My stylist is the owner. She started her business about six years ago, and I was one of her first customers. Now she’s in high demand and employs 14 people. Her professionalism and drive are hugely appealing to me (as well as her skill with scissors); she never answers the phone while working, her attention is completely on her current customer; there’s a receptionist AND online scheduling (with an email reminder two days before the appointment). A haircut is $60 (the other stylists cost slightly less). My daughter goes to her as well.
Here’s another question. Should the fact that a hairstylist has “bad” looking hair herself be a consideration? I know several hair stylists who have awful looking hair!!!
^^^Not necessarily. One of the best stylists I’ve ever had wore a frizzy “fro” style himself. He was an aging hippie. But a true artist. His name was “Pinky.” 
I wouldn’t consider the stylist’s own hair style. Sometimes it is just a matter of taste. They might like a style that I dislike but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t styled well.
I also have a hard time changing hairdressers. Since I’ve colored my hair for decades, I’ve ended up with so many colors, when all I wanted was blonde highlights. Red, green, dark brown, white, platinum blonde, is it so hard? So when I find someone who manages to come halfway close, I stay.
I stuck with one lady for about four years, though my hair would always come out too red, too obviously dyed, too brassy. I figured that maybe it was just that my hair had been dyed too much, and there was nothing I could do about it. I would try to tone it down with coloring shampoos. But every time I would ask to make it less red, not so.blonde, always the same result. The last time. She exclaimed that my hair was so easy, it always did exactly what she wanted. And that now she was adding some “warmth”. I realized she was adding red, and doing what she wanted, while ignoring my request, every single time. I never went back.
Another Great Clips client here although my husband has been using the same salon stylist for like 15 years.
I definitely consider my stylist’s own hair style as a marker of his or her own personal taste, which is a big part of what I am paying for. I love my long-time hair dresser’s personal style – which is way more edgy and fashionable than mine – because it makes me feel as if I am in good hands style-wise.
Also, I have fine, thin, straight wispy blonde hair; I prefer a stylist who is similarly cursed because I like the feeling that she knows first hand about the challenges I face. (Did I mention that I hate my hair?)
I used to go to one stylist for my haircut and she also cut S’s hair from his 1st haircut to a few years back. She was great but she’s in town and not so convenient. We’ve switched to a lady in the neighborhood, who comes to our home. She charges only $20/person, including tip and H loves her haircuts. D is also a fan as am I. Many of my other relatives also use her.
I switched dentists because my BIL cancelled on me twice at the last minute, after I had cleared my schedule and arranged a sitter. My mom was very upset with me, but I value my time more than BIL valued my business.
I do not put up with repeated cancellations of appointments–a rare once or even twice with a GOOD excuse, maybe; after that I move on.
I go to a nice but not very top of the line salon (Gene Juarez for those in the know). I’ve been with the same guy for 5 years and he has never rescheduled and never been late. I get yummy Market Spice tea while I wait but I never have to wait more than 5-10 minutes and I show up early. It’s $65 plus tip so $80 for a cut. Definitely move on.
Dang, saintfan, $65 for just a haircut? It had better look great every time! You know, I could go into one of those fancy places, and they’d still only spend five minutes on my hair and give me a mediocre haircut. So I only spend $16 at a local shop for a decent cut.
My stylist wears a hajib - I have no idea what her hair looks like.
I think there is a great difference in prices depending upon local. There’s no such thing as a $16 haircut where I live. Even my Dh pays more than that at his barbers. $65 is not unusual for a salon cut with no color. Much more if color added. Los Angeles suburb.
@emilybee – Is it at least jeweled? One of the girls in D’s high school wore the most beautiful headscarves.
Half my sibs go to the same hair stylist H and I do, paying $20 per cut, including tip. The other half go to pricey salons and pay several times that, and more if they want color or tint. They seem to have issues with stylist being late, canceling, etc. but keep returning to him and are satisfied. We la vie.
@busdriver11 I used to cut it myself when it was just kind of all the same length. Now it is an inverted choppy bob and I have a tricky wave. He does a great job and it’s worth it. A client gave me a $250 gift card for Christmas too, so there’s that! He spends a lot of time (about 45 minutes). He cuts it wet, blows It dry, then dpoes all the texturing dry.
“I think there is a great difference in prices depending upon local. There’s no such thing as a $16 haircut where I live. Even my Dh pays more than that at his barbers. $65 is not unusual for a salon cut with no color. Much more if color added. Los Angeles suburb.”
Sure, I agree with that. However, me and saintfan are neighbors, so it’s not locality. But if I could get a fancy haircut that always looks great and was very happy after every cut, I suppose I’d shell out the money for it too.
@arabrab, no -just a plain hajib.
Well - it’s less expensive than Seven 
He started at less but goes up a bit each year which is fine. It is totally wash and wear because he knows that I comb it and let it dry on its own so he cuts it to look good without styling. DS gets his hair cut at the regular old barber shop up the street and it is $17 plus tip.
That said - I go 8 weeks or so between cuts so I save that way. I trim my own bangs a little if they need it.
You are not supposed to look at the hair of the person who does your hair, but at the hair of the other people in the shop.