Claudia has been my "Beauty Goddess" (inside joke from years ago) for over 32 years since 1988. She once joked that we've been together longer than a lot of people have been married. My updated review may be a bit long but it is extremely necessary at this time.
In 1990 I started dental hygiene school at University of California, San Francisco so I temporarily moved from Orland to San Francisco. At that time Claudia also saw clients at a salon in Palo Alto on some weekends so it was really convenient for me to see her there. In 1998, my late husband and I permanently moved to San Francisco when he started physical therapy school at UCSF. In 2001 Claudia got married and we attended her wedding on Kauai to a sweet guy I went to high school with. Eventually life got too busy for regular trips up to our hometown and my husband and I found stylists here in SF. But, we were never really thrilled and old photos confirm it.
In 2006 my dad was diagnosed with a terminal illness and was hospitalized taking us back up to Chico every Thursday night through Monday morning for about six weeks. We had to cancel our hair appointments in SF and were looking at bit scruffy. Knowing that Claudia is generally booked solid for months and doesn't ordinarily take new clients, I took a chance anyway and reached out to her letting her know that we were in Chico and of our situation. She said, "Oh. Can you come in at 6pm tomorrow?" I thought that it was a miraculous turn of events and someone else must have cancelled. Turns out she stayed late just for us!!! My husband commented the next day that, "She's the only one who can ever get my hair right." He wasn't wrong. (heehee). My dad passed away a few hours after I saw Claudia five weeks later. Knowing that we would be going up to Orland more often to see our elderly parents we made the decision to break up with our SF stylists and get back together with our Beauty Goddess. Sadly, my husband passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly two years later in 2008. Claudia was there for me then just as she has always been, and worked hard to keep the vibe of the salon quieter and more relaxed & anxiety-free the first few times I was back in after he died.
So here we are in 2020. On March 13th I had to return early from a month-long vacation due to Covid restrictions. I was in the middle of selling a house in Orland and had to be in the area on March 17th to finalize it. Again miraculously Claudia was able to see me that day with both of us assuming that a shut-down was eminent. And of course it was. In mid-June my hair was looking pretty funky so I reached out to ask what over the counter hair color would be the least damaging. Claudia responded by sending me my hair color formula and then talking me through the application process. I don't have the patience for the detail regarding my hair that she does but the outcome was presentable. I told her that I would promise not to color anyones hair if she promised not to clean anyones teeth.
In July, state regulations allowed Claudia to open her salon but for numerous reasons I was hesitant to schedule. I was so grateful when she called letting me know that she had had a short-notice cancellation and offered the time spot to me. I happily drove up to see her and especially enjoyed having the luxury of being the only client in the salon. But it's important to note that at Mecca Salon, each stylist has their own room with a door that closes. When I left, I jokingly said something to the effect of seeing her in another four months. Well, not surprisingly Butte County closed salons just a few days later. When the restriction was lifted recently, Claudia reached out to me. Again, I was not comfortable scheduling in advance. Fortunately, Claudia reached out to me with an opening today. Turns out she came in just to take care of me and once again I had the luxury of being the only client in the salon the majority of the time.
As a dental hygienist I have a solid grasp of proper infection control and Claudia's sanitation protocol is very thorough. She cannot use her blow drier at this time but so what. Yes, the appointment takes longer without the use of the large hair dryer to process my hair color. Again, so what. I truly appreciate all of the steps she's taking to ensure client's safety. Cheers to another 33 years together, Claudia! read more
