I'll lay money on it that if you marketed yourself as a Mentalist and not just a magician that does mentalism, you wouldn't have this sort of problem. Secondly, I am a mentalist... 20+ years at it... and I work lots of Hair Salons with repeat bookings year after year.
The other point here centers on something Rick Maue talks about every now and then... you don't HAVE TO take the gig.
If an agent/talent buyer calls up wanting a Mind Reader or Magician then they haven't a clue what they actually want. This makes your job a bit tougher when it comes to the sell and standing out from "all the rest" but more importantly, the buyers are calling because they want you or because of what you have established yourself as.
HINT: If you mix magic tricks with mentalism or do mental type effects that come off as being magic tricks YOU'RE A MAGICIAN AND NOTHING OTHER. Expect to be booked as exactly that.
On the other hand, if you present yourself as a genuine Mentalist, leave the magic toys alone and get serious about your skills within that genre, taking dates that only support that image and more to the point YOU and what you are vs. all the others... people will call to book YOU and they will understand why you are worth more (a.k.a. higher fees) than all the others... this is something I learned by watching Max Maven evolve out of his birth persona.
Too many of us make decent money working the Spas & Salons by doing almost exactly what we do when it comes to Home PSI Party situations. If you don't understand that, read the works or Richard Webster and Robert Nelson
