I had noticed, the last two years, that my salon, Tranquility, was playing a lot of Christian music,  I did not think much of it during the Christmas Holiday, I mean, it made sense, Christian music for CHRISTmas, no issue.  However, when the Christian music continued, well after the holiday, I finally said something to the front desk, on more than one occasion.  Some Christian Rock you can’t even tell its religious, but when the chorus, is “Jesus will save you”, its a bit much for this Jew.  I was very polite when I asked them to change the music to something a little less religious.

Much to my surprise, this past Friday, I open up an e-mail from Tranquility, and in addition to sharing special events happening at the Salon, there is a very large invite to  Life Church in Manassas for Easter services.

Honestly, this was just too much.  So I call the Salon to share my concerns with the owners.  The receptionist takes my information and then asks what issue I am calling about.  I share, that in addition to the Christian music the Salon is playing, the invite to this Church was simply over the top, especially since the Church mission is clearly to spread the word of Jesus as the Savior and that just doing good deeds was not enough to be in G-ds good grace.  If that is what the owner believes, I have no problem with that, but I don’t need to know it.  The receptionist then asked, why did  look at the Church website, and I replied “because you included the link in your e-mail !”. 

The final straw was when she told me that the owners had every right to send whatever  e-mail they wanted and that it was a private business and furthermore it was a “Christian business” and I said “Tranquility is a Christian business?”, wondering, what the heck does that mean?  She replied that the staff are christians and that they begin their day with a prayer.  I said “Well, I had no idea, where is that advertised?”, to which she replied, “well, it isn’t”.   So then why is she behaving as though I am idiot for not knowing this very critical piece of information.  I  have been going to this salon for over 7 years, and it is only in the last 2 years I have noticed this change.

If I had known this was a Christian business, whatever that is, I would never have complained, I would have taken my business elsewhere.   I have no desire to feel like I am being evangelized when I am trapped in a Salon, for at least 2 hours, getting my hair done.

The owner, who was very polite, called me the next morning.    To make a long conversation short, even after giving her the example of “what if”, what if Muslim music was being played, preaching that Allah was the only path to G-d, how would she feel?  How would she feel if she started receiving invitations to go the the Mosque where they preach the only path to salvation is Allah? 

She never fully answered that question, but what was crystal clear to me, was that she did not understand or empathize with what I was sharing.  I said that if she was running a “Christian Salon” then she should inform her patrons so that they can make an informed decision about whether Tranquility Day Spa is the right place for them.   She agreed, saying that the website was going to be updated very soon and that she would be clearly letting customers know that it was a Christian Salon. 

Honestly, I was taken aback, to exclude so many people in a growing diverse population, was completely unexpected. 

So, although I struggled with my decision, because I really like my hairdresser, I will only go back, one last time, to say good bye and tell her how wonderful it was to get to know her.   I don’t believe a person’s religious belief should be thrust upon anyone, no matter how well intentioned.

61 Thoughts to “Evangelical Hair Salon?”

  1. Censored bybvbl

    Elena, your story illustrates why businesses should remain as secular as possible – not all their clientele want to be exposed to political or religious messages during the course of a non-religious or non-political transaction. To me, good business practices would include selling your product without offending your buyers and appealing to the largest audience possible.

    I’m glad you spoke to the owner so that she understands how her choice of music or message may offend some of her clients needlessly. Since that’s a salon I had considered using, I’m doubly appreciative of the thumbs up so that I’ll scratch it off my list of places to visit. I hate the salon ritual to begin with so I would absolutely hate being trapped and preached or sung to. It would be like having a massage and having to listen to Rush Limbaugh. Ugh.

  2. Elena

    Thanks Censored, I appreciate your support. I wasn’t sure how this post was going to be recieved so I am glad you are the first to comment 🙂

  3. SlowpokeRodriguez

    I’m still on the lookout for a topless hair salon.

  4. The owner sounds reasonable, but the experience sounds bizarre!

  5. Elena

    Pinko,
    It wasn’t that she was unreasonable, it was that she completely unaware that not everyone believes her same faith. Not only does everyone not believe in her faith, but that people would think it was inappropriate to use her salon for her own personal beliefs. But, she does have every right to do just that and I don’t fault her for her belief system, I only fault her for pushing it onto unsuspecting patrons.

  6. Elena,

    I can understand your position. I can also understand the owner’s position. You wouldn’t have known it was a Christian-owned & managed establishment, if there had not been subtle and overt displays that you noted. The owner made a business decision to express their faith outwardly. Being a private business, it is their right to do so, and you have every right to take your business elswhere, as a customer. In their defense, some Christians believe that they have been called to share their faith everywhere. However, it’s in the “execution” of this calling that the best intentions go awry.

    This reminds me of the conversation I had with the Skokan’s, in their store. I told them that the only item they sold in their store that I objected to where their hardcore DVD’s. Mr. Skokan told me it was a business decision to carry those items. I made a business decision to never spend a dime in their store, while they continured to offer these for sale. While I don’t think he has a true understanding of why I find what he is selling offensive, as he is obviously looking froma a different world-view, I think he believes the risk/benefit ratio tipped in his favor.

    I know that women are fiercely loyal to their hairdressers, and will follow them from Salon to Salon. I would imagine the decision to no longer go there was a tough one.

  7. Elena

    You are right Steve, it was a tough decision. Finding her took years once I left my old Salon in Springfield. She is a great girl, and honestly, from things she has said to me, she also feels uncomfortable but would never say anything.

    Most of my friends are Christians, come very religious, and I have never felt anything but complete acceptance from them. I remember one conversation where my friends said I was one of the most caring persons she knew, that except for the fact that I didn’t believe in, well, you know who, she said I was almost the best person she knew 😉 It was said with the best intentions and I laughed and told her the same thing!

    She believed that by being a good person, and demonstrating kindness and compassion, that was the best way to bring people to faith, not by being pushy or suggesting they needed to be saved.

  8. @SlowpokeRodriguez
    Maybe K&K can expand their range of services….

  9. Cato the Elder

    @SlowpokeRodriguez

    http://www.hotcuts.com.au/

    Hair cuts for a hundred bucks (aussie). The plane ride to Sydney will set you back several thousand though. (Sydney is near the top of my favorite places to visit list)

  10. @Elena
    Saved…with this inflation? I’d rather be invested!

  11. I can tell you that Elena had an agonizing choice to make. Imagine yourself if there was a call to prayer and you had to sit there while everyone participated, pulled out their prayer rugs and prayed towards Mecca.

    Or, what if you were Jewish or mainstream Christian. As a mainstream Christian who is not charismatic, fundamentalist, etc (some of you all might call it being Liberal Christian) those kinds of Christian shops can be very excluding to people who aren’t into what they are. I wouldn’t be comfortable there either.

    That shop used to be very new age. What happened?

    It is their right to be whatever they want to be. It is the customers right to not like it and not patronize that shop. It should be posted. I don’t like surprises. It is evangelizing. Each of us has a right to not be evangelized. Think of it as not letting in every Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon who evangelizes at your door.

  12. Censored bybvbl

    I think that we in northern Virginia are on the fringes of the Bible Belt and those fundamentalist practices kind of take those of us who aren’t fundamentalist Christians by surprise when we encounter them. I’m used to hearing “bless you” when someone sneezes, but I was shocked during a recent visit to southern Alabama and Georgia to hear someone say “have a blessed day” when I bought my boiled peanuts or costume jewelry. It’s a small yet big difference. One seems a generic expression and the other religious. As a non-Christian, I didn’t want to be damned, but I didn’t want to be blessed either for buying vegetables. A simple “thank you” would have sufficed.

    Shop owners really should keep their politics and religion to themselves. I’ve boycotted stores whose owners are right-wing zealots after they’d made the mistake of putting posters with political opinions in their windows. I could have enjoyed their pizza for years to come had I not been subjected to their politics. If these are the types of small businesses that are struggling in America, maybe they should re-examine how they operate and make a plan to offend the least number of their clients by keeping personal beliefs to themselves.

  13. Wolverine

    Call to prayer? Everyone participated, pulled out their prayers rugs, and prayed towards Mecca? Been there, done that many times. I was the only Christian in the place. Didn’t bother me a bit. Well, maybe once — when I was on a train which was running late and I might miss an important transfer. They stopped the train in the middle of nowhere so everybody could get out to pray. I would imagine that you might run into something similar right here in America these days — in places like Dearborn, Michigan, for instance.

    Aren’t you guys being a bit thin-skinned about this? You feel “evangelized” because someone is playing Christian music in their place of business? Would you depart in a huff if you visited a private home and encountered a crucifix on the wall? Would you complain to the authorities if the “Messiah” was performed in a public ampitheater? Do you look with antagonism on the sound of church bells? So, maybe when I am up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn I should avoid patronizing Hassidic-owned businesses because their dress and demeanor make me uncomfortable? Lighten up, guys.

  14. Elena

    Wolverine,
    I am not in a religious establishment nor am I am someones private home just haphazardly giving them my money. Being in a salon makes you, literallly, a captive audience. If I were to go into a Christian bookstore, I would expect to hear Christian music. Religion, in my humble opinion, does NOT belong everywhere in every facet of life, especially BECAUSE there are so many divergent views. I would never presume to bombard anyone other person with my beliefs and I expect the same courtesy, it really that simple.

  15. Elena

    oh, and Wolverine, I imagine your muslim experience did NOT happen in America!

  16. If I go to someone’s home then I am their guest. It isn’t the same as a public business. The point is, if you aren’t of that faith it can be an unwelcoming experience. I wouldn’t assume that everyone is of the same mind-set. For that matter, Christians differ in their habits and rituals as much as the next guy. I have been to places I found offensive.

    Anything that says or implies ‘we belong to the club and you don’t’ is publically unacceptable.

    Christmas music is seasonal and part of the culture. Crucifixes on the wall is fine in a private home. Handel’s Messiah is classical music. Church bells are church bells, the same as any other sound of worship.

    When you are a captive audience for a few hours, you should at least know you are being evangelized. This establishment used to play lots of new age music. The change was very subtle. I expect the owner had a religious conversion of sorts.

    I can vouche for Elena. She didn’t leave in a huff. She called the store when she got home.

    Really Wolverine, if you were living in the USA, would you like it if your barber shop became muslim?

    Addition to the post–I obviously got interrupted and didn’t finish the comment. that should read a muslim center of prayer.

    Obviously barber shops can’t become muslim, only people can.

  17. punchak

    @Cato the Elder

    Love “hotcuts” bottom notice: “Additional services can be included”.

    As for Sidney – I’m with you. Really, really GREAT city!

  18. punchak

    @Censored bybvbl

    You were shocked to hear “have a blessed day”? How about if you had been told: “have one hell of a day”? In my ears the two of them mean just about the same thing.

    BTW – Who listens to the music in a beauty salon? As long as it isn’t heavy metal or similar, and keep the voluma down, they can play whaever. Quesstion for Elena: Can you really hear the words?

  19. Wolverine

    As a matter of fact, our local barbershop IS run by Muslims and has been for a long time. My own kids keep coming back with their families from miles away because they like the work done and the people who do it.

    Yes, my experiences were in Africa; but I guarantee you that, in areas like Dearborn and other Metro Detroit communities where there are large concentrations of Muslim immigrants, you can run into the same thing. Might be a little disconcerting at first for people who, unlike myself, have never lived within Muslim communities; but I see no reason to get the heebie-jeebies when you encounter someone else displaying or practicing their own religious faith. For all the preaching I’ve seen here about not make generalizations about people who are different than yourself, I am taken a bit aback by the barbershop comment.

    I am not slamming Elena or anyone else over this. If you don’t want to be “evangelized ” by someone of another faith, I have no problem with that. You don’t want to be evangelized. Your indelible right. No one in this society can perp walk you against your wishes into a religious re-education camp. But, for all the “tolerance” I see advocated consistently on this blog, I get surprised from time to time by what looks like a creeping intolerance for some of your fellow Americans who practice a Christian faith and hold Christian beliefs somewhat at variance to or sometimes quite different than your own. Why is it impossible to do business with a shopkeeper who may have a display of his or her faith on public view? Why does this offend so much? It is not like you are spending a huge amount of your life in that shop. If that faith is not to your taste, shrug it off, do your business, and go on your way. Why the fuss? And if you get an invite to a church in the mail and are not interested, put it in the circular file and forget about it. If a young Mormon comes to your door, tell him you are not interested; but I hardly think it is necessary to look at him like he was some kind of distasteful commodity. I’d much rather have that kid out there doing something like that than making a mess of his life like so many of his age peers seem be doing these days.

    I just think you gals are getting a tad pricklish about something that is not that big a deal.

  20. punchak

    @Wolverine

    AMEN TO THAT!!!

    And, now I lay me down to sleep …

  21. @Cato the Elder
    I have to get one of those for my nephew. He’s a Messianic Jew. Then again, the fish does represent Jesus and Jesus was Jewish……..so…….

  22. Need to Know

    Several years ago I worked as a contractor on an educational media production project. I was working on content. The corporation also hired a media company in Northern Virginia that was a business owned by a family of Muslims who had fled from Afghanistan. They had a few religious symbols in their place of business but never tried to convert me, or anyone else that I was aware of. The mother brought traditional Afghan food she had made at home for everyone to have for lunch, including me and other non-Muslims working on the project. They offered to get me some fast food, but someone would have been insane to eat that stuff over what the family was offering. This was a very nice family who neither hid their religion nor forced it on anyone else.

    I try to strike a balance in my own business. I am an active lay leader in my church, a mainstream Protestant denomination, and have religious materials and books in my office, as well as items that clearly reveal my Republican leanings. I also allow my church to use my conference room for committee meetings sometimes. However, I keep religious and political materials in my own office, which I allow to reflect some of my own personality and interests, rather than in common areas, the conference room, etc. My intent is to make everyone comfortable and feel welcome, regardless of their faith or political views, while not hiding my own. From a business perspective, a Democrat’s money is as good as a Republican’s.

    As stated by some of the others in this thread, private businesses are free to manage their businesses as they chose, and customers are free to decide where they are comfortable doing business. If you use your business as a place of worship or evangelism, you will lose some customers. However, I think it’s possible to be honest and open about your personal beliefs while making comfortable those who respect you professionally but don’t share those beliefs.

  23. Elena

    NTK,
    You have shared what I believe is a balance and that is all I expect when I am in the Salon. Would I care if a cross was on the wall, of course not, and that is not what I am talking about at Tranquility. The music, like I said, was not always Christian, and it may have been more than I knew, but could not tell. But when I am sitting there, for hours, there have been times that the music is clearly VERY preachy, I find that inappropriate.

    I know you have a strong faith background so I especially appreciate your understanding of my feelings.

  24. Emma

    I know a local surgeon who prays right before beginning surgery. So some of you may have been “evangelized” while you were out cold. BWHAHAHAHAHA!!

    But seriously, many people, like this particular physician, feel they are not being true to their faith if they do not live it in every aspect of their lives. There is nothing in the New Testament that commands Christians to compartmentalize their lives–“don’t hide your light under a bushel” and all that.

  25. Elena

    @wolverine,

    I do not get the “heebie jeebies”, as I stated before, most of my friends are Christian. What I am uncomfortable with is the presumption that everyone has a need to be spiritually lifted by Christianity and the belief that ALL people WANT to hear the message over and over in every environment, even while they get their hair done.

    I actually DO have a great concern that religion is finding its way into too many public arenas, especially politics. If we were to insert Islam instead of Chritianity, I imagine people would feel quite differently religion in politics and private businesses. But Christianity is seen, by some, as the true American religion. Ever since the Jerry Fallwells and Pat Robertson, there has been a clear resurgence of religion in politics and that DOES concern me, very much.

    I think NTK said it best:

    As stated by some of the others in this thread, private businesses are free to manage their businesses as they chose, and customers are free to decide where they are comfortable doing business. If you use your business as a place of worship or evangelism, you will lose some customers. However, I think it’s possible to be honest and open about your personal beliefs while making comfortable those who respect you professionally but don’t share those beliefs.

  26. “As a non-Christian, I didn’t want to be damned, but I didn’t want to be blessed either for buying vegetables.”

    or you could accept the parting words in the spirit offerred, as one would accept “Aloha”, “Ciao’ ” “Vaya con Dios” etc., with the understanding of the cultural connotations, and the lack of malice therein. “Blessed” in and of itself does not automatically mean “have a great day, made possible by God, the father of Christ”.

  27. Emma :I know a local surgeon who prays right before beginning surgery. So some of you may have been “evangelized” while you were out cold. BWHAHAHAHAHA!!
    But seriously, many people, like this particular physician, feel they are not being true to their faith if they do not live it in every aspect of their lives. There is nothing in the New Testament that commands Christians to compartmentalize their lives–”don’t hide your light under a bushel” and all that.

    Exactly! If no offense is offerred, why take it?

  28. @ Wolverin,
    Razor soup for breakfast?

    I think its all how owners make us feel. If I went to a Christian book store I would expect to hear Christian music. I don’t like Christian Rock so I would hope it was traditional Christian music. It has been my experience that mainstreamers are far stuffier about music than the evangelicals. If I went to have my nails done and there was a mini buddist alter there, it would not offend me at all. I was not offended that my favorite online camera shop was closed for Passover. I thought it was strange, but not offensive. If I go into a Wiccan shop, I don’t care what is being played or displayed.

    There are all sorts of ways businesses (and clubs) can be welcoming or unwelcoming. The ‘outlier’ knows when he or she is being excluded.

    And if someone really wanted to invite me to their church I would expect a call or an in-person invitation, not some email that went out as a customer list. That’s when someone is just trying to pew-pack. yes. I would be offended as hell.

    That’s the difference. If you care about someone’s soul/salvation/spiritual well-being, you invite them personally. You aren’t part of a mass mailing list. That form of evangelizing is just pew packing and impersonal.

  29. And while we are on the subject…let’s just make this personal. Elena wrote about a situation that was very troubling to her. I might also say that while Elena is Jewish, her children are raised with celebrating the holidays of Christians and of Jews. I don’t care much for implications that Elena is not broad-minded and ecumenical. She is one of the most open minded people I know.

    If you have never been made to feel unwelcome because of another’s religious behavior, you are fortunate. If you have never been made to feel a little less blessed, a little less accepted, a little less part of the club, then how fortunate. I have found that church groups can be formidable when it comes really welcoming strangers. yes, they go through all the right gestures etc. but it isn’t real. You can be made to feel like an outsider looking in.

    After 2 hours of listening to how you might burn in hell because you aren’t saved, you might just feel a little irritated if your religion doesn’t make a big deal out of being saved. (Mine doesn’t nor does Elena’s)

  30. @Moon-howler
    Of course, all you Protestants are lost. Rejoin the Holy Mother Church! Save yourselves! Being “saved” doesn’t help! Remember, no one EVER expects the Spanish Inquisition!

    http://youtu.be/CSe38dzJYkY

    Of course, the pagans and the Jews said that about all the Christian cultists too, didn’t they?

    Come! Join my church of John Moses Browning! (PBUH). I need the tax..uh, we celebrate uh…FREEDOM!!!!! Freedom for Scot,..um.. that’s not it….never mind. I’ll get back to you.

  31. Elena

    So I thought I would share my last visit to Tranquility. I shared with my haidresser what I have shared on the blog. She too was shocked to hear Tranquility described as a “Christian Salon”. It was clear to me that she has noticed a clear change in atmosphere from when she first started working there over 4 years ago.

    She made it known that I am NOT the only person who feels uncomfortable there and that the music has actually gotten even more religious since my last appointment. I said to her “really, because the music playing right now is what USE to play, the New Age music. She said “yes, however, this music is NEVER played, except, interestingly enough, the afternoon you come in”. In fact, another stylist overheard our conversation and commented on how much better this was than the “other music”.

    Anyway, when I was checking out, the receptionist asked if I’d like to go ahead and make my next appointment, to which I replied “no, I won’t be coming back”, she looked perplexed and ask “why” to which I reply, ” I have been told this is a Christian Salon and I just don’t feel comfortable here”. She look quited surprised by that statemnt but then smiled and said she would hope I would be back. I smiled back and said “when you guys go back to the way it use to be, then I would love to come back, I really loved Tranquility”.

    I

  32. Elena

    Oh, and Moon, thank you, I appreciate your kind words about my being open minded 🙂

  33. @Elena
    Good for you. If more customers would stand up for themselves, both politics and private industry would be more responsive.

  34. @cargosquid
    Cardinal Fang??? bwahahahahahahahahaha

  35. Elena, you are welcome. It was meant sincerely.

    Cargo, you are right. If we don’t tell them they won’t know.

  36. Back when I smoked I would tell off the management if there weren’t enough smoking tables. It was absurd to sit there waiting 3 times as long for a smoking table when non smoking tables were seated. Even though I no longer partake, I still get angry thinking about it.

  37. Wolverine

    No razor soup, Moon. Just a bit of mystification as to why you all seem to make such a big thing of this. It is not like Elena was dragged into a nunnery and forced to sit through a lecture on the Holy Sacrament. You guys have to lighten up a bit. How you can go from the unexpected hearing of a Christian rock song in a salon to visions of being subjected to the personal discomfort of a fire-and-brimstone sermon in an evangelical church is enough to make me chuckle. If you feel uncomfortable in that “Christian salon”, don’t go there. That’s all. But why make a big deal of it?

  38. I can see where it could be annoying or even offensive to non-Christians, and I will agree that Elena is very open minded, regarding issues of faith. She knows I am a Christian, and asks respectful, genuine questions. She accepts my answers and understands that it is only one person’s perspective on faith. An atmosphere that promotes questions and answers is much more effective, I feel. The party asking the question is seeking and answer. The one answering gets the opportunity to explain their faith. This is what one of my favorite authors called “GodSpace”. GodSpace rarely forms when one party is in-your-face, and the other gets (naturally) defensive.

    Another thing I’ve come to learn is I will never be the reason someone chooses to accept Christ. That’s a “God & Holy Spirit” thing. I can’t argue someone to the cross. I can only try to explain my faith, as I understand it…and only when asked.

    I feel fortunate that my barber only ever has animal planet on the tv when I go to get my haircut. Dogs I am good with, but cats, not so much…Just Kidding!

  39. Wolverine,

    I don’t think you have your hair styled. That must be it. First of all, it isn’t ‘you guys.’ My hair salon problems are different. My person disappeared in the middle of the night. I had to go to Lafayette for help.

    When a woman loses her stylist, it is sort of like having to get a divorce. It is not to be taken lightly. And this is not a ‘lighten up’ matter. It takes a long time to find a stylist who suits you unless you have a bowl hair cut. Even then it can be a problem to find someone who does color right or other specifics. The stylist is far more important than the shop.

    The shop has changed since she first started going there. Perhaps nothing would offend you in the religious department. Everyone has limits. Elena is no different.

  40. Cato the Elder

    Religion is like a penis. It’s OK to have one, just don’t take it out and start waving it around.

    And for God’s sake, don’t try to shove it down someone else’s throat uninvited.

    1. If that’s the analogy it takes to get this point across, so be it.

      That pretty much sums it up.

  41. Wolverine

    Oh, heck. It’s the hair. I should have guessed. Dang, never get between a woman and her favorite hair stylist…. almost suicidal….mumble, mumble, mumble.

    Actually, I thought not being offended by a display of someone else’s religion might be considered a good thing — although that business about Santeria and dead chickens can certainly give you pause. About the only time I personally got a bit upset was when I couldn’t locate my young daughter. Found her in the yard of the Muslims next door, watching them sacrifice a live sheep for one of their holiday celebrations. That WAS kind of awkward, I must admit.

    1. @Wolverine,

      we are making progress here. Part of it is being a captive audience and part of it is the feeling that you are being evangelized without your permission.

      There are some people who are so smug in their religious beliefs that they have no sense of someone else’s ‘God Space.’ (I believe that is the term Steve used) Some people have none, some people have different, some people have same but don’t want to share with casual strangers.

      It is difficult to wear earphones when one is having their hair done. I think the pew packing was probably the final straw. I expect that would have offended me.

  42. Elena

    Thank you everyone for your thoughtful comments(well, except for Cato!). This was a good discussion.

    I really struggled with my feelings and if they were valid, how did I want to handle it, if at all, was I willing to give up my wonderful hairstylist to be true to myself?

    I feel comfortable with my final decison. Right or wrong, its how I feel.

  43. Alanna

    Will you stop eating at Chick-fil-A too?

    I have to agree with Wolverine on this one.

    If you had a horrible hair cut and decided to change salons, I doubt that would that have necessitated an entire thread? So, I am unsure why you’ve singled out this business?

    In the interest of fair disclosure, I will say that the owner was a highschool friend of my sister and I attended church with her mother. I like her as a person. She has done a lot for the community and I respect her right to run her business in this manner. Additionally, she is an extremely talented stylist and her business has done extremely well.

    I wish you the best in finding another stylist.

  44. Wolverine

    Hah, Moon! If “God Space” is an operative word these days, I’d hate to see the mayhem if a Hare Khrisna ever approached any of you at an airport. LOL. You guys crack me up. Love ya anyway.

    I guess I’m just different about this. I kind of like to talk to people about their religion. It’s educational. There have been times when I have so much talked the ears off of young Mormon missionaries about LDS history that THEY were the ones who tried to get away. One of them actually thought that I was already a Mormon.

    BTW, I’ll bet that Cato the Elder may have a real effect on the business world in Hong Kong. A lot of “establishments” in the Wan Chai district might close their doors if Cato arrives preaching a philosophy of “don’t take it out.” Might be the start of a revenue flow problem in China.

  45. Elena

    Obviously Chick filet does not openly espouse christianity, I have never noticed. The issue is not that the owner is Christian and is closed Sunday’s the issue is whether patrons feel comfortable. I don’t feel comfortable at Tranquility.

    Just like you are suggesting that the owner has a right to be true to herself via her business, so do I have the same right.

    I put it on the blog because I believe that peope have a right to know that Tranquility is a “Christian salon”, the owner is clearly not hiding this fact, why should I? I am sure the owner is nice, does lots of good things, what does that have to with creating an environment where some staff and some patrons feel uncomfortable. I am not a new client, I have been there over 7 years, the change is blaringly obvious.

  46. Elena

    Wolverine,
    I also love discussing religion! Ask Steve 🙂 I am not offended by other peoples belief, I just don’t want it forced on me. Being in the salon is not a “two way discussion”. Furthermore, honestly, I do enough debating in my life, the salon is suppose to be an escape.

  47. Cato the Elder

    @Wolverine

    Don’t be hatin’ on Wen Chai, these days it’s quite upscale.

    @Elena

    When you’re crude and vulgar when making a point, it sticks in the memory. I’m that guy you don’t want to find yourself in a race to the bottom with.

    1. hmmmm…is that a challenge? And does your spouse have a nickname for the baser side of your nature?

  48. @Wolverine

    Shame on you, Wolverine, for bringing out the bad me…re Hari Krisna at the airport. Last time I got in it with them was for approaching an older foreign couple, giving them some garbage and then asking for money. I went over and blasted them for it and threatened to get security. Sigh. The good old days. I am glad they are no longer there. They preyed on others.

  49. @Wolverine

    Bwaaahahahahahaha re Cato. I am trying not to encourage him. LOL LOL LOL

    Now…I enjoy comparative religion. I used to always have one of my mormon kid friends in at the table talking. However, I wouldn’t want to be evangelized by the bike boys. And when I have my hair done….don’t mess with me. That is sacred time! The most I want to hear is that meditative music with tinkling streams and chirping birds.

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