Tabatha's Salon Takeover recap: episode 1.2 "De Cielo Salon"

Salon Undercover

Michael is the owner of Di Cielo Salon, and the issues are immense. He seems to have an issue with the stylists wanting clean towels, concentrate shampoo, and other normal things any functioning salon would have. Tabatha arrives and whisks away Michael for a peek at what’s going on the salon on a day-to-day basis.

Michael has absolutely no idea what he’s going. He doesn’t know hair, has never worked as a hairstylist and never managed a salon. Why he purchased the salon in the first place is beyond Tabatha (and me), and once she sees the pedicurist dump the dirty water into a shampoo bowl, she’s seen enough. She immediately takes the keys from Michael and heads to the salon to have a brief meeting with the staff. She lets them know she’s here and that changes are going to be made.

Dead flowers, wads of hair are stuck in drains, and shampoo chairs are put on concrete blocks to align them with the shampoo bowls. Ewww! Michael seems less than concerned with Tabatha’s issues. The salon isn’t going to run itself, and like Tabatha says, she would be embarrassed to have a client come in and receive any service. The staff finds all of the above hilarious, which is really gross. The group is full of smart asses who seem as lazy as their boss. Doesn’t anyone realize their job is on the line at this point?

Photo: Barbara Nitke

The Staff Meeting

The only person late for the meeting? Michael, himself. Valerie, a stylist at the salon, says that Michael’s idea of marketing is putting the girls on the corner passing out flyers in lowcut tops. What?! Who does this guy think he is? Tabatha puts the entire team to work on the salon, and out come the rubber gloves to make the incredibly filthy salon a little more decent.

Michael finally shows up and as usual, has several excuses. He isn’t listening to Tabatha, and he won’t take a clue. Valerie says she can barely work with someone who takes care of their own salon in such a manner. Michael says the guy who he’s hired to clean, only comes once a week. A hair salon gets dirty, what, everyday?! Come on!

The Assessment

As usual, Tabatha brings in a few of her own clients, who all have celebrity photographs, and things are moving in a good direction. The stylists give good critique to their clients and know how to work with various types of hair. The results are good, and Tabatha realizes the issue is not the staff, but the owner.

Michael needs to be in the present and on board if the salon is really going to excel. Tabatha decides that Michael needs to spend some time in the shoes of his stylists. She sends the hairstylists on a trip to market the salon and recruit new clients. She takes Michael to the Vidal Sassoon Academy, so the can learn a few things when it comes to cutting hair. All that happens is that Michael has a few words with Tabatha and the Vidal Sassoon creative director. After a bit of chatting, they hand over a live model and a pair of scissors to Michael? WTH?!

Michael and the creative director go back and forth after he cuts an uneven line. I don’t know how Tabatha is going to take this salon to a new level dealing with this clown. He is annoying, rude and has no idea what he’s doing, so why he’s bothering with this salon is a joke. Tabatha has a few choice words with Michael after the Vidal Sassoon fiasco, and while their boss is a jerk, Tabatha realize that she doesn’t want the staff to suffer because of him.

She explains to the team that they aren’t going to let Michael prevent htem from reopening a fabulous salong.

The Re-Opening

Michael offers Tabatha a bouquet of yellow roses as a friendship offering, and all everything is smoothed over (-ish). The staff is there and so excited about the changes to the salon. The salon looks amazing, and far more modern. Michael likes it, and seems to embrace it. Michael points out that now he can see all of the stations at once, which will help him when managing. I am hoping that Tabatha appoints a new manager, or at the very least, an assistant manager.

She tells the staff to give Michael a second chance because they want the salon to succeed. Tabatha also brings in an assistant to help with phones and anything else that might need someone to cover while the stylists are busy with clients.

Steven (who btw, is Michael’s ex) can’t be at work because he’s having personal issues (well, issues with his car). Steven is acting salon manager if Michael isn’t around. After taking a cab to the salon and seeing he has no clients, Steven decides to skip out and take care of his car. Michael is put off with his attitude and decides that something will have to be done with him.

The salon re-opening went well, but Steven is still throwing things off. She tells the staff that Michael has decided that Steven should focus on the spa portion of the salon, and that means Michael will have to be around a lot more. Tabatha also lets the staff know that the Vidal Sassoon has donated courses to the stylists, so they can improve their technique and continue to learn.

Michael has finally come around, and the entire vibe of the salon is united and focused on making the salon a great experience for themselves and their clients.

The Follow-up

Tabatha visits Di Cielo about six weeks later. Steven is still focusing on the spa portion of the salon, and has a few complaints, including that Michael isn’t doing his part, just as he was doing before she arrived. This is confirmed by hairstylists, and Tabatha confronts him. Michael promises that he will make sure he is at the salon more often.

Great idea, but will it last? Since Michael is the boss and no one can tell him what to do, I doubt it.

More Tabatha’s Takeover recaps:
Episode 1.1 “Ten Salon”