I initially had a very positive experience with Katie. We had a great rapport, and I genuinely…read moreenjoyed our conversations during my appointments, which made the way things ended even more disappointing.
I came to Katie after another stylist had left my hair in a very difficult state, and I want to acknowledge that she did a lot of corrective work to get my hair looking significantly better while maintaining its health. She is talented, and I appreciated the work she did during that part of my color journey.
From the beginning, I was very clear that I wanted a cooler, more neutral blonde and provided inspiration photos. During our consultation, we discussed that achieving the result might require more than two sessions, and I was completely open to that. However, as we continued through the process, the possibility of additional sessions was never really discussed again.
After my toner appointment, I contacted her because I could still see noticeable warm, golden areas around my face and crown. I expected that we would discuss how to correct those areas.
Instead, I was asked to come into the salon and, once I arrived, was told that I would need another highlight and lowlight service, but that she didn't think I would be happy with anything she did and suggested that I find another stylist.
I found this particularly upsetting for several reasons. Having me come all the way to the salon for a conversation that could have easily been handled by phone or email felt like an unnecessary use of my time. More importantly, I felt embarrassed and uncomfortable having this conversation in front of other people in the salon. The interaction felt very different from the warm rapport we had shared during all of my previous appointments. That day, I experienced her as cold and distant, which made an already difficult situation feel even more uncomfortable.
I was also hurt by being told that she didn't think I would be happy with anything she did. The way that was communicated made me feel as though the problem was being placed on me--as if I had been unreasonable, inconsistent, or impossible to please. That wasn't my experience at all. My desired color had remained consistent from the beginning. I was simply asking for the warm areas to be addressed so that the finished color would be closer to the neutral tone we had discussed.
I also found it frustrating to repeatedly hear that she liked how my hair looked. I respect that she did, but my concern was never whether the color looked good. It was whether it matched the specific result we had discussed and that I had consistently asked for. Those are two different things.
After investing over $1,300, including tips, I was disappointed by what felt like a lack of follow-through at the end of the process. I don't believe the issue was that additional work was impossible; rather, I was left feeling that she no longer wanted to continue the process with me. If she had communicated that earlier, I could have understood and made other arrangements without making another trip to the salon.
A couple of days later, I emailed Katie to explain that I was hurt and disappointed by how everything had been handled and that I felt the situation could have been communicated differently. I also made it clear that I had genuinely liked her and had always enjoyed our appointments. I wasn't writing to change her decision or ask her to continue working with me; I simply wanted her to understand why the experience had been upsetting. Unfortunately, she never responded to my email. Ouch.
I appreciate that she refunded part of my toner service. However, I ultimately left feeling dismissed and disappointed--not because she couldn't give me exactly what I wanted in one appointment, but because of how the situation was communicated and handled after I had invested significant time, money, and trust.
I would have simply looked for another hairstylist and moved on, but I have left the country since then. That made the situation even more frustrating because I was not immediately in a position to find someone else to correct my hair.
I am leaving this review because I think future clients deserve to know both sides of my experience. Katie is talented and did meaningful corrective work on my hair, but the way our professional relationship ended left me feeling very differently than I had felt during the many appointments leading up to it.