A salon owner banned customers from using phones, I agree with her

Once you hear her justification, you probably will too...

As a society, we often applaud the multi-tasking prowess of mums, celebrating their ability to juggle a million things at once. 

But what we don't often acknowledge is the need for them to have a break from the constant demands of motherhood and life. 

This is where Chelsea Valentino, a brow and lash technician from Perth, has stepped in with a bold initiative in her salon. 

And as someone who strongly believes in the sanctity of 'me-time' — I regularly tell my partner my hair appointments go for an hour longer than they do — I wholeheartedly support her move. 

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Image: TikTok

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"Women can't enjoy a treatment without their husbands calling them"

Valentino's frustration reached its peak when she noticed a disturbing trend: her clients, many of whom are mums, couldn't indulge in a simple beauty treatment without their partners incessantly calling them.

In her TikTok video, which has nearly hit a million views, she said: "You would not even understand the number of women that come into the salon, and they can't even have like 30 to 60 minutes on their own to enjoy a brow and lash treatment without their husband calling them.

"Like it's gotten to the point now where I have said no to answering people's phones because their husbands can't seem to do anything for five minutes without them."

And it's not just the frequency of these calls that's concerning, but their trivial nature.

One "infuriating" instance Valentino described involved a husband who couldn't organise dinner while his wife was at the salon.

"I answered the phone and this husband was asking his wife what burger joint they normally go to and saying can't she just order the burgers for them for dinner.

"Like, she was going to be at my salon for an hour. He only had to take care of the kids for an hour. And he knew where she was and that she was getting her brows and lashes done. And still, he couldn't even order dinner for the kids."

She added: "It’s just an example, but my brain is frying at all the moments that I can remember of clients coming in and their husbands constantly trying to call them or text them."

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'Weaponised incompetence' or 'punishment' for being away?

After posting her clip, it became clear that this issue wasn't isolated.

Thousands of other hair and beauty professionals shared similar experiences of men being seemingly incapable of handling basic parenting duties while their partners were away.

Some called this behaviour "weaponised incompetence" while others suggested it was a way for partners to "punish" their wives for taking time to themselves. 

"I'm a hairdresser, the amount of men who have hung around the salon with the kids because they didn't know what to do with them... makes me so angry," one wrote.

Another shared, "I think they do it on purpose to 'punish' the wife for being away."

A hairstylist weighs in

I recently chatted with Az Rafique, a stylist at Royals Salon in Hornsby, who echoed Valentino's frustration. 

"We do get the same issue quite a bit," he said. 

According to Rafique, clients will often be on the phone at the basin, which not only causes delays when colouring but also takes them out of the relaxing experience. 

"They seem a bit frustrated," he added. "You hear them on the phone telling the person they'll call them back later."

However, Rafique says his salon probably wouldn't ban phones altogether. "It's a bit restrictive from a customer service point of view," he said.

"But maybe you could just say no phone calls or something."

Image: Supplied

It's not a luxury to have a little me-time

Here's the thing. Everyone deserves a break without the incessant pinging of a phone.

It's not a 'luxury' to have a little me-time, especially when you're a mum who tirelessly manages... everything. 

While Valentino's stance might seem drastic, I think it's a move in the right direction. It's about enforcing boundaries and respecting personal space and time. 

For the women out there trying to sneak in a moment of peace, more power to you.

And for the men - come on, you can figure out dinner for one night. 

Originally published as A salon owner banned customers from using phones, I agree with her