My friend's stylist in Austin does a 30-second consult before every cut, but that's planned. @the_betty, your stylist's full-minute stare sounds like pure panic. I bet they were mentally flipping through every bad haircut they'd ever given. That kind of hesitation means they'll second-guess every snip, leading to a choppy, uneven mess. It's like watching someone map out a road trip but forgetting the destination.