I love spa days. I love having my hair washed by someone else. I’ve often said that if I were rich, my biggest indulgence would be to have someone wash my hair for me every day.

As much as I love spending time in salons and spas, though, I dread the first visit to a new place. What if they don’t have the same colors, or you just don’t click? What if you don’t like the vibe of the person who does massage, or shampoo, or whatever?

I’m pleased to report that today’s visit to Worx Salon, an Aveda concept salon in Cedar Hill, met, and exceeded my expectations.

My stylist today was Chad, a cherubic man who is probably forty-five or fifty. He used to own an Aveda salon in Arlington, but they closed it after his wife went through life-threatening medical stuff. When he was able to return to work full time (because she’d recuperated enough), he found he didn’t want to run a business, just wanted to cut hair. So now he works for another Aveda salon – the one where I went – in Cedar Hill.

My time at the salon began with a tour. The store front is typical Aveda, the spa and salon sections are much larger than the stores in California. I was offered tea, coffee, or water, about ten times during the tour, the five minutes it took me to shed my sweater and put on a protective wrap-style jacket, and the five minutes beyond that, spent on a comfy cushion in the waiting area.

While they were NOT able to coordinate with my salon in San Jose, for the exact color blend, Chad and BeBe (one of the co-owners, a feisty Hispanic woman with a ship’s bow-bosom) listened to my description, and came up with a color I liked. It’s a rich warm brown, with just enough red in it to make it sort of chestnut, or bittersweet chocolate, but NOT so much red as to be technically auburn. I quite like it. It plays nicely with the olive undertones in my skin.

As with all Aveda visits, the cut and color appointment included a free makeover session (in which I purchased a new lipstick), and a hand massage. Unlike other Aveda visits, it also included a ten minute chair massage, and a glass of red wine to sip while the color set. (Note to self: Sipping red wine on an empty stomach is a Very Bad Idea.)

Chad was really attentive to my requests about the cut, and went to work with the razors, shaping my hair so that there are subtle blended layers, but the ends are still blunt, creating movement without making it look messy or over-styled. I can wash my hair and let it air dry, or I can blow it out, and either way, it works. Yay, Chad!

There’s a salon in Arlington that was recommended to me – not Aveda-concept – but when I called, they said they didn’t use Aveda color, so I’ll be going there for other services, but likely not hair. The Aveda colors are so much healthier (and better-smelling) than ANY other, that I just can’t deal with any other brand.

Keeping with the self-indulgent theme, I hit Barnes and Noble after my appointment, where I bought a dark chocolate easter bunny to send to Mom, a bunch of writing magazines for me, and a small birthday present for my friend Jeremy, that will not arrive on time, but, whatever. Fuzzy met me there, and we crossed the parking lot to eat at RockFish. There was a half hour wait, but they have an outdoor fireplace and the night was balmy, so we sat near the fire and chatted. We weren’t at all upset about the wait, or about the length of time it took for them to deliver our appetizer, but the manager felt bad, so it was free. Can’t really complain about that.

It’s about 1:30 AM now, and sleep is demanding my attention, which means this entry is officially over.