You Probably Think This Post Is About You

Getting right to it, Seattlest needed a damn haircut. We tried the long hair thing for awhile, but ultimately decided that two good-hair-days out of seven wasn't worth it.

So we hit the internets on a quest to find the perfect hair salon. What's "perfect" to us? Well, the words "super" and "cuts" aren't in the name, the stylists are professionally trained, have more skin than makeup on their faces, and wear colors other than black. After about five minutes of searching and a few phone calls, we found our salon: Vain.

When we crossed the red threshold at 1st & Virginia we were met with an inviting atmosphere of local art (which they change monthly), great music, a comfy waiting area, and an attractive young woman asking us if we'd like some water or a cup of tea. After waiting less than a minute our stylist approached us with an outstretched hand and a warm smile.

The first really important difference we noticed about Vain, was that our lovely stylist took her time getting to know what we wanted. Between talking, shampooing and more talking, it was a good ten minutes before any actual cutting occurred. Once she knew the look we were going for, she delivered with precision and grace.

Here's two other things we loved about Vain. First, we had a real conversation with our stylist. By that, we mean that we talked like two human beings. None of that forced barber-speak full of awkward silences. Second, the tip. Instead of the impersonal act of filling in a blank space on a receipt, we were given cash back and a little brown envelope with "To:" and "From:" printed on it, so that we could bring our tip directly to our new favorite stylist.

So, the haircut? Best we've ever had.