Practice English Listening B1+ Exercises – Treat yourself

1   F (He wasn’t a barber, but Dino doesn’t say what his father’s job was. His aunt was a hairdresser.)

2   T

3   T

4   T

5   F (He thinks women get more stressed.)

6   F (It’s easy.)

7   T

8   T

9   F (He says no to treatments.)

10   F (You need to use good hair products.)

I = interviewer, D = Dino

I   Dino, what made you choose hairdressing?

D   Er, I always liked it from when I was child. I remember being taken to the barber’s by my dad when I was a child in Greece, and I really loved the atmosphere there.

I   He wasn’t a barber himself, though?

D   No, but my aunt was a hairdresser.

I   What sort of training did you do?

D   When I came to London, I went to the Vidal Sassoon Academy. It was a two-year course – absolutely fantastic, very intense. I loved it!

I   What sort of things do you love or hate doing in hairdressing?

D   I love everything. There really isn’t anything I don’t like. And I do everything: cut, colour, highlights, straightening. Nowadays, some hairdressers specialize in maybe just colour, or just styling, but I think it’s important to do everything.

I   What do you think are important qualities for a hairdresser?

D   Well, as I just said, I think being able to do everything – colour, styling, cutting – is very important. I don’t believe in specializing in just one area.

I   Any other important qualities?

D   I think you need to be sociable, to be able to talk to people, calm them down if they’re stressed, listen to them if they want to talk.

I   Do you enjoy that?

D   Yes, I do. The sociable side of hairdressing was one of the things that attracted me to it. Even women who want to tell me all their problems – I don’t mind it at all; it doesn’t distract me.

I   Are women clients very different from men?

D   Yes, definitely. They are normally the ones who want to talk, and they are much more worried – stressed – about their hair. Men are more quiet and relaxed, and they’re not normally very fussy about their hair.

I   What do you do if a client doesn’t like the results?

D   I try to correct it immediately. That’s easy if it’s the colour – less easy if it’s a cut.

I   Have you ever had a really bad experience, I mean one where you couldn’t correct it?

D   Only once, when I was still at college. I cut a woman’s hair shorter than she was expecting it – not much, only about one centimetre shorter, but she burst into tears – and I couldn’t correct that.

I   Is it true that hairdressers always want to cut off more hair than their clients want?

D   I think maybe it is. Many hairdressers want to make the hair healthier, and cut off all the parts that are, you know, damaged. Or sometimes they have a style in mind and they just want to do it. But obviously, normally I try to do what the customer wants. You have to be flexible. That’s another important quality in a hairdresser.

I   So, if you completely disagreed with what a client wanted, would you still do it?

D   Well, if a client wanted a treatment that I thought was going to damage her hair – for example, if she wanted to have her hair bleached when it was already in bad condition – then I would say no. But if it was a question of style – for example, a woman who wanted to have her head shaved completely – I would try to convince her that it wasn’t a good idea, but if she insisted, I would do it. It’s her choice after all.

I   Do you have any tips for having good hair?

D   Yes – use good products, ones which are right for your type of hair. I notice that a lot of people take a lot of trouble choosing the right face cream – you know, for dry skin, or problem skin. For day, for night, and so on. But with shampoo, they just buy the first one they see in the supermarket.

I   Thank you very much, Dino. I won’t forget this.

S = Stephen, J = Joanna

The body polish

J   So? What did you think?

S   It was just horrible! Horrible. First, they covered me in fruit puree, then they wrapped me in plastic film, then in blankets, and then I was left on a water bed. I mean, come on! Fruit’s for eating, not for putting on your body. It was hot and sticky, and incredibly uncomfortable. And I felt so stupid. I’d never have that again. I give it zero out of ten.

J   Sticky? It was fruit, for goodness’ sake! I thought it was wonderful. It smelled amazing, and the head massage was divine. I mean, how could anybody not like it? That was one of my favourite spa treatments ever. Ten out of ten.

The foot treatment

S   Wow!

J   Don’t tell me – you liked it!

S   It was wonderful!

J   I must say, your feet look… well, better. Clean, anyway.

S   Well, I’ve never liked my feet much, to be honest, but now they look great. Definitely worth the time and money. Nine out of ten. What do you think?

J   Yes, it was great. A real luxury. And I love the colour they painted my nails. I agree – nine out of ten. You see…