This blog entry is about Chicago-based chain salon, Mario Tricoci and how it sucks.

Last Saturday, I had my third (and last) experience with Mario Tricoci’s salons.

The first time was in 2003, when I needed to get an updo for Homecoming. I had decided last minute that I needed to get my hair done, and the places that I was familiar with were all booked up. I thought, “Mario Tricoci is a well-reputed, large salon, so why not?” So I made an appointment.

Upon arrival, I was seated with “my stylist” who started styling my hair, but left 15 minutes later to cut someone else’s hair. After being left unattended for a memorable amount of time, someone else comes to style my hair– but started blabbering to another stylist about her “wild” night yesterday, and how “so-and-so” slept with “you-know-who”.

The starting price for a regular updo is around $55 at a decent salon. My hair looked mediocre, and when I approached the desk to pay, my hair rung up a $110 bill– exactly TWICE what I would have paid anywhere else. Why would anyone pay such a high price for such inattentive service, and such average results??

Anyhow, two years later, I was, again, desperate for an appointment for an updo. Neglecting my previous experience with Mario Tricoci, I went in for the plunge. This time, with similar service where the stylists would intensely gossip over my head, my ugly hair, this time, rung up a $100 bill.

NOW, two years later, I was telling a friend at work that I wanted to get my hair dyed, and another co-worker overheard me. She was a manager at a different MT salon– and said that “she would LOVE to have me get my hair dyed.” I figured that perhaps my poor experience was due to the one location, with the updo stylists in particular. So, I made an appointment with my co-worker. After the consultation, the price for the highlights were $90– but I received a $20 discount. So $70 was paid in advance.

The stylist and I agreed that I would get blond and red chunks all over. After getting the dye washed out, the girl behind the sink says, “Alright, just follow me over here, and blow dry your own hair.”

Did I even hear her correctly?? WHO GOES TO AN EXPENSIVE SALON TO BLOWDRY THEIR OWN HAIR??

BUT! Only upon blow drying my own hair, did I notice that my hair looked NOTHING like we had agreed on. In fact, after all of that waiting, my hair looked EXACTLY the same as when I walked into the salon, EXCEPT for one chunk of blond hair in the back of my head. I have no problem drying my own hair– but who pays $70-$90 to do so?? I was so furious, not only about the outcome of my hair, but even more so about the service. I would have had no hesitations in letting a manager know– however, the manager happened to be my co-worker, and I didn’t want to put her in a tough situation between work-places.

Honestly, 6 days later, I am still extremely unsatisfied with MT’s horrible, horrible service. At a pricey salon like Mario Tricoci, customers should NEVER have to blow dry their own hair.

Today, on Friday, August 10, 2007, at 12:32 AM, I SWEAR, that I will NEVER spend another penny at Mario Tricoci. Not in 2 years, not in 10 years, not even in fifty years. Mario Tricoci is a place I will never step foot in, ever again. Ever.

Blow me now, MT.