$13 well spent

So, I scheduled an appointment with a new hairstylist last week. For late July. While the wait made me feel like I must be on my way to being initiated into an elite group, my shaggy do needed help now.

I recalled the $10 manicure I got at the Aveda Institute a few weeks ago. Not the greatest, but still — better than ones I'd paid twice as much for.

I just needed a trim, and I'm prety confident in my hair's ability to grow back from anything (hell, it's been — at various times— shaved, finger-short and crayon red), so I made the call.

Here's the thing about the Aveda Institute. It's like other beauty schools in that appointments take a long time as instructors scrutinize students' work and make sure you're getting what you want. But that's where the similarity ends. The obvious advantage is that they use all Aveda products, so you smell like a trust-fund goddess by the time you're done. (I actually think it's amazing that the Aveda "scent" is so popular. I love it, but it's really ... green ... and not like anything else.) There's a cool-kid vibe to the place, and every service concludes with a "Finishing Touch" — a cutesy name for a quick application of lip gloss, but still a nice gesture.

My hair cut was a fantastic deal. The service started with a scalp massage, then shampoo, condition, cut and styling, finished off with a hand massage. And the woman who cut my hair knew what she was doing — my hair looks cute! Definitely worth $13 (plus tip). And, of course, this being Portland, the stylist is into Web design and strongly suggested that I check out Ignite Portland in a couple of weeks. Here's the premise, according to their site: "If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world geeks have been putting together Ignite nights to show their answers." I'm sold — I'll be checking it out at the Bagdad on June 18.