Hairdresser has stopped bookings from July and I am wondering why

[MayRedRose]

My hairdresser works for himself renting a chair in a salon. He uses an online booking system for his services.

I was booking a hair appointment and I noticed he has blocked off any further dates from booking from the middle of July. Previous to this I could browse dates months in advance. It looks like he's cutting off booking from the middle of July. I saw before this a few weeks ago that he has the who of October blocked off. I presumed possibly a holiday. Now it's it's like from the middle of July there's nothing.

My mind is wandering thinking - is he leaving hairdressing and why hasn't he said anything on his social media? He had reduced availability this year. He stopped Saturday bookings and he's not posting much hair/work pictures any more on his social media. It does look like some reduced availablity and now from July - nothing.

Has anyone else experienced the same from their hairdresser and what was it? Are they leaving hairdressing or opening up a cabin/salon from home or going something else.

I am just a little disappointed, that's all.

Do you not live somewhere in easy reach of other hairdressers? I can imagine that is a pain

This is one of the oddest subjects to post about! Why not just ask him?!

It’s almost funny that the OP has asked for comments and yet, even if someone gets it right, it’s not going to help the OP as she won’t know it’s right unless she asks

We weren’t supposed to tell her! Didn’t you sign the nda!!

Yes, DS was only 11 when his hairdresser vanished from the barber’s near his school, and the owners wouldn’t say where she’d gone. So he tracked her down on SM on my phone in about two minutes, slightly to my alarm.

They’re both Arsenal fans, who discussed tactics and injuries during haircuts. Apparently having his hair cut by someone else wasn’t possible.😀

Quite! What an odd question.

Got a job on a cruise ship.
Giving up hairdressing to become a crane driver (true story)
Giving up hairdressing to breed dogs (another true story)
Got another job entirely
Going travelling
Fed up with it
Setting up new premises somewhere else

Who knows? Just ask.

He’s probably joined the circus. My old hairdresser did this exact thing. Reduced availability and months blocked off from appointments.

He eventually announced everything on Instagram, but only after months of photos of sequins, tiny scissors and motorway service stations in Spain and Portugal.

The mysterious months off turned out to be when he was learning how do

hair extensions for aerialists. (It's quite specialist skill apparently.) As well as learning advanced horseriding..

Think he's currently performing just outside Berlin doing balayage on volunteers from the crowd while on horseback.

Has your hairdresser bring cutting hair whilst on a vibrating pad too? In hindsight that should have been a clue.

Can you read that back to yourself please.

Book an appointment in June.

How is anyone supposed to know? He might just be doing what a lot of stylists are doing at the moment. With the cost of living rising, fewer people booking regular appointments, and higher overheads for salons, many hairdressers are leaving traditional salons to set up on their own. In my local salon alone, three stylists have recently left to open their own spaces from home.

Eh? None of your business. Just get another hairdresser.

I did, actually, but finding a good hairdresser who makes the best of your hair and doesn’t charge a fortune is no easy task. I ended up moving to another town twenty miles away, but that was a coincidence as I was downsizing.

He’s emigrating, he told me last week

I dont think he's obliged to say anything as to the reasons he's not tzking bookings. That's his business. Maybe he's just thinking about a break, selling up or whatever. But hasn't decided. Or maybe he doesnt want very advanced future bookings because folk arent turning up. Some hairdressers dont take bookings more than a month in advance

My best ever hairdresser moved to a different salon - but he sent an email to let me, and presumably plenty of others, know. Maybe yours will do similar, if he’s got relevant details?

I understand from my hairdresser that the whole economic model (whether thats having a salon or renting a chair) doesn’t work anymore, so maybe he’s decided he can’t afford to provide the service in the same way and is looking for other options. He won’t want to tell people if they then start going elsewhere.

Ask him?

Jesus Christ the hairdresser / client relationships on Mumsnet are wild.

There’s a whole other thread where someone is nashing their teeth over how to reply to a hairdressers text.

You are not friends.

Agreed. Not to mention the ‘I blamed my hairdresser for not doing a more regular patch test when I had a skin irritation after a colour that turned out to be shingles, and now she won’t take me back as a client because the one I then moved to got my hair too dark’.

Regardless of him being self employed he probs isn't allowed to mention he is moving !
Or he may be planning a sabbatical hairdressing can cause burn out (hairstylist here )
I am surprised. Thou he hasn't mentioned in in previous appointments what his plans are because I would have thought if u can't book you would have mentioned it it's quiet strange how it's not been bought up in conversation!
I think maybe message him throu your way of communicating and just say u tried booking advanced booking and it's not open and see what he says it could even be he hasn't open it and not realised x

Don’t think I could use a hairdresser who doesn’t post his/her entire life on social media.
I have a right to know.

If you are a regular customer why not just drop him a message and ask? My hairdresser only has her diary open about 8 weeks into the future because it gives her the flexibility to book a holiday without a year's notice or cancelling a bunch of appointment. She also regularly closes her online diary for months because she's busy and wants to prioritise loyal customers during high demand periods like the run up to the summer holidays and the run up to Christmas. She doesn't advertise it because then everyone who follows her SM would start DMing her, but she'll make an appointment for me if I contact her. Maybe your hairdresser has gotten to the point where he too can afford to be more selective and have more control over his time?

Maybe he’s moving booking system from fresha to phorest and hasn’t done all the transfers yet.

But it’s more likely the MI5 thing <taps nose>

OP I have to ask - why are you referring this question to the great minds of MN (like I said, even if someone gets it spot on, you won’t know)?

It sounds like you are offended that he hasn’t put it all over his socials - it’s clearly a private matter

Find another hairdresser and don’t give it another thought

I always work on the principle that the simplest answer is usually the correct one, so my guess would be that Boris Johnson is going to start a worldwide book launch in July and has asked your hairdresser to be his travelling hairdresser for July & August.

After this your hairdresser will be going to university as a mature student as he wants to train as a teacher. You can expect to see him on Educating Yorkshire/Manchester/Essex/Cardiff/Timbuktu in several years time

Sorted . . . next question?

I get your dissapointment, it's hard enough to find a good professional, I've had plenty of nail masters leaving the salon I was frequent at to start their own business. Could you ask him directly why has he stopped bookings? Maybe he'll start and run his own place or maybe he'll be switching places and you'll be able to still get to him elsewhere.