Beauty Salon will not give Perms on board

This only concerns those who take the longer cruises & need Body Waves/Perms..

We disembarked the Prinsendam last week after a 68 day cruise.."Steiner Transocean Ltd." from Great Britain is the Concessionaire on all the Carnival owned ships & some other lines, which are not under the Carnival umbrella..They have about 50 salons on board ships..

I have short, (colored) blond & extremely fine hair for which I need a body wave every three months... Had a perm (body wave) in early Nov. prior to our Noordam cruise & a haircut just before boarding the Prinsendam Jan 5..My own beautician is originally from Great Britain & I purchased another perm from him to take on the Prinsendam..He gave me all the instructions (timing, Roller sizes, etc) as well as pics of my hair after it's done..I fully expected to be able to give this to the "Steiner" Hairdresser's on board..

Much to my dismay, I was told that they are not permitted to give perms which I sorely needed!:( :eek: They don't even have the rollers.. They suggested I try to get one in a South American port, which I did not think was a good idea..

Don't understand why "Steiner" salons can't give perms, since they are willing to train people to give Botox injections & Dermal Fillers in their Spa's..

Was able to get a couple of wash/sets, color & a haircut cut on board but then resorted to using the curling Iron for about a month.. Also brought my own hair color, which they did use..Of course my hair was a mess (split ends) when I finally got to my Salon today..

Have sent "Steiner" an e-mail & asked for their reasoning for not giving perms..Will post when I receive a reply..

Cheers..Betty

P.S. All eight formal nights, I had my hair & once my nails done..Spent three hours on the last formal night, with nails, a pedi. & hair ..DH thought I got lost & came looking for me..

Sorry for your disappointment about the perm.

Hope you had an otherwise good cruise.

Were there some wonderful experiences while aboard?

Would really enjoy if you post some comments. :)

Welcome back.

That stinks! Literally, the smell might knock out the whole ship! :D I know some women who would "die" without a perm, so sorry :(

Wow Betty, I am really surprised by this. I would have thought that they had all hair treatments available. I wonder if there is some ecological reason for this?

Fortunately I don't need a perm so I have no worries (although some might think I should get one:p).

But I do find this surprising.

thanks for the heads up.

Now tell us about the rest of your cruise - I'm betting you had a blast:D

I'm betting it's an issue with the smell or chemicals, it will be interesting to Steiner responds.

Welcome back! Hope the rest of the cruise was great.

Did you get into the Falklands this time? We got so lucky in 2003 on the Amsterdam!

Thanks everyone..All in all we had a wonderful time & I can say that without a doubt the Prinsendam staff is the "Cream of the Crop" The happiest crew I've ever seen on a HAL ship..I think it's because they love their Capt. so much..Every crew member told us he was wonderful! :):)..

We so looked forward to his daily briefings, as he always had some nice things to say & often gave us a History lesson..He was lovely in person too..Very down to earth...

Promise, I will write a few lines about out trip, when I get a chance..We'll have family (between 8 & 10) down for Easter..Can't do anything elso this week.. After they leave will get down to reading my log & doing some posting..

Finally unpacked seven (7) suitcases & did 9 loads of laundry at home..Only reason I did laundry was, because I was hesitant to send out the clothing I wore in the evening for dinner..It's all my good stuff..No problem with my daytime things or DH's shirts, slacks etc..but I wear many jackets & wanted to do them myself..Of course I took too many clothes & shoes as usual! But I wore all the clothes & most of the shoes..Reason, I now over pack is that for 30 plus years we only took one med size suitcase per person & one carry-on on all our flights, as we were always standing by..And we rarely get to dress up here in Fla..Now that we drive to the port I can take everything!:o:o... We had to have different types of clothing for both cold & hot climes..Figured we had about 17 to 20 days of very cold & the rest very hot ...LOL:eek:

Yes, localady we got into the Falklands..Wanted to book the Penguin tour again on the dock, but it was much too cold & windy..It's completely different now..Large dock bldg with tourist info..We took a walk up past the church, went into the same gift shop as before & then walked a bit more before taking the tender back to the ship...

It was either too hot or too cold to sit out on deck & you know how we enjoy that..We spent only about 7 days out on deck, the rest of the time we were in the library..

Must run now as my Pup is jumping on me to feed her & have to feed DH too..Promise I'll be back sometime next week to post my observations..

Betty

Happy to hear you came away happy.

Looking forward to whatever comments you wish to share with us. :)

I can't believe they wouldn't do perms. I'm sure they would certainly get a lot of people wanting one on long cruises. I can't stand their salons after several bad experiences and avoid it like the plague.

Perhaps because of a closed circuit ventilation system on the ships they might not want to do perms? Plus that is probably the most liability prone procedure as well in case of mistakes.

I have gotten my hair highlighted, cut and had pedicures in various HAL ship salons - all very good and less expensive than stateside in our area. I waited too long last time to get high-lighting appointment for a sea day, so from now on this will be the first thing I do when I get on board.

I know in the salon that I go to they never do perms. I would doubt any of the young stylists actually know how to do one. Not to be funny about this, but they haven't been in style for about 20 years. The stink and the damage to hair is probably one of the reason perms have fallen out of favour. I can't even imagine how damaging those chemicals are to a stylist's lungs.

I am glad to hear you got the other services done.

Sounds like a very interesting cruise!

I know in the salon that I go to they never do perms. I would doubt any of the young stylists actually know how to do one. Not to be funny about this, but they haven't been in style for about 20 years. The stink and the damage to hair is probably one of the reason perms have fallen out of favour. I can't even imagine how damaging those chemicals are to a stylist's lungs.

 

I am glad to hear you got the other services done.

 

Sounds like a very interesting cruise!

My mom has gotten one for years. I think a lot of the older generation does. Just because the younger generation might not does this mean it's out of style:confused:.

Interesting because they were doing the brazilian blowout straightening in 2010.

There's got to be liability with that.

My mom has gotten one for years. I think a lot of the older generation does. Just because the younger generation might not does this mean it's out of style:confused:.

Nope, I agree, it isn't out of style. BUT most of the people trained to do them properly are more mature, and not likely to be on a cruise ship to see the world.

Botox, tooth whitening, etc? Probably a 2 day course to get some form of "certification" :rolleyes:

Yes, I would say inexperience and strong chemical odor would be the reasons. Sounds like an incredible voyage, though!

Nope, I agree, it isn't out of style. BUT most of the people trained to do them properly are more mature, and not likely to be on a cruise ship to see the world.

 

Botox, tooth whitening, etc? Probably a 2 day course to get some form of "certification" :rolleyes:

True, but given HAL's clientele it would probably be a good idea if they did. There is likely to be a bit of demand on the longer cruises. I guess they are probably too busy pushing their fab products instead;).

I have very curly hair which I wear short. I decided long ago that I would not spend my valuable time trying to make it do something other than what it wanted to do. So I sought out a hair stylist that would work with it. Not all can deal well with naturally curly hair. I have to plan ahead for my haircuts. Currently I am scheduled for four cruises over a period of 7 weeks. I will be leaving home a week before that. At my last haircut, in early Feb. I scheduled my pre-cruise cut. I had to schedule for a week earlier than I would like, because my stylist was going on vacation/Spring break. Because it will be more than two months before I can see her again, I will have it cut extra short...what I call my 'tropical cut', which I used to get when I was doing adventure travel and knew I would be going to places with no hot water and no access to a hair dryer. It's all in the planning. EM

Interesting because they were doing the brazilian blowout straightening in 2010.

 

There's got to be liability with that.

And I believe that they stopped Brazillian Blowouts on HAL ships in 2010 or early 2011 because of those issues - all the nasty chemicals and the impact on the stylist's health.

By the way, Steiner is everywhere - it's not just Carnival brands. They are on Royal, Celebrity, Norwegian...

They obviously know what they are doing in terms of offerings and business/marketing planning. If it was profitable to offer perms, they would. I think that it's fine for us to sit here on these boards and postulate reasons, but the fact is, unless you are on a longer cruise, such as a 68-day cruise like the OP, or a World Cruise, they probably won't get many requests for this service as either 1. the older crowd that sails and still does perms most likely would go to a trusted professional at home before sailing or 2. The younger crowd no longer views perms as fashionable (take a look at TV now...any perms out there?). Not to mention, a perm takes TIME (I remember my days in the salons in the 80s). That's time taking 1 of 2 hair stylists away from being able to do more up-dos, haircuts, blow drys, etc. Steiner is there to make money and it appears that perms are not part of that plan.

I have very curly hair which I wear short. I decided long ago that I would not spend my valuable time trying to make it do something other than what it wanted to do. So I sought out a hair stylist that would work with it. Not all can deal well with naturally curly hair. I have to plan ahead for my haircuts. Currently I am scheduled for four cruises over a period of 7 weeks. I will be leaving home a week before that. At my last haircut, in early Feb. I scheduled my pre-cruise cut. I had to schedule for a week earlier than I would like, because my stylist was going on vacation/Spring break. Because it will be more than two months before I can see her again, I will have it cut extra short...what I call my 'tropical cut', which I used to get when I was doing adventure travel and knew I would be going to places with no hot water and no access to a hair dryer. It's all in the planning. EM

I just schedule my color/cut appointments around our trips. Just was in this am as I am leaving tomorrow for spring break. I will let others cut my hair, but when it comes to coloring I am very cautious. Had one bad experience at another local salon(way too red). My colorist custom mixes my color and we use a mixture of semi permanent/permanent color.

I just schedule my color/cut appointments around our trips. Just was in this am as I am leaving tomorrow for spring break. I will let others cut my hair, but when it comes to coloring I am very cautious. Had one bad experience at another local salon(way too red). My colorist custom mixes my color and we use a mixture of semi permanent/permanent color.

easy to do if you are doing shorter cruises - on the longer cruises it gets tricky. I totally get Betty's predicament - we are going to be away for nearly 35 days and to try to time my hair appointment is really pushing it. No doubt i will need a touch up on board. Imagine being on a 68 day cruise or a world cruise - you have to have some faith or feeling of comfort that your hair will be taken care of.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong not to offer perms - but perhaps there could be a better way to let people know on longer cruises what is available so at least they are prepared?

Perhaps the spa services could be on line - what is on line has nothing to do with hair - so one doesn't know - I think it's only fair to let people know what services are available and what is not

For my upcoming collection of cruises, I leave home by April 6 (to get to my sister's), sail on April 16, and not back in the States until June 3, and not back home for a few days after that. It's all in the planning. I take a pair of thinning shears for when it gets unruly. EM

I just schedule my color/cut appointments around our trips. Just was in this am as I am leaving tomorrow for spring break. I will let others cut my hair, but when it comes to coloring I am very cautious. Had one bad experience at another local salon(way too red). My colorist custom mixes my color and we use a mixture of semi permanent/permanent color.

For my upcoming collection of cruises, I leave home by April 6 (to get to my sister's), sail on April 16, and not back in the States until June 3, and not back home for a few days after that. It's all in the planning. I take a pair of thinning shears for when it gets unruly. EM

Ladies, I did plan! Had my Perm mid Nov. & a week later it was colored, just before our 21 day Cruise on the Noordam..Had a cut & color just before our Jan 5 boarding..My next Body wave was due Mid Feb..

Since I must have a body wave every three months, I purchased both the Color & Perm from my stylist..He gave me complete directions with pictures of my final hairdo..I typed up these directions for both the color & perm..

I have an extremely good sense of smell & the body wave my hairdresser uses, has very little smell...It's not like in the old days!

Matrix Opti: "delivers springier, firmer curls for extra volume and style support. Detects and self-adjusts to differences in hair porosity. Includes Anti-Frizz Neutralizer which defies humidity.. Recommended For: Normal, resistant and color-treated (up to 20 volume) hair".

The perm only stays on my hair for five (yes 5) minutes before being neutralized & then shampooed & blow dried..Abody wave only lasts three months..If I do not have a perm, then must resort to using the curling iron twice a day or my hair becomes a mess! :eek:

Sun~..Quote I know in the salon that I go to they never do perms. I would doubt any of the young stylists actually know how to do one. Not to be funny about this, but they haven't been in style for about 20 years. The stink and the damage to hair is probably one of the reason perms have fallen out of favour. I can't even imagine how damaging those chemicals are to a stylist's lungs. Unquote

Your claim the perms are passé is off base! Perhaps if you had my hair, you would not be so quick to criticize & might change your mind! Be grateful that you don't need a perm! I've used three salons since we moved to Fla. from the Big Apple 20 + years ago & they all still do perms.. Every Hairdresser including those in their 20's have agreed that my hair needs a body wave..I've needed one since I was very young! Unfortunately I inherited my Mom's hair, & my Dad's nose! :eek:

By the way the lovely Hairdresser on the Prinsendam, suggested that she set my hair in rollers, so that it would last a bit longer.. It lasted for two-three days..She was in her early twenties, agreed that with my hair I do need a body wave... She also worked in salons in Canada & believe she said that she gave perms to those who had hair like mine..

Believe IndoKiwi has hit the nail on the head..It's probably not profitable enough for Steiner & there is danger of ruining the hair if the Hairdresser is not experienced enough..

Cheers...:)Betty

P.S. BTW have not had an answer from Steine to my e-mail..

Just a thought but seeing you had the product and you had detailed, complete, typed directions, have watched your hair dressers do your perms for dozens of years, could you not do your own perm? In a pinch?

I had a perm for years until I gave it up and "went straight".

I don't know what the in-cabin bathrooms are like on the Prinsendam, but I know that the bathrooms in the "regular" cabins on the Vistas and Signatures aren't nearly roomy enough to do all the maneuvering that perms require. Not to mention that I couldn't even imagine doing a self-perm. You have to wrap rods on your entire head I'd be really afraid of messing up or missing some of the rods with the solution for the sections that I couldn't see particularly well (like the back of the head).

Good luck getting a reply from Steiner. I emailed them about one of their massage "therapists" from three years ago. Never got a reply.

I won't even try to figure out why I read this thread since I don't have enough hair to perm or even comb, but...my DW discovered that the Steiner salons do not do gel nails either. She even took her own supplies after HAL Seattle assured her gel services were available on the Prinsendam. Wrong. Luckily, the tech knew what to do and had her own UV dryer [or whatever it is]. Since then, and for other reasons, DW is back to acrylics and has no problems.

Just a thought but seeing you had the product and you had detailed, complete, typed directions, have watched your hair dressers do your perms for dozens of years, could you not do your own perm? In a pinch?

 

I did beauty school for 3 years (part-time) in high school. I also had a lot of perms in my younger years and I could say that I couldn't do that. Color is one thing, perm is another. I won't even color my own hair now.