Its been awhile, but today I decided to brave the viral haze and go see Rubin, our hairdresser. I say ‘our’ because he belongs to us both. He does Jeff’s and my hair. And we love him.
Typically, Jeff is the more reserved of the two of us. As a result, he enjoys being around people who are outgoing. The more outgoing, and outrageous, the better. This morning, as Jeff waved me off at the door of el Compartimento he was smiling. A little jealous, I think.
‘You get to go get ‘The full Rubin’. I’ll see you around dinner time.’
And he was not kidding. a session with Rubin usually takes a minimum of 6 hours for color, then to cut my hair. Even with an assistant running back and forth executing his instructions, handing him tools like a surgeon in an operating theatre. Rubin is in command. I just sit back and let it happen.
Whenever I book an appointment with him I need to block out the entire day. No matter how long they write in the appointment book it will be longer. Much longer.
Rubin will make suggestions. Then he will begin. The Full Rubin comes with singing, too. He will serenade us with his renditions of Beyonce, The Beetles or Eminem. Rubin’s English is hit and miss. But its American when he sings, and he’s pitch perfect.
Whenever we swing by to make an appointment we are greeted in the salon like Norm on the show ‘Cheers’. Always welcome. You can tell they are smiling under their masks. No double cheek kisses these days, but we kiss the air.
He told me today he was sad when Jeff told him we were moving. We all know each other now. Rubin knows our history. And we know his. The highs and lows of his past three years. Seeing Rubin has been one of the lone normalices of the pandemic. Something to count on.
I told him not to worry. We will see him when we come back to see the dentist I like so much here. I will book an appointments when we will be in town. He’s not naive, though. He knows we will have to find someone to take care of us up in Lugo or Santiago de Compostela. I can hear him already. Clucking when he reviews their work during our first appointment back on a return trip. A heavy sigh as he runs his fingers through my hair ‘I’ll have to fix this.’ he’ll tell me. And he will.
But for today, I’ll sit here and drink my cafe. Listen to the show. I’ll take Jeff’s advice and enjoy ‘The Full Rubin.’
Viva Espana 
I’m so envious. I want a hairdresser that I like. Mine quit early into the pandemic. Now I’m udderless; hmmmm, I don’t that’s the right word for a boat without but you get my drift. And I want a haircut done by someone other than my husband for the last year. Bless him, he was able to cut a straight bob but that’s about it. I can imagine how good you feel with a good cut and color and with the joy of someone who ‘knows your hair’!
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Rubin just does hair and he loves what he does. The salon is like an operating room, its so clean. They are good at what they do. My stress level falls when I spend time there. Even with restrictions lifting a bit, I figure since they are so strict on protecting clients with temperature checks and mandatory masking the entire time. Even in the rest room while you wait for your color to activate. In the US this would cost $500-600 minimum for 5 colors where he touches each hair. Here’ €100. Amazing and just what I needed to recharge and to feel more like myself.
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I am the opposite of you in a hair salon. There is no way that I could sit for 6 hours to get a color and cut. 😅 I want to get it done as quickly as possible and leave. I start getting antsy after 2 hours if they’re not done yet. But I am glad that you had a spa day.
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I used to get antsy. Now I just surrender to it. He got the color right this time.
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