Visit to the Salon

I'm a big proponent for the bikini wax. Just throwing that out there. So when the time came for a group beach trip, my first thought was, "Hope I still fit in my bathing suit" and the second was, "Where in the heck and I going to get a bikini wax?"

Thankfully, two of my friends were thinking the same thing. Pooling together our resources, which is to say taking advantage of the native speaker in our trio, we quickly found a salon that was willing to give bikini waxes for $10. Sweet because I'm used to paying at least $20 in the States.

On the scheduled day at the appointment time of 10 am, we arrive. First of all, the doors are locked and someone has to come let us in. Obviously walk-ins are not welcome (nor creepers off the street for that matter). When we enter I notice that the parlor is under a bit of construction. My friend had done all of the negotiations so this was my first time in the salon. My friend explains to me that the owner is in the process of putting in a private room for waxing, but it is only half-way completed. The owner promised my friend that it would be finished before our appointment, but obviously it's not. There are scaffolds and other building equipment at the entrance.

We sit down on the modern shiny black leather couches and wait to be greeted. About 15 minutes later the owner comes out and introduces herself. She's a vibrant and beautiful black woman who speaks rapid Spanish. She tells us that it will be a few minutes and then she'll call each of us back. She explains that the construction crew didn't finish but she'll get the room ready for us as best she can. We're flexible so we tell her no worries. Meanwhile we pass the time talking and reading a few magazines.

About 45 minutes pass, no joke, and finally she calls us. I'm the first to go in. She leads me back to a small room and closes the door. It's outfitted with a table for waxing, a stand and a chair. It's not well lit, but enough to be able to wax. I notice the ceiling isn't finished and I can see up to the rafters. There is a connecting bathroom and she asks me to take off my pants there and then lay on the table with a sheet covering me. She went out to get some supplies or something. She has a sweet demeanor and I don't notice any worry or frustration in her voice.

I do what she says and she comes back and gets ready to do her job. Like all estheticians, they're good at conversting. It passes the time much easier. We small talk and I learn that she's from the Dominican Republic and her husband is Panamanian. She tells me about her salon, she's had it for 10 years. We talk about Panama and how it's different from other places. All in all, pleasant converstaion with a sweet woman who is determined to work for herself and do her thing. She finished up and we said our goodbyes and I went and waited for my friends to have their turns.

When we were done, we each paid our $10 and left much cleaner than we have entered. What started out a bit frustrating with construction and a slow start, ended very nice with exactly what we had hoped for. It just shows how far patience, adaptability and understanding will get you in this world.