From an anonymous hairstylist: "I had a client bring in her 85-year-old grandma for a haircut. She refused to let me cut her hair with my professional shears and insisted I use paper-cutting scissors she brought from home, which looked like the ones I used in grade school. She told me the scissors were deeply [ingrained] in her family history and the culture of her homeland -- so I proceeded to cut her hair with dull scissors that had holes big enough for the fingers of a 5-year-old. Needless to say, it took me a bit longer than usual!"

From an anonymous hairstylist: "At 8:30 a.m., as I was rushing out the door for a 9 a.m. start, a client called to tell me she was running 20 minutes late. I explained that I double- and sometimes triple-book, so as long as she was aware that my assistant would be doing some or most of the work, it would be fine. The client called at 9:45 a.m. complaining about the bad traffic and the receptionist told her that she may incur a late fee. She didn't arrive until 10:30 a.m.! At this point, I decided my assistant would be doing the entire job. Halfway through, my assistant explained to her that the service charge would be $225. The client refused the service because she only had $150 with her!"

From an anonymous salon employee: "There was a client who came in every few weeks to get a bikini wax. But every time she came, it was clear she hadn't showered. Her smell 'down there' was overpowering. We would have to light incense when she left and apologize to the next client who used the room. It was that bad."

From an anonymous hairstylist: "A client wanted to have very long extensions applied to her hair. We have been doing [hair extensions] for over 20 years, we went over everything [regarding how to care for extensions], such as brushing hair, keeping it very clean and the correct brush, shampoo and conditioner. She got the extensions and, three weeks later, returned to the salon with an ungodly mess of matted hair, wanting us to redo it all at no cost. When we asked her what happened, the answer was, 'I did everything you told me to. I went to the Bahamas and scuba dived, wind surfed and hang glided. Had a wonderful time, but forgot all my hair products at home. Now what are you going to do with this mess you gave me?' All I can say is, as stylists and artists, we can only try."

From an anonymous esthetician: "Back in '97, I was one of the only estheticians doing Brazilian bikini waxes in the Twin Cities. As everyone knows, this is quite an invasive procedure and not for the meek. I remember one client telling me that she was a bit nervous and wondered if her husband could tag along and be in the waxing room with her. I told her I didn't mind.

"At first, I asked him to remain sitting down. He kept fidgeting in his seat and wanted to come to the table and watch. Then, his questions and comments got to be more and more intimate and suggestive -- saying how 'hot' it was to watch and asking me if clients got turned on during their waxes. I finally booted him when he asked if I ever got turned on."