LASER SESSION SIX

I recognize my insanity and I am responsible for it.

Throughout this laser hair removal chronicle, I OFTEN complain about the same things: **poor management**, unthoroughness, unprofessionalism, etc. I am a broken record. Yet, I continue to go to get my money's worth (and hairless armpits!) This is the textbook definition of a cheap Chinese person and insanity, which I also touched upon in my previous session's post. It's no longer optimism hoping they'll improve. 

Preface: I haven't been feeling great mentally and love crying. 

I make an appointment for these laser sessions at least a week in advance. If there's no availability, I can always reschedule. Let me know whether or not there are availabilities. Don't dogpile everyone. Clients and employees will all end up unhappy. 

There's no point in making appointments because it's not respected, it seems the schedule/list of clients for the day is not shared with the staff, and the other Chinese clients walk in, demanding things being the entitled pieces of shit they/we are. Even if appointment times and client volume/reasons for their appointment were clearly communicated, the place seems understaffed. 

As someone who already dislikes the boss, it's soooooo easy to blame them for all these issues. 

The person who typically lasers me is being pulled left and right. She's doing facials, laser hair removal, and other cosmetic procedures the salon offers. She might be the only one there [that day] trained to use the machine. The useless other employee (remember my preface) who brought me inside and completely forgot about me must not know how to use it. If she did, she could've lasered me, and I could've left. Instead, I waited an hour to be lasered.

I'm used to the waiting because I've worked at doctor's offices/have seen doctors. I hate it as much as everyone else, but I sit there. I'm already there; what else can I do? Reschedule to wait again?! I'm only using doctors as an example because I don't shop or go out to eat often. 

Although you wait excessively at doctors', the office is cognizant you're there because you're scheduled, checked in, and someone saw you in triage/is following your care. 

I've been going to (name reveal!) 梧桐美容护肤中心 Sycamore Skin Care Center, formerly, Queensha Beauty 金莎美容 for almost a year, and they're always surprised I'm there for armpit lasering. 

Why are we acting brand new? I made the appointment. Y'all have seen me before! If you're surprised, it's because your boss didn't say anything/there isn't an interface that lets you know who's coming in. You don't need a fancy computer program to fix this issue. You can make a little table with pen and paper. Pull up Excel! This is inexcusable and lazy.

Play by play break down of 4/11/2024:

1. I went into the salon telling Incompetent One in the front today that I had a 10:00 appointment for hair removal. I was 12 minutes late. I acknowledge my fault. Traffic was congested that day.

2. Incompetent One tells me to have a seat. I sit very briefly. No complaints yet. 

3. I go into the room. They tell me someone will be with me shortly. No problem. At least I'm in a room. I'm getting my armpits lasered, so I take my shirt off. Of course, I take my shirt off in preparation. How else are they going to laser me? Through my shirt?

4. 10-ish minutes pass, and my usual tech walks in to grab something without knocking. My fault here because I left the door ajar. They told me someone would be with me soon. They leave.

5. At the 30-minute mark, I have to pee, so I look around until I find a bathroom. I asked the Incompetent One where it was, but she didn't answer/probably didn't hear. I found it myself. She knew I went to the bathroom.

6. Back in the room, waiting for another 30 minutes. 

7. Incompetent One walks in, and is surprised I'm still there because they heard me use the bathroom. If only using the bathroom meant I was done. Girl... In most, if not all, cases, flushing only means someone used the bathroom. Laughs it off, leaves the door wide open as I'm half-dressed, and goes to the usual tech to tell them I'm still there. 

• Sidenote here: the room I'm placed in is all the way in the back. No other clients will walk in, but employees walk in and out freely. Again, I have my shirt off and bra on. I don't care if everyone there is a woman. Why are people walking in on me like that? Why are all the rooms not adequately stocked? Why is everything in the room that I coincidentally happen to be in? This is not the first time someone sauntered in in media res. Come on now! Restock things when the day is over/before service. They teach you this in beauty school. It's also common sense for better efficiency. 

8. One hour! I start crying (remember preface) and continue to cry while getting my armpits lasered. I tell the tech the bottom third of my armpit is my concern. Almost everywhere else is clean. They only focus on the lower third. The tech tried to make up for everything by being thorough with the lower third and speaking gently, but I'm still crying. I'm crying out of frustration. It's stupid and I shouldn't act like this. I'm aware. My emotions got the better of me/I wasn't feeling well. 

9. The session is over. Incompetent One walks in and I continue to cry. She apologizes for the misunderstanding and tries to comfort me/understand why I'm crying. She is surprised by my frustration and crying. When I cry, I can barely speak. I said, "I waited for one hour." What else is there to say? I'm already crying and making a big deal out of things; I'm not going to start yelling, screaming, and demanding to talk to someone about this. (I save that and write a blog post about it, lol!) I try to collect myself and brush her away. The only thing I want is to leave.

Many aspects of this business and my experience there are frustrating.