Salon Nights

Salon nights are the kind of nights spent at everybody's favorite all-night hair salon. You might not find SerenSnippety's unless you knew where to look. It occupies the ground floor of a house on a leafy residential street. By day, you might not realize there was any kind of business here. At night, it's a different story. As soon as it gets dark, the salon's sign, in neon pink cursive, comes on in the window, with an extra few words of encouragement beneath. Come on in. Before we begin, let's start off with a little wind down exercise. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise. So when you're ready, let's begin. So first, get yourself comfortable. Now just bringing the attention to the breath, just noticing where you feel it, in the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm. You're nice and relaxed. We're going to be taking a deep breath in for four, holding it for four, and then breathing out for six. So are you ready? Let's begin. In for four, two, three, four. Hold it for four, two, three, four. Breathing out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. Great, now returning the breath to normal. The two older ladies, talking quietly to each other as they sit under the hair steamers, at the far end of the room, are best friends, Meryl and Myrtle. They've known each other since long before you were a twinkle in your mother's eye. They liked to tell anyone who inquires, whatever that person's age. They're retired nurses, and they use to work the night shift, so an all-night salon suits them just fine. Meryl has taken out a phone, and is showing Myrtle some pictures on it. You might think they'd be pictures of her grandchildren, but no, she's showing off her prize squashes, which recently won Best in Show at the county fair. Something has tickled Myrtle about these pictures, and she holds a hand up to her mouth, and gives Meryl a little push, as if to say, oh, you. There's always something to look at in the salon. There's the artwork adorning its walls. For example, a series of period pieces depicting hair salons of the past and people from every era having their hair done. In one, a row of women in white toweling dressing gowns with their legs crossed in the same direction sit under hair steamers shaped like beehives. The painting is done in warm, earthy tones, and around each woman, the paint lightens into a glow. Another is a still life of barber's materials, a collection of shaving brushes and an elegant...