From the front "MARY BENOTOILLES" was a very plain looking Beauty Salon. The front door was offset slightly to the left of centre with the reception and cash desk at the back of the main shop area. It was the early 1960s style with five cubicles were set up down the right hand side of the salon with a number from the front of the shop from one to five. The front four cubicles were for styling while cubicle five was where the shampooing was done. The cubicle walls were about six feet high with the top eighteen inches or so being frosted glass. Number one cubicle had the main front window of the shop which had a full length venetian blind on that window and the window which partly formed the angled entranceway before the door proper. The salon name was painted in large letters forming an oval shape on the main front window "MARY BENOTOILLES" on the top and "BEAUTY SALON" underneath. The letters were in gold with black featuring. Mary would generally keep the venetian blinds open during the day but she would make sure they were closed on her late Thursday nights.
There were four waiting chairs down the left hand wall from inside the door and the area nearer the reception counter was used to store the mobile pedestal type hooded hair dryers when they were not being used on a client in one of the styling cubicles. At the rear of the reception / cash desk was a separate room which was obviously set up with a washing machine for the salon towels and capes but was also used to store the salon supplies and the lunchroom.
The outside of the salon was painted in cream as was the rest of the shops with white window surrounds while the salon inside was a very pale green with the surrounds of the cubicle glass also painted white. This was the norm for the early nineteen sixties.
The salon owner "Mary" was probably in her mid to late fifties bespectacled and had an unflattering permed hairstyle. She also had a part time salon assistant who I guessed would be in her late twenties. I guess she had her assistant wash and set her hair each week. Mary cycled to the salon each day on her bicycle with its distinctive luggage basket attached to the handle bars and hanging over the front wheel and I would often pass her going in the opposite direction whilst on my way to school. These were the days when beauty salons were generally for ladies while mens and boys haircuts were generally done at a barbers shop. However I had always had an urge to have a salon haircut sometime. Marys assistant drove to work in a distinctive red Triumph Herald which she parked in the side street beside the small four shop retail complex.
I used to cycle past the salon every day on my way to and from my high school and I really did not take much notice although I did make a point of glancing in the window each day. Then one day as I was cycling past on my way home from school I noticed Mary in the salons front cubicle using a pair of electric hair clippers on a ladies nape. In the past I had seen her using hand clippers but this was the first time I had noticed the electric ones. I thought to myself I wonder if she uses those on men as well. I did not get my answer to that for about another year. I was fifteen at the time when I happened to notice her giving a man a haircut in the front cubicle with the electrics.
Well for me that was it. I was determined that I was going to get a haircut from Mary. I decided I would try to get it done on one of her late nights and simply walk in without an appointment. I had recently had my haircut by our neighbour Claire so it was about another six weeks before I considered it had grown enough for another one.
nyway a fine Thursday night finally arrived and I decided this was it and I left home about seven thirty in the evening and cycled the fifteen minutes to the salon where I staked myself out in the park over the road in order to get a view. It did not look all that busy this night with the assistants Triumph parked in the side street and one other car parked on the road outside the salon. Obviously Mary's bike would be around the back.
I could not believe my luck when I saw that the doorway Venetian had not been closed this night and I was able to get a full look at Mary's assistant combing out this elderly ladies set. After about fifteen minutes she had finished the comb out but before she took the cape off she went and got the clippers from cubicle three and shaved the woman's nape hair away before placing the still plugged in clippers on the equipment trolley. She uncaped the lady and they both walked from the cubicle to the cash desk where the woman paid and left the salon driving off in the car that had been parked in front. At this stage I had not seen Mary at all and I was beginning to wonder whether the assistant was working alone tonight.
It was not too long before that question was answered as the assistant soon appeared from out the rear of the salon with bag in hand. She hopped into the Triumph lit herself a cigarette and drove off obviously finished for the night. As the front door of the salon was still open I thought Mary must be still there by herself getting ready to shut the salon. Now is my chance. I walked across the road and into the salon. How surprised I was as I walked in to see the curtains drawn on cubicle two and the sound of a hair dryer whirring away behind the curtains. I thought maybe Mary herself is under the dryer. I walked up to the counter and rang the bell. I was just as surprised as Mary appeared from the back room.
"Can I help you" she asked. She had a very French accent.
"I was wondering if I would be able to get a haircut tonight" I pleaded.
"I am not a barber nor is this a barbers shop and I do not do mens or boys haircuts" she said rather emphatically.
"But I saw you cutting a mans hair in the front cubicle a few weeks ago as I cycled past on my way home from school and besides my mum told me not to come home tonight without getting a haircut and you are the only hairdresser that I can find who is open. Please can you do it for me" I asked.
"Well the gentleman y
ou saw getting a haircut from me that day was one of the travelling salesmen who come by to sell me products for the salon. I cut their hair as a favour and in payment for my products. However in light of your situation and I must agree with your mother your hair is looking a bit long I will do it this time only. However I
will do it my way which I hope your mother will agree with. I still have Mrs Wilson under the dryer in cubicle two and I am just hanging out my final wash of towels for the day" she went on. "I will then be about fifteen minutes sorting out Mrs Wilson and then I will do it for you. In the meantime you can make yourself useful by taking the broom and sweeping the salon for me. Natalie had to leave quickly after completing Mrs Stuart and did not have time to do it. You can then take a seat in cubicle three"
I took the broom and swept out the salon except for cubicle two getting a great deal of hair from cubicle one where Natalie had been working on Mrs Stuart and the other two unoccupied cubicles. I noticed that apart from cubicle one which had the clippers sitting on the equipment trolley the other cubicles had a vanity arrangement attached to the
front wall below a large mirror with a drawer on each side. They also had a small shelf on the side wall above the electrical outlets which I guessed was to sit the clippers on. Once finished I swept the hair into the dustpan as instructed and took the seat in cubicle three.
After about five minutes Mary pulled the curtains as she walked past and then I heard the sound of the dryer in cubicle two stop. It did not take long for Mary to remove the rollers from her clients hair and comb it out. I then heard her say "Just wait a second while I get the clippers".
I heard Mary walk to cubicle one and then the click and familiar buzzing of the "CLUKEs" clipper as Mary buzzed the ladys nape of all the fluff hair.
"There we are Molly all done for another week" I heard Mary say in the next cubicle as I waited.
I heard them both walk to the reception desk and then towards the door. It was obvious Mrs Wilsons husband had arrived to take her home as Mary came back inside shutting the salon door behind her.
I heard her go into cubicle two and unplug the clippers which she brought into the cubicle I was in and plugged them into the wall socket before sitting them on the wall shelf above.
"Now for you" she said as she took a cape from the front vanity and draped it round me. "Remember this is a once only haircut from me and I do not want you back".
"Yes maam" I replied.
"I have not been trained as a Barber but I will do my best" she went on.
Mary took a comb and combed my hair into place. It was longer than I had realised actually hanging over my ears. She then took the clippers off the small side shelf and moved the lever on the left side of the machine to the full down position for coarse cutting and clicked them on using the power switch on the left hand side. Deftly she started on my left side in front of my ear and using a slow but positive stroke pushed the clipper up above my ear before tossing the shower of clipped hair towards my back onto the floor. She went over each stroke about four times before moving to the next one buzzing off another heap of hair. It took about ten minutes for her to complete the first round by which time the clipper blades were getting quite warm. With the machine still running she placed a couple of drops of oil onto the blades and then adjusted the lever to the fully up position to start the second round.
With the lever up the "CLUKEs" clipper left no hair untouched and the sides and back of my head looked like a white sidewall as Mary made her way slowly around from right back to left side. She took particular attention in the area around my ears making sure not to leave any uncut hairs.
Having completed two rounds Mary then picked up one of the combs from her vanity and proceeded to move around the top of the area she had already clipped and using the clipper over her comb cut off the hair further up my head. I was watching her in the mirror and while it was being cut off in large amounts the remaining hair was falling in nice layers for her. After once round with the clippers she turned them off and placed them on the clipper shelf. She then picked up the largest pair of scissors from her vanity and this time using her scissors over her comb shortened the hair on top. After about five minutes of scissoring Mary appeared happy and placed the scissors back on the vanity.
After spraying my hair with water Mary combed it into place with a perfect parting on the left hand side. Looking in the mirror you could certainly tell that a lot had been cut off. Mary took the fluffy neck brush and brushed the hair from my neck before loosening up the cape. She then again took the clippers off the shelf clicked them into life and holding them inverted shaved the fluff hair downwards from my neck. A final brush off followed and then she removed the cape.
"Well I hope your mother will be happy with that haircut" she said as I followed her through my hair on the floor and out of the cubicle to the reception desk.
"I am sure she will thank you very much" I replied.
"That will be ten shillings thank you and remember I do not want you here again" she went on.
I passed her a one pound note and she returned ten shillings change.
"Thank you very much again" I said as she unlocked the door and saw me out of the salon.
I hopped on my bike and cycled the fifteen minutes back home. Needless to say mum was happy with the way Mary had cut my hair however I never told her where I had had it cut.
I never went back to "MARY BENOTOILLES Beauty Salon" again.
THE END
Rate this story now.
Enter some comments about this story or see what others have said on the forums.
Recommendations
If you liked this story, here are others that you might like.
Your Internet home for stories about male and female haircuts, head shaves, buzz cuts, alternative hairstyles, and more!
Copyright 2002-2012 by the owners of HaircuttingStories.com