Welcome back to the Sh!t I Told My Hairdresser blog — your home for raw salon stories, social media chaos, and the truth about what really goes on behind the chair. This week’s episode was one of our most explosive yet. What started as a breakdown of the Habit Salon drama turned into a deep dive into influencer culture, hair industry misconceptions, and a jaw-dropping real-life extortion story that puts online “drama” into shocking perspective.
Grab a coffee — or a stiff drink — because this one gets wild.
The Episode That Blew Up: Chrissy, Habit Salon & The Girl Who Wanted Fame
It all began when a 19-year-old TikToker blasted Hair by Chrissy and Habit Salon online, complaining about her results while simultaneously pinning multiple videos dragging the stylist. Her behavior was contradictory from the jump:
She said she hated “all the hate” she was getting…
But pinned every controversial video to the top of her profile.
She claimed she didn’t want fame…
While posting content designed specifically to go viral.
Welcome to the TikTok era, where attention is currency — and the quickest route to virality is outrage.
As former Los Angeles hairdressers who actually worked in high-end salons, we felt compelled to speak up — not to defend Chrissy blindly, but to correct the lies, misinformation, and wild assumptions being spread by people who have never stood behind a salon chair in their lives.
What People DON’T Understand About Assistants, Pricing & High-End Salon Culture
One of the internet’s biggest accusations?
That the client “didn’t get the Chrissy experience” because an assistant participated in the service.
If you’ve ever worked in a professional salon — especially LA, Beverly Hills, or West Hollywood — you know the reality:
Assistants ARE part of the experience.
They shampoo, blow dry, gloss, prep, apply toners, and assist with the workflow that allows top stylists to serve multiple clients efficiently. It is normal, legal, and expected.
But social media has convinced people that unless the stylist personally touches every strand of hair, the service was a scam.
This is why salon professionals everywhere are exhausted.
Not from doing hair — but from correcting misconceptions created by people who don’t know the industry.
When You Post Online, You Sign Off More Than You Realize
The client claimed she was planning to sue Habit Salon because they reposted her video.
But here’s what she didn’t mention:
She left the remix/download/stitch settings ON.
Meaning:
✔ She legally authorized other creators to use her content
✔ She granted those permissions with one tap
✔ She can’t claim theft after green-lighting usage
This is why reading platform settings matters. The internet isn’t stealing your content — you clicked “allow.”
The Real Issue: A Culture Obsessed With Insta-Fame
One of the most revealing parts of this saga was the creator’s refusal to share her real name on a podcast.
She said she didn’t want the drama to “affect her professional reputation.”
Meanwhile, she spent days publicly attacking a stylist by name.
This hypocrisy is the heart of the problem.
People want attention — without accountability.
They want the likes, the comments, the viral moment… but none of the consequences that come with public accusations.
Our industry has become a feeding ground for armchair experts, “hair detectives,” and people who gain followers by tearing down professionals who have spent decades building careers.
The Episode Plot Twist: A Serbian Salon Owner’s Real-Life Nightmare
Mid-episode, the conversation took a sharp, sobering turn.
A client from Serbia shared a devastating story about her aunt — a successful salon owner extorted by post-war criminals demanding 80% of her earnings.
Not a typo.
Eighty. Percent.
When she refused, they followed her children, photographed her home, recorded her daughter’s singing lessons, and threatened to kill her family.
The police couldn’t help.
Reporting it made things worse — because the system itself was compromised.
Compared to this?
A TikTok feud is nothing.
Perspective is a powerful thing.
It’s easy to think the beauty industry’s biggest problems are bad color jobs, expensive extensions, or salon policies…
until you hear what stylists face around the world just to survive.
The Dark Side of Global Hairdressing — Beyond the Hashtags
From Serbia to Honduras to Colombia, many hairdressers face dangers that go far beyond bad Yelp reviews:
Extortion
Street violence
Corrupt police
Businesses destroyed
Family members threatened
Cybercrime targeting salon databases
Meanwhile, in the U.S., the loudest fights are about whether a top stylist’s assistant touched someone’s hair.
This contrast—funny at first, sobering on reflection—became the heart of the episode.
Why This Episode Hit the Algorithm So Hard
Listeners flooded our inboxes saying:
“I had no idea the beauty industry was so cutthroat.”
“This changed how I look at salon drama.”
“The real-life story put everything into perspective.”
The episode also went viral because it touches three high-interest topics:
1. Salon + Beauty Industry Drama
People love behind-the-scenes stories from stylists — especially those with LA experience.
2. Influencer Culture & Accountability
Audiences are fascinated by how TikTok creators manipulate online narratives.
3. True Crime Vibes
The extortion story feels like a Netflix documentary — and readers/listeners are hooked.
Final Thoughts: This Is Why We Tell These Stories
Hairdressers aren’t just stylists.
We’re therapists, comedians, drama analysts, and sometimes… unintended detectives.
Episodes like this highlight why your podcast has such a dedicated following — because you’re not just telling hair stories.
You’re telling human stories.
Funny.
Chaotic.
Honest.
And sometimes, unbelievably real.
🎧 Ready to Hear the Full Episode?
Listen now on your favorite platform:
👉 Spotify: Sh!t I Told My Hairdresser
👉 Apple Podcasts: Sh!t I Told My Hairdresser
New listeners join every week — because no one spills salon tea like you.
Viral Chrissy Salon Drama, Fake Fame & a Shocking Real-Life Story
Inside the Chrissy/Habit Salon drama, fake influencer fame, and a shocking extortion story that puts online salon chaos into perspective.
Chrissy salon drama
Habit Salon controversy
Hair by Chrissy TikTok
LA salon culture
Beauty industry podcast
Hairdresser stories
Influencer accountability
Salon assistant laws
Serbian salon extortion
Real-life hairdresser dangers
Viral TikTok hair drama
Behind the chair stories
LA Hair Culture Is Broken — Here’s the Receipts
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: [00:00:00] Do you know who Pablo Escobar is?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Is he on TikTok?
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: No.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Then no.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Hello and welcome back to one more episode of Shit I Told my hairdresser. How you doing, Jack?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: I am great.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Good.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: you?
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: I'm tired. I'm tired this summer right now.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: You look tired
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah. I'm tired. I've been [00:01:00] working these glasses. I've been fucking reading all week.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: you say somebody looks. Tired. It just means you look old and aged, so,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: All the squinting with these glasses and reading all the social media posts that we've been getting this past week over.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: you mentioned there was a lot this time.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: There was a lot.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: um,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: And it wasn't just like
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: they
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: on the social media actual like. Videos that we posted. I was getting dms, I was, and it it is just like cra Yeah, it's been crazy out there
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: They're mad at
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: and all. It was over, last week's episode, which we knew was gonna be a hot topic and fuck is it ever, you know, this whole hair by Chrissy from the Habit Salon.
Sorry to continue on with this saga, but holy shit.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: you would think that you made of like, like Taylor Swift and all [00:02:00] of her swifties are
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Right.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: you or something,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: That's exactly what it was like.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah. Um,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: I'm not, I'm defending this girl, Chrissy, in her salon and her staff really as well too. That's who really I think is like really gonna affect, she's gonna be fine. She does really fucking good work. it's her staff as well too. It's like you wanna kind of defend them 'cause they have nothing to do with this, you know?
But it is affecting them and there's just a lot of people out there spewing all these different lies. You know, on what they think they perceive from these videos. And I asked you how to ask this girl. I'm like, have you actually talked to the salon or anybody there? And she's like, no. I'm like, where are you getting your information from that?
From these videos, right.
I have actually been in contact with the salon and actually speaking to someone there. I actually had to send an actual screenshot of the conversation I [00:03:00] was having with the salon, and all of a sudden she was like, okay, so maybe this girl is lying. I'm like, oh, you think
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Well, sounds like her philosophy is if you don't know, always assume
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: correct?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: so. Um,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: that's the thing. It's like. All these people are out there and they're becoming these armchair experts. And you know what? I am a little bit here as well though too, but I'm kind of going off of experience, but all these people wanna chime in and just attack because.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: to a girl who let's just, say who it is, you know? Uh, she's 19 years old and she doesn't know anything.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Correct.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: She
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: She ly, this is her first big life lesson.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: and she knows enough not to her name because she's obviously.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Okay, so you just hit on something right there because she was just on a podcast and when they asked her name, she wouldn't give it.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: [00:04:00] Right,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: And here's the reason why,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: to know that what she is up to is wrong. So, um,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: but what she said is that she didn't want any of this to affect her. Professionally 'cause she's in real estate, right? So
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: She's
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: okay.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: What do you mean? She's in real estate.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: I, that's what was said on the podcast. That's all. I have no idea. But she was saying like, oh,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: and she answers the phones. I bet
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: probably that's probably the only job she could Bob, possibly get within real estate.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: here's the thing though. She doesn't want affecting her professionally really. So it's okay for you to go through and affect someone else and call them out by name, but oh, God forbid they do it to you. So you're hiding
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Right.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: telling people your name.
So you're li you're a liar.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: So we have to call her. Something. [00:05:00] So she needs a name. I, she looks like a Martha.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Martha.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah, she
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: How about Martha Joe?
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Oh, Martha Joe. That'd be good. I like that.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: so,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Martha Joe in real estate,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: know who we're talking about. You know, it's like,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: right?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: since she doesn't have a name on her, whatever it
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: All she has is a TikTok handle and that's it, you know, but it's.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: that.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah. But oh, God forbid it affects her in any like negative way, Can't have that. I don't. Then she was saying that she, she went through.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: trying to ruin someone's life, somebody's
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: know, talking shit. So.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: exactly. and that's the thing. It's like the story keeps changing. The more this girl talks, the more her multiple personalities come out. and it's like, at first it was like, oh, I was just complaining about, like, I wasn't, I didn't get enough attention from Chrissy. Now, see, I didn't like the work, which wasn't said before, but now it's being said,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: and, and how, like, you know, I wasn't trying to [00:06:00] get famous.
Uh, yeah, you were. Because she was saying all the posts before she did this post was all about real estate. Well, I went back there and I look, no, it's not, it's about you trying to get TikTok famous. That's what it was about. So I have to call bullshit on this personally, but all the people, one of the things I've been saying on the social media where we talked about as well too, is like, don't bash other people.
Don't bash. Other hairdressers don't do it. It's making our hair, our industry look bad by doing that. And you should see the bashing that I am getting on social media, you know, and I'm like. Okay. You know, well, she didn't get the Chrissy experience or blah, this and that, and I'm like, you wanna what? I worked for, I worked for Tony and Guy.
Yeah, you did. I worked You and I worked for Tony and Guy.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: was an educator for Tony and Guy. I worked at the Academy. When you came to the academy to a course, guess who wasn't [00:07:00] there? Tony and Guy. There was a photo of them on the wall, but they weren't physically there because they're the people who trained us.
Then we went on to train other people. But you came into that salon and got the Tony and Guy experience. You came into the academy, you got the Tony and guy experience. They weren't standing at the door shaking your fucking hand, but you got the experience that they had built.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: this Martha Joe, um, whatever her name is, you know, um, she got even more. She actually got to. her haircut and then so like over the color and all that, like check to make sure that it's right and he didn't rinse it off. Someone else did. You know
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: that's normal.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: very.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: But that was the thing is even in some of the posts, I'm like, I'm asking people, have you ever worked in la? Have you ever worked in a Beverly Hills or West Hollywood Salon? They're like, no, we have, and we know what it's like. We know what it's like [00:08:00] working at these salons. A lot of the times it's just, we're just cutting hair.
That's how I used to work. I had someone come in, they would be greeted by the assistant and then shampooed. We'd have the consultation shampoo. I would cut their hair for about 10 to 15 minutes, and then the assistant would blow 'em dry. Then I had another assistant going through and shampooing another client.
You know, that was how we operated.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: but I had one woman, I love this. She was like, do you know it's a California law that you have to go through and tell a client that if an assistant's gonna be doing their hair?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: What,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Have you heard of that? Yeah.
to tell you the truth, if you are listening to the podcast, I do have a, I do have a rehab, a phone number to a rehab because it's like.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: we can recommend rehabs
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Drinking a little too much?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Pretty much every region of the us. Um, so was he asking, have you ever heard of a law like that?
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: No. She was stating that there was a law.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: he was saying that there was
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: [00:09:00] Yes. I googled it. I chat GBTI went to every platform where I could go through and find this law. I, I couldn't find it.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: have read this where, there's a law that there's no, uh, dogs allowed in hair salons. That's, not a law either. Um,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Maybe it's a Reddit law. Maybe she went to Reddit and started reading it there and saying, it's a law. Reddit said, so, you know,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: So if,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: it must be true 'cause I read it on the internet. Someone wrote it down on the internet and it must be true. I tried to find that statute, couldn't find it. But let me tell you, it was rapid fire.
Absolutely. And she was just coming at me and coming at me on the posts, and I literally just kinda was reading them and just responded. I arrest my case. This is exactly what I'm talking about. You want to go through and attack people you know, and come at them. This is exactly what I'm saying. You need to knock it off.
If these people charge what they charge, that's [00:10:00] fine. just don't. Continue on with this cycle because you want the likes and don't say that, you know, I don't wanna be famous. Yes, you do. You don't come up with a title, not famous if you don't want to be.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: You know, I mean, come on.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: maybe that's letting everyone that she's not famous yet.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Correct.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: That's really what,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: How kitchy
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: uh, the
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: I.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: is to be able to change her handle, to Famous now,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Exactly.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: something
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: famous,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: famous,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: but.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: famous.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: That's the thing. That's why we're that everyone's on there. I mean, don't get me wrong, why We definitely want people to go through and listen to our show. We definitely want to hear. In fact, because of this, Ashley, I've had at least five to six people reach out and actually want to get onto the podcast.
And I've been talking, I mean, yesterday was that? Yeah, it's been great. So we definitely want your topics. We definitely want to go through and hear you guys and get you on. [00:11:00] To this podcast and hear what hairdressers, how you guys feel about this. cause even someone responded on there, they're like, oh my God, I didn't know that even in the hairdressing industry was cutthroat.
'cause we have people who were not hairdressers who listen, you know, normies,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Listen, every
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: they were, they were shocked.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: is
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah. Cutthroat camera. Yeah.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: you're a plumber. They want your business. You know,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Right. Yeah.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: talk shit about anyone else. You know, it's like, oh no,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Ooh. Especially with a plumber. No, no pun intended. With the shit, right.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Shit. Talk.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Your shit's our bread and butter. Literally.
But that's the thing. This little girl is just working it. Mark. Marta. Marta. Marta. Marta, Joe. What did you call her?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Joe.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Marta Joel. Uh, because we don't know her name. So Marta Joe is who you are now to me.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: like a Martha
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: to
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: So
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: you wanna what? Put yourself out there [00:12:00] and actually tell us who you really are. Don't go through and try to hide behind some social media handle,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: She
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: you know?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: who she is. Yeah, and
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Is she still finding herself?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: what she thinks of her hair. changes every day,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Herself?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: so.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: you want, the funny thing of it is everyone's been mentioning as well too, is that they're like, oh, it doesn't even look like the photo. Well, I bet she her doesn't have the same face as the photo either. You know, I, I can't tell you how many times I've had someone sit in my chair and they go through and they show me a photo, especially the AI photos, and they're like, this is what I want.
And I'm like, well, here's what we can get to. You know, you are not that person in the fucking photo. And everyone's like, well, it's supposed to be a hundred percent just like that. You can't do that. You can't make, you can't clone someone else's hair onto somebody else. There's no fucking way everyone's gonna be different.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: this is my point about he doesn't have enough life experience to really [00:13:00] have. Opinion on anything that matters. You know, she can say that she doesn't like something, but she doesn't even know what she likes. Like likes her hair. She doesn't like her hair. she hates how they worked on it.
she feels wronged,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Mm-hmm.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: know, or something like that. We're watching a daily, Struggle health with this girl, I think, um,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: I think so too.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: in real time. and
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Right.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: it's interesting.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: It is, it's like the little social experiment here. You know what I mean? Kinda watching it all kinda happen, you know? So, oh, I, I, you, I, sorry, I had to bring it back up again, guys, and do a second week of it, but it was just like, holy crap.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: a lot of
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: But
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: I think. Right.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: thank you for liking and subscribing and hitting us up on social media.
We're definitely gonna have you guys on, You guys have been showing us a lot of love out there because I've been mentioning please listen to the podcast and people are like, already do. Absolutely love it. Thank you. That's [00:14:00] really awesome. But uh, you wanna know what though? That's the thing. All they want is to be insta famous instantly.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: You are right
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: And this one just hit the algorithm and
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Um,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: watch, you gotta watch out for these people, especially with the fake stuff out there. Because there's just a shit ton of fake.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: there's a lot of that. and have like, maybe like a million followers and so like a lot of purchased anyway, you know, it's like
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yes.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: that too.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Oh, we worked for a few. We worked a.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah. and, um. They even like by each other, followers. as gifts, you know, it's like, and, and, and instead of like, yeah, yeah.
Or, uh, like a thank you or something like that, you know, it's like, uh, and, and instead of like flowers or a gift or something, they'll. By somebody followers, like a hundred thousand or
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Oh my god. Really?
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: you know, it's like you pay for it and there's people who live in India who have whole
[00:15:00] businesses with this or
so.
Yeah. and. You'll see they have like followers and, and then maybe 70 likes on their
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Uh, yeah, I know.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: photo. You know, those are the phony ones, you know,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: When it's like 1% or less engagement, they're not real. If you're not getting at least 10% engagement.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: yeah. Realistically, it's 10 to 15, I think are
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: who actually will hit like, or see it all. You know, it's like some on there are just looking at reels and just. Mindlessly looking at them, I don't know. I, I don't know what they do. That's what I do.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah, I mean, I get, I know a lot of people kind of bypass hitting the, like, I don't, I forget sometimes, unless I really like something,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: it's gotta be like really engaging at that point, you know? But. That's the thing though, that kind of sums up Los Angeles. Everyone always asks me, why did you leave la?
I'm like, have you ever [00:16:00] lived in la? You know? They go, why'd you leave? I'm like, because I lived in LA that's why I left.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: how I feel now. You know, longer I'm away, the more I can't stand what goes on there. You know? It's like I'm just realizing, like, how much of it is phony and doesn't
matter in this world, you know, and I lived there like a long, long time and I like, I might have stayed at the party for too long, you know, it's like
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: two in the morning, so like a lot people left and you're like, what am I doing here?
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: I gotta go.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Smoke kind of clears.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: I felt like the last years I lived there.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah. And that is what I tell people. I'm like, I, I lived in la I did it, we went there and it's like we. Really sharpened our teeth.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Did
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: like gorilla, it's like gorilla training for hairdressers in la, you know? And so now that we're out of there, it's like I love being [00:17:00] around other, well, other hairdressers and other clients who actually appreciate you now for your knowledge and for what you do and what you bring to that salon.
And it's been, that has been awesome for me, you know? 'cause now I'm in Seattle and it's, people just appreciate you and it's awesome in LA they just want something from you. and here it's like they actually appreciate your knowledge and pay you very handsomely for it, so, which is quite great.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: So, you know what's weird? the clients I have here who, lived in Los Angeles and, or, or there, they me here. You know, it's
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yes.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: and, um, myself a little, annoyed at them. Uh, just how they're,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yeah,
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: it's a reminder
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: it is.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: why I left. and they're not all of them, you know, uh, but some of them who are just like to the core LA you know, um,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Oh, I recently just did a photo shoot.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: not,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Yes. Yeah, that's true.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: That's what it is. It,
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: I [00:18:00] recently just did a photo shoot and like the pr, the makeup artists, I mean, everybody that was attached to this photo shoot were all were from la. And let me tell you, I felt like I was back in Los Angeles when I went to do this shoot.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Yeah.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: I literally separated myself.
I was like, oof, I need to kind of back off away from these people. Because that feeling that you got, it was just like everyone's kind of watching you to see what you're doing and kind of that competition kind of came up and I was like, oh, uh, no, no, thank you. We should all just be doing really the best that we could do.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: that's why I get annoyed like, I'm not even worried about someone watching me. it's just, Just the they are and they're all and who, who gives the fuck what they
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: That's the thing. That's the thing is.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: what it's, I, I, I don't, I don't care what these people think. They no substance in their lives, you know, so
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: No. And all they could talk about was themselves, and it was like, they were like, they were the cool kids. And I'm like, oh, fuck me. [00:19:00] Here we go.
jack_1_11-25-2025_135226: Right. Their opinion about me does not matter at all.
jason-_1_11-25-2025_125226: Absolutely not.
And we are back to the show.
All right, so I had a client come inside the salon last week.
Mm-hmm.
And I was trying to go through and figure out the accent exactly where she was at. And uh, she was telling me that she actually came from Serbia. She now lives in the United States. Serbia really, really lovely.
Where's that? I can't tell you.
You can tell me.
No. It's a secret.
Jason, we're friends. You can tell me. Um, no. You don't know. I dunno. Eastern Europe answer. That's what I thought. So where is it? Serbia? Um, it's, uh, the country of Serbia.
You don't know either
where they speak Serbian.
Oh yeah, that's where they do it right there.
That's where they [00:20:00] speak Serbian. So, um, so it's not
where they make Subarus? No, no, no, no. Oh, I was wrong.
You're way off. Yeah.
No, but we were, we were talking and talking about her country and. She was looking for a new hairdresser, she found me and we just really hit it off. She was just, she was lovely. And uh, she was telling me that her aunt was a hairdresser back in Serbia and she now, she lives here in the United States.
And I was thinking, okay, maybe she doesn't live close to her. Maybe, you know, did she stop doing hair? And she was like, well, it doesn't live close. But yeah, she actually stopped doing hair. She was doing hair back in Serbia and she was like, and things got. Pretty bad for her there. And I'm like, okay, am I thinking like you have carpal tunnel arthritis?
I don't know. Like what, what was going bad? Was it the war? And she's like, no, the war was over. And I'm like, alright. She goes, but she had a very, very successful salon in Serbia. Mm-hmm. [00:21:00] And she was saying that, um, after the war was over, you had all these guys who. Basically in those countries, like my mother's country in Honduras, if you were old enough to go through and hold a gun, you now join the Army.
So during the war, they would just go through and like recruit guys who are like 14 years old. It's like you can carry the sucker and run. Here you go.
Yeah. Yeah.
So you have kids. It's always
pin like that. Even probably Roman times, you know?
Exactly. You know, they started 'em off young, but you had all these guys, no education kind of roaming around and these people were starting to go through and extort.
A lot of businesses, and these guys were actually extorting this woman who owned the salon, and they went to her and told her how much she needed to pay, which was gonna be something around like 80% of what she was bringing in.
It's like 80%.
80%. How do you run a business at like 80%? You can. So you don't
survive.
Are they gonna work there too, or, [00:22:00] yeah. No. Are they gonna, these are sweep up fold towels.
No,
not anything. Not not,
not that kind of guy. Not these kind, not these guys. Yeah. These were, they were just an extortion business. And so they were going around extorting all these businesses. They were finding out, they were actually really watching her intently, finding out how much she charged for her, uh, haircuts and colors, seeing how many people were going in.
So they're kind of doing the math here a little bit, and then went and told her, yeah, we want this much money every month. And she's like, no. And they go, if you don't, you better, you better watch what happens. And like they proved it to her. Mm-hmm. So every week someone would come and talk to her and like tell her exactly where she lived.
Showed pictures of her at her house with her kids.
Yeah.
They started going through and following her, taking her kids to school, taking pictures of them saying that she, they knew she had like a daughter and a son. So they said, you want them to live, start paying up. And [00:23:00] she still refused. She's like, no, I can't.
She's like, well, I won't have anything at this point, and they don't fucking care. But it got to the point where not only did they have photos of like her parents and the family members, but dude, someone took a, a picture of my son and put and came to me and said he start paying up, or, you know, whoever wanna see him alive.
It freaked the fuck outta me. I
mean, yeah. Yeah. I would, I would move, you know, um, right. Sort of like, so even to the
point she was telling me that these guys were showing up, this one, her daughter was taking singing classes and they had a recording of it and they sent it to her saying, your daughter has a beautiful singing voice.
Wouldn't it be bad if something happened to it? Yeah. Like, they're like, cut or throat. That's this
MOUs shit that, um, totally it's happened here, you know? Um,
and then she went to the police and she's like, I need to report this to the police. And the police were kinda like, are you sure you want to do that?
She's like, you're the police. Of course I want go this. [00:24:00] You're, they're here to help me. Rated them too.
Jeez.
Oh no, it wasn't that. No, no, no, no. Well, they are, but the police on went through and started talking to her. They're like, listen, you know, you're not the first person. And she's like, it's not, you're not just fighting one person.
We can go through, you file a report, we arrest that person. And she's like, that's when shit really gets bad because there's more than one. And they all working together on this. She goes, the last time a hairdresser came to the police station, filed a report, and then we actually went and did something about it.
They blew a purse salon. And they started killing family members because of what she did.
Okay. Wow.
So I was like, holy shit. And she's like telling me this story and I'm like, holy fuck this woman just, just trying to, you know, do hair and survive. And God forbid she's actually making, you know, has a successful business in this country and she's trying to go through and, you know, yeah.
Just live a normal life.
Normally they would offer something else like protection. Oh [00:25:00] no, that's all done. You know, it's like
that's all done. They don't even do that. 'cause my, my mom's from Honduras and we had family come up and they were telling me that's exactly what's happening down there. Well, what they do is they go through.
They will leave you a note under your door in the business. They'll slide a a note underneath there saying, this is how much money we want every single week, and you better pay up. And if you don't, we will go through and come after your staff. And what they do is if you don't pay up, they give you a certain time.
And when your staff is leaving work, at the end of the day, they sit outside and shoot 'em one by one. Jeez. It's not about, now here's the thing. You got one, you're start paying it to. And you expect protection from them. 'cause that's like with the Mafiosos, that's what they would do right? Back in the day, the Italian, it's not like that anymore.
They are just like, you pay us. And if the next person comes around and say, we want, they're gonna extort you too. Well, you're fucked. You got nothing. There's, there's not even protection.
So the [00:26:00] protection really is from them. So they don't hurt you.
Correct. That's it.
You have to pay us or we will hurt you or Yes.
Kill you or something like, and so if, or go after your staff, there's, there's another gang who wants money also. Then you have to tell, uh, the first one that somebody else is. Moving in on their erritory. Oh, see, you're
assuming. You're assuming that's their business. It's not their business. They don't fucking care.
Oh,
that's the thing. They don't care. They're kinda like, and pay us. That's your, that's your other problem. That's not my problem. You deal with it.
So like you have a second Y who wants money, so, yeah. Or they will blow up the shop, you know? So really, uh, so the shop belongs to the first one, I think. Right?
You would think. They don't fucking care.
They're not that or organized or No,
they don't
Mark. They're like, what? They're not smart. Go
through and blow it up yourself. You know what I mean? It's like, [00:27:00] fuck it. Just boom. Jeez. But that's, they don't care. That's why. And then go and then go to the police.
They're the, they're on the take as well though too. Especially where my mother's from in Honduras. Yeah. It's really fucking bad down there.
So, yeah. And.
I mean, it is terrible. Be
moved. Yeah. That's why these, they moved, leave the countries. They moved here in the United States to get away from all that.
They want to send them back and everything, you know, to that. But
that's Yeah, to that. Then they don't wanna go back 'cause they know what they're going back to and that they go back to there, the same city that they're from. Those guys are still there and they see you coming back. Guess what? Game on again.
Mm-hmm.
They don't care. Yeah. To them, life is nothing. I remember going down to Columbia and doing a seminar down there, and let me tell you, it was, I've never had a bellboy with an AK 47 hanging off their arm, carrying my luggage into the hotel. Really? That [00:28:00] was, that was Columbia. Yeah. The guy who was carrying my luggage in had an eight K 47.
He's helped me with my luggage out of the back, out of the trunk of the car, and then putting it in the hotel. I was blown by. He wasn't
just holding it for like another guest. He was So that was his,
no. Yeah. No, no, that was his. Okay.
So he wasn't helping, he was protecting the hotel. Okay.
All right. He was protecting the hotel and the hotel guests.
Hmm.
Again, after the war, after the whole Escobar thing ended down there. And they had that whole war. You had all these people who didn't have jobs, so what did they do? They started extorting people, you know? Yeah. And they're robbing people of, in fact, I remember we were at a stop sign and the guy nearly hit someone and the driver goes, did you see that guy?
You almost walked out in front of my car. I go, well, yeah, there's a stop sign, dude, you were supposed to stop. And he goes, that's not for me. That's for him. He goes, if you stop the car, these guys will pull out a gun and they will rob you right then. [00:29:00] I'm like, wait, what? He goes, yeah, they will rob you. So if you stop at a stop sign, you're in a car, you have money.
They don't, they're not in a car, they're on foot. They will pull out a gun and rob you if you stopped.
They're really downing out then. Yeah,
it was, they must have nothing down there. It was bad and they got nothing to lose either. So Columbia down there, I mean, even when I was meeting with all the salespeople and after we did the seminar, we were all sitting down and, and having a, a bite to eat and I was talking to them and you could just tell by the look on their face they were exhausted and if it wasn't for lack of sleep is by everything that they've endured.
I was meeting with four salespeople, and out of the four, two of 'em, two of their spouses have died from a violent death, from gunshots, from the cartels. And I was like, you, you could just tell they were just exhausted. And these are people who are selling fucking shampoo. I mean, that's their job and they get cross the [00:30:00] crossfire.
I mean, I don't know, it kind of makes like us bitching about, you know, a certain client kind of meaningless in a way. Right?
I mean, you know, it, somebody doesn't like their haircut or something, you know,
or their color they're gonna go through and like, it should be worse. Tear everyone down and rip everyone apart and, yeah.
Yeah. That's one thing you'll hear from my lawyer trashing their name on social media, but there's people who are knocking off stylists walking out of the salon
or threatening they're for no slice their daughter's throat. Yeah. You know what I mean? Because they really wanna scare you into paying up. So I, it really put this, this conversation outta this girl had really put things into perspective for me, you know, as I'm doing her hair.
And I was really blown away by this conversation that I was having with her.
That is mafia. And we've had mafia in this country for a long time, and Oh, a long time. Um, they do things like that, you know, here. Mm-hmm. It's just a little different just because, um, maybe [00:31:00] some of them had some morals, you know, it's like, uh, they would offer the protection a little bit, you know, like in a neighborhood, but I want your money too.
So absolutely.
One favor, for another favor of I'm doing you a favor by protecting you and you better pay up, you know, or. You know, you ask for something and guess what? You're gonna be in their pocket. And that's the last place I would wanna be is in anyone's pocket, that's for sure. But it's kind of funny because like all this mafioso shit, you know what I mean, ended like probably like close to the eighties.
Like where they were like blowing up buildings or businesses and cars and
Yeah. I mean,
being good fellas or something, you know?
I think a lot of that, I mean, it still happens. It's just not as much you Yeah. Now, now the eighties guess government,
they moved into the US government is what happened.
The government toos the mafia now, I think.
Um,
exactly.
And so a mafia has moved more cyber crimes, I think, you knows that's, that's a new mafia.
Definitely 'cause that's happened [00:32:00] here in Seattle. I was told at the police department that they didn't have any access to anything on the computers because it was actually seized by some group and they were extorting the Seattle PD for I ca how many millions of dollars just for them to get their records back.
Yeah. So I went down there to maybe do a report on something and they're kinda like, I, I can write this down on a piece of paper about Spar is gonna get, 'cause we have access to nothing. Even if they pull someone over, they're in the squad car, they can't have any, they don't have any access to who they're actually pulling over.
Yeah. 'cause they can't pull anything up. They've halted all
duties. Yeah.
All of it. Yeah. Basically she's like, that's all I can tell you. And I'm like, holy shit. So, yeah, I think you're right. It, it has definitely moved on to more of cyber crimes and that's what you really have to go through and take, be afraid of.
That's for sure.
And
because that's actually happened to hair salons, that actually happened to a hair salon in Orange County where [00:33:00] someone went through and seized. The, uh, or basically put malware into their computer system and had all their client's information.
Yeah.
And they said either you give us this amount of money, I think it was like a couple hundred thousand dollars.
Or we'll go through and start using their credit cards and start like, we'll blame it all on you.
Why would you hassle a, a fucking hair salon? I mean, we make money. Talk about having. Not having ambition in life, you know these right criminals. It just like hit someone in the kneecaps. You know? They can do better than that.
Yeah. Hey, level up. Get better than that fucker.
And now it is time for ology Travel advisory edition. Jason LA and Columbia aren't as different as you think. LA has Disneyland. Columbia has the Pablo Escobar Family Museum. There's a [00:34:00] petting zoo with the infamous cocaine hippos. Just make sure you wash your hands afterwards. LA doesn't have much of a petting zoo, but it does have Skid Row.
Speaker: Again, just wash your hands afterwards to avoid a serious infection. LA has the garment district where you can buy cheap silk neck ties. In Columbia, the neck ties are more of a final sale. And walking in LA nobody does it unless you're broke. Walking in Columbia means you're broke and a criminal, and yes, that stop sign is for you pedestrian.
Just make sure you look both ways ahead of you and over your shoulder, and with that. Stay shitty and see you next time.
I.
[00:35:00]