Our little town of San Clemente is a sleepy little fisherman’s village with a small downtown area with other small “Mom and Pop” type stores spread around in the various neighborhoods. Until recently the only place we knew of that was offering men and women haircuts was located in the central area of town.
I use a simple number three guide and a home haircut kit to shear my grey hair, so I have not had any personal experience getting my hair cut in Ecuador. Mary generally does her own hair care, has solicited help from friends for cuts, and even has been brave enough to ask me to help trim the back of her hair on occasion. (Anyone who has seen me “trim” hedges down to bare stalks would question the sanity of a woman who allows me to trim her hair!)
But, Mary wanted to get a proper layered hair cut that went far beyond my abilities. So, we stopped in at Emilia’s new peluqueria on Thursday and made an appointment for ten o’clock last Friday.
Almost all gringos who come through San Clemente have heard of Meiers. Meiers is a German ex-pat who owns a restaurant and bar named “Sabor de Bamboo” located in the extreme north end of town. If you have been to Meiers’, you know where Emilia’s beauty shop is located. It is on the left just before Meiers’ on the town’s main north/south roadway.
Mary was a bit nervous because the woman at the other beauty shop in town is known for doing a great job at a very reasonable cost, but generally cuts hair a bit shorter than Mary wanted hers cut.
Prior to leaving for her appointment Mary studied up on her Spanish to learn how to say layered, not too short, bangs, and other hair related terms in Spanish. I also went along for Spanish backup. Emilia does know some limited English and Mary and she seemed to communicate effectively.
Unassuming looking from the front,
the interior opens to a full-service beauty shop.
In addition to hair treatments, Emilia also offers massages.
Emilia has had a lot of experience cutting hair at a shop she owned in Bahia and has only recently relocated to San Clemente. Her shop is open Tuesday through Saturdays starting at 10AM. Appointments can be made by dropping in or calling – 267-3083.
Emilia is a very pleasant person and she and Mary visited happily for about a half hour while she snipped away. She layered the back beautifully and did not cut Mary’s hair too short. Whew! A trip to a new hairdresser can always be stressful and Mary was well pleased with the new look!
Of course – we had to pay for the professional cut…
People from the United States might be a bit shocked to learn that Emilia charged Mary a whopping $3.00 dollars! We learned that massages cost $10.00 for an hour. I do not know the costs for coloring or other services, but I am sure they will be just as reasonable. (One note – Mary colors her own hair because it can be difficult matching the exact shade that she prefers.)
Now, Mary got her hair cut last Friday and I took these pictures while she was getting that cut. We went to a beach bon-fire dinner on Saturday night with a number of other ex-pats and all of the women were admiring Mary’s haircut. I believe some of the women at the bon-fire have gone to see Emilia to get cuts.
But… do you think I can get my sweet wife to let me take a picture to complete this post? Unlike most ecuatorianos that I have met, Mary is camera shy! I considered trying to take a candid shot, but Mary has editorial rights and I value home tranquility too much to try that. (Our friend David did get a group shot with a sneak peek of Mary’s new haircut which you can see in our post about the bonfire party.)
Suffice to say that we were both very pleased with Emilia’s work.
Life is good in Ecuador.
i am sure that she looks smashing with that forever-serene smile on her face!
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thanks Lisa, hmmm “forever -serene”, sorry to say not I. You’ve just haven’t been with me 24 / 7…lol 🙂
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It’s great to know that it’s possible to get a good haircut in Central America! I’ll be in search of my very first hairdresser in my life when I move to Panama in a few more weeks. I’ve been a stylist for 30 years and as a child my father was a hairstylist so Ive never had to go get my haircut by a total stranger! Yikes! I must admit I’m kinda excited about the new experience and looking forward to seeing what my clients have felt like all these years. It’s ‘just hair’ after all, right? It grows! LOL! Cheers!
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Yep, you’re right, it grows back and there must be something in the air here because my hair grows a lot faster than back in the states ( and my nails)
Just check with some expats and I’m sure they’ll point you in the right direction. Good luck with your move, safe travels
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It’s great to know there is a skilled hair stylist in San Clemente. Since we returned from Ecuador last December, I have been growing my hair out as the only stylist shop I came across while touring was a couple shops in Tena, in central Ecuador. I hated the thought of taking a bus each month into Central Ecuador for a hair cut. From the back, Mary, you look great!
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thanks Cindy, she did a great job !
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That is great! Is that Mary’s bike in front of the shop? I love the idea of only needing a bicycle to get around town! Life is good there…and it shows in your blog!
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Yes Charlene, that’s my bike, though after 16 months it’s starting to rust and wear out. Almost time for a new one. Bicycle or walking and there’s also moto-taxis if you’re carrying a heavy load from the market.. usually costs 25-50 cents from the bus stop. Life is Great here in San Clemente 🙂
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You know it’s the little things in life that make such a difference.. I really liked this post.. as a woman I so understand wanting the haircut correctly and then when it is, well, we feel extra pretty.. and for 3 bucks? makes me cry because I just dropped 30 bucks on a haircut a few weeks ago..
if I’m ever in your part of town, I know who will be trimming these locks 😉
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Dear Mary,
The picture of you teaching the English class is one of the best!
You shouldn’t be shy of the camera because it loves you!! And so do I!!
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I scrolled very carefully so that I wouldn’t spoil the surprise but the surprise was on me! No Mary! No haircut! Come on M of J&M! You’re killin’ me!
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Ive been looking for a massage here. Thanks for the tip!
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When I was looking at your bonfire pics (I always click on them to make them larger) I was thinking how good you looked Mary. Now I know it was your haircut, looks great, as does your beautiful smile.
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Haha! Your comment about trimming hedges down to the bare stalks cracks me up. Maybe you can sneak a picture of the back of Mary’s head. My mother was a hairdresser and she had a beauty shop in the basement of our house. I was always her “experiment” when she was first learning to cut and dye hair. So, until we moved to Nicaragua, I never had another person cut my hair. The first beautician I went to on the island left me wearing a ball cap for at least a month. It looked like she cut it with a machete. Now, I go to Granada and like Mary, get an excellent cut for $2.50. Great post. Now, sneak up on Mary and get her picture with her new do.
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That I’ll try to do, though David did get a photo when we were at the bonfire.
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What a nice beauty shop and the price is unreal. I am sure Mary’s hair looks wonderful.
JoAnn
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It turned out cute and short which is what I wanted. My hair here grows extremely fast so $3.00 a cut is very affordable. 🙂
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Cool story, Dad. The part about Meier’s reminded me of a restaurant ran by an American in the last city I lived in down in Brazil – we all knew the place well and were all familiar with the owner. It was something new arrivals learned about within their first week or two for sure.
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Hey! A comment from Marky!
Yes, everyone knows Meiers – backpackers from Europe will be walking down the road and stop me to ask where his store is. He also has rustic room for overnight stays favored by backpackers. Come and visit and we will bring you up to see Meiers. Bring the grandkids!
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3 bucks, I could get one every couple of weeks. Thanks
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Yes and after about ten haircuts, you would pay what it cost for one cut in the good old USA!
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I think after all the sitting on the 3 flight to get to san clemente, I will be ready for a massage for sure. at that price I might do 2hours!!!
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Isn’t that true! The main drawback to coming to Ecuador is the inconvenience of getting here! Not to worry – after the trip one can do as much or as little as they like and completely relax.
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