I have always loved my individual stylists at the salons I've gone to in the past, but the salons themselves were hot messes, even the ones where some of the more in-demand operators charged relatively high prices -- entire Grand Guignols of staff drama enacted in front of the customers, messy stations, squabbling over sinks due to failure to coordinate re: when chemicals and color went on and needed to come off, food everywhere, unattended kids constantly underfoot, and you really could spend the whole day getting your hair done because stylists were double- and triple-booked to earn as much as possible and protect against last-minute cancellations.
This does not happen at John Atchison.
John Atchison has been one of the Kings of the Precision Cut for years, and I was expecting nothing but the best when I started going to his salon. I got it. First, the physical plant: spacious, well-appointed, spotless, and quiet; you can relax here. There may well be interpersonal drama, but it is certainly not on display -- stylists and staff are courteous and professional to both customers and each other. Bookings are carefully timed: if you show up late, you are taken in a way that will not disrupt the schedules of those customers who arrived on time, which is as it should be.
Best of all, they have two separate departments and rooms for chemical processes and styling. You see a trichologist (I go to Janice, who is excellent), who is an expert in hair health, for a relaxer or color and whatever associated treatments you may need, and then you are passed to your stylist (I see Jami'a, who is, again, excellent), for your trim/cut/style. Not only does this system mean that each department can concentrate and reach maximum skill level in their area of specialization (my hair has never been this healthy or grown this fast), but it's more efficient. I get a relaxer and cut about five times a year. At a regular salon, I would be resigned to spending four to six hours to get both of these things done, because there's one person responsible for all of it, and s/he's also responsible for doing the same for the other five or six of his/her clients there at the same time I am. At John Atchison, the longest I have ever spent on this is three hours, and that is because I was 20 minutes late and was reshuffled accordingly. I'd been reading about this place in Essence for years, and I'm glad I finally decided to check it out when I decided to make a drastic hair change. read more