From an anonymous hairstylist: "A client was getting a permanent and, in the middle of processing, started to have chest pains. We called the paramedics immediately. When they arrived, they wanted to take her to the hospital, but she refused, saying she was not through with her perm yet. We finally convinced her to get in the ambulance, and they took her away. Two weeks later, she called us to say, 'This is the worst perm I've ever had and I want it redone.' We saved her life, and she was made that we interfered with the timing of her perm!"

From an anonymous massage therapist: "We had one client who came in for regular body-firming treatments -- usually weekly. The service involves massaging all over the body. Well, I guess all that rubbing made the client need to use the bathroom, so every time she came, she would drop a bomb in there. The whole hallway would smell. So we started checking the appointment book to see when she would be coming in. We would hang an 'Out of Order' sign on the bathroom door so that she would have to use the restroom that was farthest away from the treatment rooms."

From an anonymous hairstylist: "I had a client bring in her 85-year-old grandma for a haircut. She refused to let me cut her hair with my professional shears and insisted I use paper-cutting scissors she brought from home, which looked like the ones I used in grade school. She told me the scissors were deeply [ingrained] in her family history and the culture of her homeland -- so I proceeded to cut her hair with dull scissors that had holes big enough for the fingers of a 5-year-old. Needless to say, it took me a bit longer than usual!"

From an anonymous hairstylist: "At 8:30 a.m., as I was rushing out the door for a 9 a.m. start, a client called to tell me she was running 20 minutes late. I explained that I double- and sometimes triple-book, so as long as she was aware that my assistant would be doing some or most of the work, it would be fine. The client called at 9:45 a.m. complaining about the bad traffic and the receptionist told her that she may incur a late fee. She didn't arrive until 10:30 a.m.! At this point, I decided my assistant would be doing the entire job. Halfway through, my assistant explained to her that the service charge would be $225. The client refused the service because she only had $150 with her!"

From an anonymous salon employee: "There was a client who came in every few weeks to get a bikini wax. But every time she came, it was clear she hadn't showered. Her smell 'down there' was overpowering. We would have to light incense when she left and apologize to the next client who used the room. It was that bad."