Goth hair and Indonesian bum-sprayers

I dedicate this blog to my favourite hairdresser, Dale (Mrs. O). Yesterday I went into Jakarta with a friend and I went to the Hair Club (no, not the one 'for men'!). I arrived armed with 4 photographs of what my last haircut looked like from all angles, as well as with a formula for my last colour because I knew that the Hair Club colours with Goldwell products. This place is not overly glamorous, but it is clean and well-staffed. You are greeted as you walk in the door (not with a big huge elephant-dog who pees on the floor when he sees you, like the last regular place that I got my hair done) by a variety of staff. Once seated, I was offered a drink, which I declined, because I knew that the drink would soak into my body and just at the right moment, the one where I had colour all over my hair, I would have to, well, you know...I'd have to pee. Not a big deal if the washroom ("toilet" or "kamar kecil") is in the same office space as you, but it is when you have to go outside of the business, into the main hall and down to the area by the elevators. Lovely toilets, by the way, in this particular high-rise business building. Complete with toilet paper and the standard, Indonesian bum-washers, which are a story all of their own. I just have to bunny trail with this one...there is this little pipe that sticks up out of the back of the inside of the toilet, which you have control over at the side of the toilet. You know that curiousity typically gets the better of me, but I am positive that if I were even to try this little contraption, it wouldn't squirt the intended area...it'd get the back of my shirt for all to see. Picture me, if I had consented to a lovely drink, having to pee, going to the bathroom with my colour in process, and exiting minutes later with water all up my back, to my neck. I can just see it now.

Yes, I digress....but this is my blog (Tris' in name and by marriage only at this point) and so as long as I keep it clean, I can write what I want. LOL.

As I was lead to the back of the salon, a man approached me and indicated that I was to take off my shirt. Ummm, we don't do that in Canada, I thought. Quickly I figured out that he was handing me a shirt to put on and to do so, I'd have to remove my own shirt. Quickly I whipped into a little closet and donned the teeny tiny Indonesian-sized striped hospital gown. Once I was seated at Lillian's station, I was able to show her my photos and my formula. She took a look, played with my hair a bit, and then after a few minutes of mixing, slapped the colour on my hair. The fun part here, for those of you who will visit us, is that my friend Jamie was right beside me, having a pedicure done. We were able to chat while I was having my hair done and it was a great "girl" experience.

Because of the air conditioning in the salon, the "HEATER" was brought out so that the colour would set. Wish I had my camera!!! It looked like something out of Star Wars; it had 4 different metallic discs that surrounded the sides of my head and 2 that angled the top. It was huge! Just like in the old days where the 'electric permanent' machine came out of the ceiling, this behemoth came from the ceiling as well. Other than it's size, however, it was rather modern in the way it worked, with all the bells and whistles.


The highlight (positive one) of my salon experience was my hair-washer. For those of you who have experienced Andrew at Roots in Courtenay (as the hair-washer, not as his new job of hairdressing), you know what the ultimate shampoo/conditioning experience is like. My washer was a guy as well, and as weird as that sometimes is, he was really good at washing and rinsing....he massaged my head for 15 minutes, I'm sure (the waste of water in Indonesia is another blog...I won't get started here)!!!!
Finally, when the bag was removed and Jamie and I looked at my hair, it was dark, dark, dark. To make a long story short, Lillian had decided to take it upon herself to use a different formula or something like that, to, get this...hide the grey!!! Whatever!!! Maybe I like my blonde hairs that look a touch silvery in certain lights. Fortunately, the colour is a demi, which means it washes out. Already, after 2 washes today, it is less black than it was yesterday. I've posted photos that Abby took of me tonight, just to show Dale, mom and those who will ask to see my hair later, what the colour ended up like. Please remember that I have very weak gel and no hairspray at this point (too cheap to pay US prices in the salon!) so I wasn't able to get the 'lift' every girl needs in her do. BTW, see the shirt I'm wearing? It's an Esprit, with a cute tie around the waist. Bought it the other day at an outlet store for about $6.5o. That was the most expensive shirt I bought. This store is MY kind of store...finally I have found a clothes-shopping place that I will be able to convince my husband to come to.


As I write this, Tris is doing his Masters at the kitchen table (on a Friday night, no less!) and Matt and his buddy Haddon are watching a video (for more photos of Matthew please see his blog, the link is on the right of this page at the top ). Our house is rather small so we all get the benefit of hearing what is on tv, no matter where we go. Abby just spent some time talking to grandma Bea on Skype and is waiting for me to come and eat chocolate cookies and drink Milo with her. This has been a rather "girlie" blog, but I do hope that even if a man reads it (dad??) that you get a good kick out of my first hair experience in Indonesia.

Thanks for reading!