A Finnish hairdresser offers the perfect solution to her clients who prefer not to have small talk during their appointment: a “silent service” without chat.
Kati Hakomeri has introduced special booking for clients who prefer not to have polite chats about their future holidays, weekend plans or the weather.
She also appears to be right, telling a local newspaper that there appears to be a gap in the market for the special reservation option that has proven popular in her country. lounge in his hometown of Helsinki.
“I’m an introvert myself, and I understand how uncomfortable it can be for a client to have to make small talk,” she says. Helsingin Sanomat.
The hairstylist says many people view cutting as a situation that requires social interaction, something that can be intimidating for introverts.
Kati Hakomeri has introduced special booking for clients who prefer not to have polite chats about their future holidays, weekend plans or the weather.
Many of their clients also work in noisy environments, such as daycares or construction sites, and so they like to escape to the living room in search of peace and quiet.
Others have large families at home and therefore have no opportunity to remain silent.
“If you come home to a group of screaming brats, you can sit here for a while and rest your ears,” Hakomeri adds.
Another reason for the silence, he says, is that there is simply nothing new to discuss.
Many of her male clients visit her salon every four weeks. “If nothing new has happened in life during that time, why talk about it?” she says.
Through your salon’s online booking system, clients can opt for a leisurely visit before their appointment.
‘A haircut without talking. After the consultation you can be alone, recharge your batteries and relax,” the online service says.
Even when her clients haven’t explicitly said they want a quiet session, Hakomeri says she’s rarely the one to initiate the conversation.
She says she takes other cues from her clients, as the desire for a silent haircut can be communicated through other means, such as the client avoiding eye contact, flipping through their phone, or reading a magazine.
“It is a security measure that he does not intervene in the conversation,” he adds.
Another advantage for her introverted clients is that Hakomeri tends to work alone and therefore her clients don’t even have to listen to other conversations.
Instead, they can relax with the sound of scissors and a radio in the background.
He has some chatty clients, he says.
Hakomeri says people often talk to her about anything from mundane small talk to personal topics such as relationships or life crises.
The hairdresser is considered a trusted person, someone who is there to listen when people need it and even offer advice.
In one case, he recalls, an elderly client arrived shortly after his wife died, leaving him alone.
He revealed to Hakomeri that he didn’t know how to cook.
Hakomeri also appears to be right, telling a local newspaper that there appears to be a gap in the market for the special booking option that has proven popular in his hometown of Helsinki. In the photo: Hakomeri hall.
‘He asked what he should buy at the store. We made a shopping list. I advised him that it is worth buying vegetables and how to make minced meat sauce, “she said.
In another case, Hakomeri said a customer selected “silent service” but then chatted throughout the appointment.
The hairdresser asked at the end of the haircut if this was an error on the booking form, to which the client responded by saying that he thought the silent option only applied to Hakomeri herself.
“We laughed about this together,” he said.
