OK, here are some somewhat shallow things I REALLY need to know! Please forgive me!
Are there any salons in Taipei that are more upscale/trendy that any of you would recommend??? Everytime I go to Taiwan my mom takes me for a āshampooā, you know one of those little shops where they massage the hell out of your head, and I see that they do haircuts & styles, but Iām sorry ā¦ there is no way they are cutting my hair! I get my hair highlighted regularly, but I was thinking about just taking it back to my natural color before I move, so I wonāt have to deal w/ it. But, if there are places that are highly recommended then I will have to think about it.
Is there anywhere to workout in Taipei? Gyms or fitness centers of some sort? Are they equipped w/ weights??? Are the group excercise classes easy to participate in if they are taught in Mandarin? Are membership costs extreme or comparable to the US? Also, do any of you take dance classes (ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop) ā¦ if you do, could you recommend a good studio or school?
Do they sell MAC makeup anywhere???
I told you ā¦ pretty dumb questions hu! But I reeeeaaaallly need to know ā¦ hehe ā¦ THANKS!
Great hair salon off of Ren Ai road, not far from An He.
The owner is a French guy named William. He is very good, both with cuts and also with color. Name of the salon is Eco Hair. Phone number is at home, but will post it later, or search the threads cause I posted it once before.
MAC also used to have a stand alone store on ChungHsaio E. Rd, not far from the Dun Hwa/ChungHsaio stop, in the ATT dept. store, donāt know if it is still there or not.
I think I know what you are talking about, you are looking for those upscale, trendy salon, instead of those local ones, am I right? But donāt ya worry, there are a lot of salons by Sogoās and Ximending. You will find the one that suits ya the best.
There are Calif. Fitness, Golden Gym, and other gyms in Taipei. You can find out more information once you get there to ask them if they offer certain classes that you are looking for. Two yrs of mbrship @ Calif. Fitness is 20K, of course, it also depends on what other options you want on your membership.
Yes, they have MAC here and I loveeee their nail polish. Taipei are like LA and SF, the only difference is that there are 7-11 @ every corner. Haha
Thanks for all the info guys! Iām happy to hear there may be hope for a well coifed 'do afterall while Iām in Taiwan!
Fredericka - My last visit to Taiwan was in April of 2000. I was there only about 2 1/2 weeks.
Sharky - Thanks so much for the name of a salon. It sounds great. Whenever you get around to finding the number/address just let me know, greatly appreciated!
MaikaW - I think we will make excellent shopping buddies! Cali girls gotta stick together ā¦ hehe.
MorganRain, thereās literally hundreds of trendy salons that will be happy to help you (if youāre happy to outlay lots of $$$), but the problem may be the language barrier. It would be a great idea to either find an English-speaking stylist or to take along a friend who can speak Chinese. Iāve met the French guy who was mentioned in a previous post, and I believe his salon is quite good.
As for exercise, again, itās a money thingā¦ I go to Goldās (cnr XinYi and FuXing Sth Rd, beside the Ta-An MRT station). Itās got an excellent womenās area and you can certainly negotiate the price (although not as much as you can with the people at California Fitness).
Good luck,
The Big Babou
ps: I know a guy who can make you a Taiwan Beer t-shirtā¦
The phone number for Eco is 8773-6282
Address: Renai Road Section 3, Lane 345, Alley 2, #13-1 (behind Fubon Bank) near Anho Road intersection.
A cut is $1600
A perm is $2500
Dunno about other things.
Going this Friday!
Sorry for casting aspersions on your desire to seek out a good hairdo in Taiwan. As more helpful posters than I have pointed out, good hairdressers can be found in Taipei.
Try Fine Hair salon. Dianeās been a hair stylist for 20 years, and has quite a few satisifed customers here in Taipei, maybe more westerners than Taiwanese by now. All her work is top quality, and sheās very good with colors, if thatās your thing.
We lived in the US for a while so she speaks good English. We also lived in Sweden, where she worked as hair dresser full time for over 4 years (speaks good Swedish, too), so she knows western hair and hair styles. She also worked in Hong Kong for a short time. Sheās located in the middle of Taipei, just 3 minutes walk behind SOGO, along Ta-an Rd. towards Civic Blvd. into lane 31. By MRT, get off at the Chunghsiao/Fuhsing station on the blue line, taking the SOGO exit (4).
Iāve put a (bad) map on her web-site (fine-salon.com), but basically you walk in the direction of Tunhwa (Dunhua) for about a hundred meters until you hit Ta-an (Daāan) Rd. Turn left on Daāan towards Civic Blvd. Pass a 7-11 on your right hand side. The last lane on the same side as the 7-11 before you get to the Family Mart convenience store (which is on the opposite side of Daāan) is lane 31 (thereās a clothes store right on that corner). Turn right into that lane and youāll find Diane about a hundred meters down, on your right hand side just before the intersection.
Please forgive me!