Diego's hair salon - A DC landmark
As you walk into Diego's on 19th & Q right by Dupont Circle from the chilly DC weather, you are greeted with a warm smile by a 70 something, impeccably dressed sandy blond haired Italian gentleman with an affectionate "Hello! how're you doing?". For the most part, the salon is filled with middle to older aged women bar Diego and his newly appointed secretary who schedules appointments for his customers. The women are less interested in pleasantries and direct all of their attention with humorless concentration on snipping away their customers hair.
You look around, the place has all the elements of being a DC institution; a landmark that has served diplomats, politicians, religious leaders, supreme court justices and even heads of state. Diego has autographed pictures of famous people he has worked on on his wall. Notables include Benjamin Netanyahu, CJ William Rehnquist, CJ Warren E. Burger, George Bush, Obama and the Pope. Even the street where the salon is located is named "Diego D'Ambrosio Way" in his honor.
If you're lucky, you'll get to sit on one of the two waiting chairs in the packed salon, else you'd either have to stand or sit on one of the vacant salon chairs and be ready to get up whenever asked. A big Italian american gentleman with a log book and a cordless phone asks "Do you have an appointment?" with a thick accent. The guy can easily fit into a Sopranos episode driving up a dark alley near a New Jersey turnpike with a tied up and gagged hostage in his car trunk as one of Tony's henchmen - complete with the buttoned down loose shirt showing off his chest hair, gold bling-blings all over, a big belly and curly hair oiled and combed backwards.
I had my appointment with Diego himself. He turned around and and said "five minutes, senor". It was indeed a humbling feeling when a man that well known still felt he owed me an update on when he'll get to me. It put me in a quagmire - I didn't know what to say. Once he did get to me, he asked me how I was doing with a smile. I said great, and we got started. The first thing I asked him was how long he'd been doing this for. His response was "double how old are"[sic]. He was almost right. When I told him I was born in 86' he told me that he's been cutting hair since 1966. As he started, it was apparent that he's done this so many times, he could cut my hair in his sleep. As with everyone he multi-tasked like a pro; three phone calls, two parallel conversations with the next lady, a minute of helping another lady with her coat and kissing her with a ciao bella and about 5 minutes of hair cutting later, I was done.
Curiously, his cash register kept next to where I was sitting have the numbers "2" and "0" visibility more diminished than the rest. That's because that all he's been punching - $20 to charge his clients ever since the end of Carter's presidency in 1980 despite being located at a prime place in downtown DC. As much as it was just a haircut at the end of the day, it feels great to see a man who has earned international reputation just by taking immense pride in his profession and making a conscientious effort to serve.
As you walk into Diego's on 19th & Q right by Dupont Circle from the chilly DC weather, you are greeted with a warm smile by a 70 something, impeccably dressed sandy blond haired Italian gentleman with an affectionate "Hello! how're you doing?". For the most part, the salon is filled with middle to older aged women bar Diego and his newly appointed secretary who schedules appointments for his customers. The women are less interested in pleasantries and direct all of their attention with humorless concentration on snipping away their customers hair.
You look around, the place has all the elements of being a DC institution; a landmark that has served diplomats, politicians, religious leaders, supreme court justices and even heads of state. Diego has autographed pictures of famous people he has worked on on his wall. Notables include Benjamin Netanyahu, CJ William Rehnquist, CJ Warren E. Burger, George Bush, Obama and the Pope. Even the street where the salon is located is named "Diego D'Ambrosio Way" in his honor.
If you're lucky, you'll get to sit on one of the two waiting chairs in the packed salon, else you'd either have to stand or sit on one of the vacant salon chairs and be ready to get up whenever asked. A big Italian american gentleman with a log book and a cordless phone asks "Do you have an appointment?" with a thick accent. The guy can easily fit into a Sopranos episode driving up a dark alley near a New Jersey turnpike with a tied up and gagged hostage in his car trunk as one of Tony's henchmen - complete with the buttoned down loose shirt showing off his chest hair, gold bling-blings all over, a big belly and curly hair oiled and combed backwards.
I had my appointment with Diego himself. He turned around and and said "five minutes, senor". It was indeed a humbling feeling when a man that well known still felt he owed me an update on when he'll get to me. It put me in a quagmire - I didn't know what to say. Once he did get to me, he asked me how I was doing with a smile. I said great, and we got started. The first thing I asked him was how long he'd been doing this for. His response was "double how old are"[sic]. He was almost right. When I told him I was born in 86' he told me that he's been cutting hair since 1966. As he started, it was apparent that he's done this so many times, he could cut my hair in his sleep. As with everyone he multi-tasked like a pro; three phone calls, two parallel conversations with the next lady, a minute of helping another lady with her coat and kissing her with a ciao bella and about 5 minutes of hair cutting later, I was done.
Curiously, his cash register kept next to where I was sitting have the numbers "2" and "0" visibility more diminished than the rest. That's because that all he's been punching - $20 to charge his clients ever since the end of Carter's presidency in 1980 despite being located at a prime place in downtown DC. As much as it was just a haircut at the end of the day, it feels great to see a man who has earned international reputation just by taking immense pride in his profession and making a conscientious effort to serve.
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