Tanya Balloon: A Cautionary Tale

welcome back to the Main Event. We're your hosts. I'm Tara. And I'm Rachel. Today we're gonna be talking about a topic that, we've encountered in the salon and I'm sure you've encountered at Karma a few times as well at Karma and that is human trafficking and. How to look out for it in the salon. Now I'm gonna share an experience with you where I was in the salon and had taken on a new client and she had called in on a Friday night and she got dropped off in a van. A big, yeah, it was like a big black SUV big. Well, that's a picked her up, but yes. So it was a big black. SUV tinted windows and it was from out of state. And thank god that I was aware of this. But she had a pseudo name in the booking system. Mm-hmm. As well. Her name was Tanya Balloon. Mm-hmm. And her Gmail was Tanya balloon123@gmail.com. And when we were trying to have conversations with her, she was either slurring her words or falling asleep. But came in decked out in designer. And when we had asked her, simple conversation, like, what are you doing tonight? Mm-hmm. And she goes, I'm going out. Nothing. Mm-hmm. Um, I'm going to this hotel. Very blunt and straightforward, answers. She did not want to talk about what she was doing that day. We had just seen all of these red flags and had pieced together that, this was a woman that was in harm's way. Mm-hmm. Unfortunately, and during the time, this was my first encounter, so we didn't know what to do and I had tag teamed with another stylist and we both agreed. And you had agreed as well. Mm-hmm. We will not leave the salon without each other We had a buddy system. Mm-hmm. Because we just did not want somebody leaving the salon without the other and putting another stylist in jeopardy of this happening to them. Yeah. And like from me as the owner standpoint, I had heard another stylist, they were both, you know, young girls. Um, that I didn't want in that situation. So it was really difficult because when you're in that, it's what do you do, right? And so. After all this, I have taken training through when I was working with Wella on it, which I'll share with you, but what's going through my head is I don't know who these guys are. I know it's just, or what they're capable of. Exactly. It's just the three of us here. And at that point it was a night appointment in where my salon is located. The other businesses are, most of them are closed at this point. You have parking lots in the back. I didn't know what to do. I'm like, if I do contact the authorities, right. I. Who's to say, this guy's gonna come back and then do something to us. Right. So I didn't know what to do in the situation and, and unfortunately we didn't really have much time in the situation as she was back in the sink. You know, tears are rolling down her eyes and she suddenly was like, I gotta go. So he, yeah, this man, paid the bill in full even though it was not done all the way because she had to go. So. Well, your heart breaks and you're in these situations. Why the training is important? Because salons, which I learned a lot of the girls are trafficked through, right? Which makes sense because they're getting their hair done, they're getting nails done, they want them to look good. And a lot of the times they are usually drugged up. Or they've been just so beaten down mentally that they're scared to say anything. So while she was here, right, she obviously didn't feel comfortable saying something. What the. Training does is it shows you these signs of what a traffic person might be liked or like their characteristics or what's going on to kind of sense the alarm, sense going forward, what we recommend and what I've learned in this training is having something in the bathroom, with a line. I, meanwhile, they might not have a cell phone on them. They might, but maybe there's something there or having little things throughout your salon that if they feel comfortable, they can write a note, that they. Are not okay. Or that they need help, something like that. I also encountered another situation with it, and this was when I was first starting at my career and there was a guy who was a pimp. And he brought in his women with him. So I don't know if they were there by choice. I don't know if they were, being trafficked, but they were all getting their nails done and the particular nail tech, she ended up meeting up with them all later. And so she did say, that it was a prostitution ring. And that he was paying for all his girls to get done, and she went on to describe the story that I was shocked she even put herself in that position. But for me at the time, I was very young, so it was very eye-opening to just how that could go wrong. Right here, they're just getting their nails done and. You now, she put herself in harm's way with that. So you always wanna be protected and you always wanna be, conscious of the situation. I had another, while I was newly working for Wella, we were away for a training and it was my first time meeting, fellow people I was gonna be working with. And we were in a hotel lobby. All just having a drink and meeting each other. And I had gotten there late 'cause I had work, so I had to get there when I was done with my work. And a girl walked up to me and she was approaching me for the evening. So I remember at the time, my friends all, they weren't my friends, I didn't really know them, but they all turned and they're like, well, you don't know what you're into and watching, I am that type of person that watches the room and really knows what's going on. And her pimp was in the corner and she was scared because. That was her job that night to try to get somebody like to take her up to the room, right? So she was there to make money, but it was just alarming because this man was literally sitting in the corner just watching her every move, and she was going up to this person, that person. Why she chose me to go up. I don't know. But again, it was like these situations are around. I mean, I'm just one person who has encountered three of these situations along their, their life's journey. I had another one, at a hotel. I was going there to work a wedding very, very early in the morning, and I needed to take the elevator up to the fifth floor. And as I'm walking in. So is the SWAT team, and so are the cops because they were doing a whole prostitution drug ring bust, and it's just crazy because it wasn't that far away from my house. Yeah. And I'm just thinking like, how, how is it so. Close location wise in proximity to me. It happens everywhere. It happens everywhere. And I've watched a bunch of work do self documentaries and everything on it. Mm-hmm. And you know, when I was explaining to my client the situation that we had had with Tanya Balloon, and they were like, oh, not here. No, that doesn't happen here. And I go, no, actually it does. It does. It happens a lot around different colleges. It happens where a girl will meet a guy and they think that's their boyfriend. Mm-hmm. And they end up down this road in this path. And that's like how they do it. So I was trying to explain to her, no, it's all walks of life. She's like, oh, those are lower income areas that happens. No, that's not true. It does happen everywhere. And it is just being aware of it now because of this. I do recommend having at least an outlet for them or somewhere to, either call or if they couldn't, I always think of it as if it was my child. I would want somebody to do something. But you also, I wanna stress, you don't wanna put yourself or staff in risk, in danger or in danger, but if there is something like that, that you could do, if there's a way to maybe get a plate number and call anonymously after they leave. After Tanya Balloon, there was a few weeks later, there was a big bust in one of the surrounding towns at a hotel that was a prostitution ring, a trafficking ring. So I can only hope and think that hopefully Tanya Balloon was there and was rescued. But it is something that, stylists, like I said, because it comes through the salon so frequently, it is something that I think getting the proper training on is definitely beneficial. We're working on putting together a free class that would have a digital certification that you completed this. And it's just something to know, something to have, especially as a salon owner, because when I was in that position, you feel responsible for these girls and their safety. And it's that you don't wanna be in that point and being like, what do you do? What do you do? And then you live with regret 'cause you wanna help this person as well, but you're also trying to protect your staff. So our hopes is, if any of this. Training can help, us to help other people and just also to protect each other. Then definitely it's totally worth it, of course. And even with online booking nowadays, and it's great to have that simplicity of having the advantage to doing the online booking, but if you don't know who it is. You have to be so alert and so mindful. 'cause you never know who's gonna come through those doors. You don't. And you could have a situation like Tanya Balloon, I still think about her to this day. Yeah, you totally could. And, also too, it's hard, to like now. I usually will lock the doors if I'm here by myself at night. We did have, one time a guy came in and he was an older man, and again it was me and the other stylist that was working on Tanya Balloon were here and we had wrapped up for the day and we're thinking of just this old guy who's lonely and he's talking, and he was a complete pervert. And I actually had to have a male friend. Get on the phone with him because that's how uncomfortable we were. So I was texting him, had him call me. He got on the phone and told the guy to get the hell out of there, never to come back again. The guy was trying to, set up future appointments and this, but the conversation turned very disgusting. Definitely not something you should be saying around a woman or even a younger person. So again, I'm trying to protect myself and this stylist. So after that I always lock the doors. Even when my clients are in, you don't wanna feel that way, but you just don't know. If I'm cleaning up at the end of the night I always recommend locking the doors. I will call somebody I that on my phone. Phone when I leave, just I will have my panic button in my hand. So if for some reason somebody is lurking. You try to take every precaution as women we're all used to doing this, but just wanted to, again, relay at home, just to being able to protect yourselves. Don't fiddle, trying to search for your keys in your bag. Or sit in your car. Or sit in your car. Or if you are sitting in your car, at least lock the doors. Lock the doors or, 'cause you can get blocked in, right? You wanna either back into your spot, they always say is good. A lot of the times women will get taken or abducted, they're bending into their car to, put their purse down or I put my equipment down and that's usually when someone will come up behind you and grab your hair. So you just wanna try to get into your car as quick as possible, be aware of your surroundings. Obviously, like I said, sometimes you're loading up your equipment and you're doing this. I mean, when I tell you I try to do it as fast as possible. I did request from my landlords having more lighting. Around the parking lots. And also on the side of the building because you do have girls leaving here late at night and you just wanna make sure that you're protected. We hope that we can bring more awareness mm-hmm. To these types of situations. And we hope that you never have to experience it because. Again, I was so young when this happened. Mm-hmm. And I had no idea what to do. And my type of personality is when it's fight or flight, I freeze. Yeah. And I know that about me, so I know that I didn't handle that well and I know that I grew from that. Yeah. And definitely knew the key elements to look out for. And I had, did not have that certification and had I had mm-hmm. That certification. I would've seen everything immediately. Yeah. And I would've known what to do in those instincts. So we'll have that free resource for you in the links below and you guys can take the training and get certified. And it would be extremely beneficial to you because just because we're in New Jersey doesn't mean it doesn't happen here. It happens all over. It happens everywhere. I know this was a heavy topic. Mm-hmm. But if we can give you a sense of peace and, hope and some education and advice, we're happy to do that for you. Absolutely. Definitely check on our education website as soon as we do launch that free class. Definitely sign up for it, and it's something you can bring back to the rest of your coworkers, staff, everything. It's just good to know and have be a little bit more aware of what to do and how to do it. So thank you for watching today. Be safe. Be safe. That's a wrap on this episode of The Main Event. We're all about empowering our community and supporting each other, so if you love today's conversation, share it with a fellow stylist and let's grow together. 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