have been cutting my hair in a dusty suburban strip mall for the past four years. They’ve done a fine job, and I’ve been faithful until now. But yesterday I succumbed to peer pressure and had my tresses trimmed at a salon/spa. And I hate to break it to Ruben, but I’ll never go back.

From the complimentary herbal tea and scalp massage to stylist Ryan’s sleek black duds and wry sense of humor, the s/s beats the strip mall, manicured hands down. Rather than a cluttered counter, the client’s chair -- throne! -- faces a full-length mirror framed to make her look like a work of art. Add to that the fact that Ryan snips for a lower “new talent” rate than a more experienced stylist, and the package can’t be beat. The only way it could get any better is if I could get a full-body massage on the spot.

And I can! Across the hall from Ryan and his cronies, I met up with Daniel, an ethereally lovely boy also dressed in black, for a chair massage. Despite his floaty quality, Daniel apparently has bionic hands. Fifteen minutes was not enough; I booked a longer session with him next week. (I passed on the facial, the manicure, the pedicure, and the makeup lesson, though.)

Of course, I realize that the love can’t last. I can’t afford to see Daniel every week, and when Ryan moves up the ranks, his low rates will become a bittersweet memory. I’ll go back more often for maintenance trims, and I’ll probably let him talk me into buying products with names like Peppermint Butter Guava Equilibrium. The costs will weigh upon my soul, and I’ll pine for sweatshirted Ruben and his perm-smell-saturated cave between the leather cleaning and check cashing stores.

And then I’ll get another cup of tea, another scalp massage, and I’ll fall back in love all over again. This is the real thing. I can tell.

Today around the world: September 28 is Lunar Cake Day in Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China. I am, of course, strongly in favor of any holiday with “cake” in its name.

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