One of the things that you will notice in Italy, is that around every corner you can always find a parrucchiera (hairdresser). The Italians are known for their immaculate dress sense and style and it goes without saying that the look is not complete unless the hair is right. Most Italian women go on a weekly basis to the hairdresser (usually a Friday) to have their hair washed and blow-dried, coloured etc for the weekend. Therefore if you are planning to treat yourself and have your hair styled etc on a Friday for the weekend or for a special ocassion, it is advisable to make the appointment earlier in the week or even the week before.
My own experience of Italian hairdressers has been mixed: some good cuts and some bad. This has been partly down to the language barrier but also some inexperienced hairdressers who were too scissor happy whilst paying too much attention to their colleagues conversation than on cutting my hair. I personally would advise finding out which hairdresser seems to be the most popular with the locals and ensure that you have your Italian pocket phrase book with you. You can also look for photos in magazines etc and take them with you so that the hairdresser will have a clear idea of what type of style you are after. If it all goes wrong, you can buy a hat or wig!
It is normal to tip up to 15% at the hairdressers, however if you have been unfortunate enough to get a haircut by the italian equivalent of “Edward Scissor Hands” then you should ask them to pay you for having to walk around in public like that!
Famous Italian Hairdressers
Aldo Coppola was born in Milan on February 14th 1940, he started working with Womens magazines in 1960 and by 1961 he was asked to to models hairstyles by Biki. By 1965 he was opening his first hairdressing salon on via Manzoni 16, Milan. Over the following years he opened more salons in Milan and one in Parma. He then began creating shows for L’Oreal in 1983. Since then he has opened various salons/hair academies in Rome, Montecarlo, Moscow andTokyo and in 2007 he looked after Giorgio Armani’s private fashion shows in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Dallas.
