I loved Shaun at Sanctuary!

Before I even got to Sanctuary, I had a good experience. I called to make an appointment. The day before, I was going to have a conflict. I was picking up the phone to call and it was Sanctuary, calling to remind me of the appointment. They were happy to reschedule for the next week. No problem. And they called the day before to remind me. That was very helpful.

Sanctuary is a BEAUTIFUL salon in Homewood. It is easy to get to from Highway 31. The only trouble would be parking on a busy Saturday, but even that was no trouble when I went.

I loved the atmosphere. There were complimentary beverages and friendly staff in the front waiting area. I saw someone helping a client use the one cup coffee machine, and then sending someone else running to the grocery store to buy cream for her. That's service!

The receptionist, knowing I had not been there before, showed me where the restroom was, and where I could change into a smock and hang my jacket. This part always freaks me out a little. It has been YEARS since I've been to a "real" salon and I would have been intimidated if I hadn't experienced this before.

I met Shaun, and he really listened to me. I told him that if it was possible, I would really like just some kind of gloss on my hair to make it shinier rather than coloring. I know that chemicals have come a long way since I was young, but I saw too many people I know get stuck with a bad color and fried hair on top of it. I have always been against dying. He said he could do a gloss with a smidgen of color that I would not have to maintain. It would not look bad if it was growing out. I would not have roots issues.

Shaun took me back to the room where there are shampoo sinks and dryers. He mixed the color himself, and put that on my hair. He left instructions about how long it was to set under the heat, and then a lady came to offer me a drink and magazines. I accepted and went into my own little world while I dried. This was the nicest and hardest part about the whole trip. I was anxious (though I shouldn't have been) about how my hair would look, and nervous about having left my little one with my husband (though I shouldn't have been). But I did enjoy the opportunity to just sit.

The shampoo lady did get my back a bit wet, and when Shaun reappeared at the chair, he noted that immediately and apologized. He suggested I get a new smock. I was so grateful. I couldn't bear the thought of shivering while he cut my hair, but again, it's because I get uncomfortable that I wasn't going to say anything, and he put me at ease.

While Shaun liked the general style of my hair, he did want to shape it up. He thought I had a good length in mind, and he took my existing layers and just did a bit more with them. It was good to know that a) he wasn't going to do anything drastic and b) my stylist I had been working with for years (although she doesn't work at a fancy salon) had done pretty much what he would have done with my hair. I have thin, but naturally wavy to curly hair, further complicated by the fact that I had lost a lot of hair after my pregnancy. Shaun, who is a self-described health nut, even recommended a hair and nails vitamin to me.

Shaun is not only a great professional, but he is also a good listener and very smart about hair. He told me all about how light is reflected and what that has to do with hair color while he was getting a stubborn piece of hair to lay down perfectly. He curled it out a bit, but fixed it to make it look "not too Marlo Thomas," which I appreciated.

The gloss with color had the benefit of covering up my gray. His goal was to make the color return to what it looked like "when I was a little girl". He took out the "muddy" and "mousy" characteristics of my hair and we were both pretty pleased.

The total service was $140 value, not counting the tip I was glad to leave. Thanks to info I read on Salonfly and at Sanctuary's website, I was prepared for this.

I am definitely pleased with the results overall.
- Laura Gallitz