Response to the 6/11 review of Elan: Elan enjoys a large clientele of regulars from all over the country, and indeed, the world, in this university town. The 6/11 review of Elan indicates only that Elan is generous, and perhaps too generous. In the writer's haste to berate Elan, she reviews her friend unfavorably instead; a review sent on her wedding day nonetheless: the bride and her parents are portrayed as people whose word not only means nothing, unless they are legally bound by a signature on the dotted line, but who are willing to pull the rug from under a business that has an excellent reputation and whose kindness is highly appreciated. I visited yelp to write a favorable review of Elan, and found this one. In an unusual way, I was part of this situation, and instead of providing a straightforward review, I would like to correct the facts in this earlier review which I hope will speak for themselves and are only one indication of how highly Elan's clients think of the service Elan provides. I was actually a mother of a bride as well that day, June 11. I had set up an 11AM appointment with Elan about one month earlier to have my hair styled for my daughter's wedding that took place late afternoon in Indianapolis. At the request of Elan, I agreed to change that appointment a couple of weeks later to 8AM in order to accommodate this reviewer's large wedding party. The bride and her parents who were from out of town had just called Elan to set up an appointment, without informing Elan they were making two bookings for the same time in two local salons. Because Elan has helped me out so many times, I was happy to return the favor at this occasion. When the bridal party cancelled Elan at the 11th hour the day before, I was in the midst of rehearsal dinners and other wedding events, and Elan's manager was not able to contact me in a timely fashion and invite me to come in at 11 AM instead, and when I arrived at 8AM on June 11 the business was open punctually at the unusually early time, just for me. Needless to say, they did a fabulous job. Perhaps the world would be a better place if we pause before we judge when in an vindictive mood, check our facts for contradictions and follow the advice of our beloved folksinger Carrie Newcomer who has a song on the subject, the performance of which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukVV7ZGGfD4 read more

Best haircut of my life. Zoey does a great job with my bob cuts. Best ever and very friendly service. Beautiful salon. They offer nice cold water and tea as well. read more

I've used four different stylist here and only once have I been half way satisfied. The first time I went here the stylist cut my hair decent but when she did the highlights the color was completely not what I requested nor the placement. I was there for 4 hours and left unhappy. I complained the next day and was contacted by the owner and was essentially told since I didn't complain at the time I must've been happy with it. 1. I was tired of being there and 2. They were closing. I did go back in and they fixed it and it was decent but still in the end not my original inspo. And twice with two different stylist there I've received a crooked haircut. Honestly it's on me for giving them the chance to continue to mess up my hair, but you would think 4 different stylist one could get it right. My next haircut for sure won't be here. read more

I had a perfect first cut from Alison. I went back for a trim and shaping 4 days before my wedding! I can't believe what she did to my hair on one side. Edited: As it turns out, she did try to contact me but had the wrong area code. She told me I'd asked for a fix on the right side so I didn't like my haircut. I think it was that the sideburns needed a bit more layering as I have a cowlick there! Otherwise, she did a great job. When I went back for tis trim, it was 4 days before my wedding day. It took an effort I shouldn't have had to make on that special day to fix the hair mess. Then, in her answer to my review, she actually congratulated me on my wedding! How can she shame me when she is to blame? When I asked her about the financial aspect, she replied, do you want me to refund you for the whole haircut? Excuse me, what else could I mean? My defenses were down and I said something to the effect that maybe it was partly my fault. But how could it be when I didn't see the defect till I tried to style it a couple days later! There was no way even the most expert hairdresser could grow hair that hair back in 2 days. read more

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Elan is a conveniently located hair salon in the heart of downtown Bloomington. Jennica gave a great guys cut and really took her time. When someone will spend 45 minutes, on my short hair I know it's a quality salon. I've had my haircut at several salons high and low end, and Elan is definitely a new favorite. Trust me when I say I'm highly finicky with my hair and am not easily impressed by a haircut. Definitely worth a visit! Price is great too. read more

Allison did a cut and color with me. Finally, I had someone hear me- I want a natural color! She spent awhile with me and I found her to be very talented with assessing which color looked great and worked with my skin tone. Highly recommend! read more

Update: I posted a similar review of my dissatisfaction with Alison's butchering of three inches more than I wanted cut off from my hair on facebook, and it was deleted. They want to hide their mistakes. Well, I can't hide my hair, I'm living with their mistake and having to see it every time I look in the mirror. How completely and totally unprofessional. AVOID!!! read more

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this salon! Everyone that works there is very nice and knows what they are doing! I've been going there monthly for over a year now and have gotten haircuts by both Alison and Jeff and I'm always happy with my results! Alison is also amazing with mixing color for my hair! For many years I've tried to find the right hair dye to mix with my difficult hair and it wasn't until I met Alison that my hair looked really good and natural after getting it dyed! I completely disagree with the other review about this salon and don't think that anyone should base their opinion upon one person's negative experience or opinion because you now have one more person who has had many, many good experiences at this same place and with this same stylist. Besides, I'm sure the haircut looks great but just isn't what the woman wanted. Also, the post on someone's Facebook wall is completely different than leaving a review on here or Google. If someone posted something on my company's Facebook wall it would be removed as well. It's not that they are hiding or censoring anything...A Facebook wall is not the place to post something like this unless it's your own wall where you can control the content as you please. Needless to say, I will be back to Elan! :) read more

Teresa cut my hair & did an incredible job! She took all of my concerns, visions, etc and put them into a final look that I love. The salon was easy to find and the staff was all really friendly. I travel for work, so not sure if I'll be in Bloomington again, but if I am & need a haircut, I'll go here! read more

I've been going here for two years and it's been exceptional service and quality of haircuts throughout. The price is great for both men and women's cuts and styling. I normally see Alison, but the stylists all friendly and skilled. They have helped me work out what I want to do with my hair and good options for styling. My wife, who has very curly hair, has difficulty finding salons which know how to cut it. She has been very happy going to Elan as well. read more

Great hair salon. Celena usually cuts my hair and she does a fantastic job every time. Granted, I only ever get a short men's hair cut, but I've not once had an issue here, even before getting set up with a regular hairdresser. At least for men's haircuts, this place is fantastic! read more

Elan has been a great fit for me. The staff fosters a great environment and Misty perfects my hair & eyebrows every time! They offer a wide variety of services and make you feel welcome when you walk in the door. Highly recommend! read more

Chose this salon, in close proximity to the Hyatt, to get a blowout while in town for a wedding. I was able to schedule an appointment the day before. My stylist was friendly, but she seemed inexperienced. The price listed online for a shampoo and blow dry is $25. I was charged $45. My husband thought I should have disputed the price, but I'm not one to haggle. Best negotiate the price of your service before beginning...I'm still in shock that I payed someone $50 (with tip) to blow dry my hair... read more

Love the way Jeff cuts my hair, I drive 75 miles from Westfield, IN. Because Jeff is just that good,

I got full blonde highlights from Jennifer here and I love them! I was worried to get my hair done in Bloomington being from a big city, but was very impressed. A whole head of highlights was only $115, awesome price! 10/10 would recommend. read more

Treasa is a world class colorist. She does absolute miracles with my resistant grey hair. My hair is shiny and healthy between services.

I used Jennifer for two years to cut and style my hair and was very satisfied. I then used Teresa for a keratin treatment. I've had several before at many places, so assumed price would be $200-$300 like every other salon in Bloomington, Indy, Chicago, etc. I was stunned when I found out the cost was actually $500. When I called to discuss it with the owner, I was told that I was supposed to be told of the price before the procedure. Obviously, I wouldn't have paid twice what everyone else in town charges. I realize I should have asked, but very dissatisfied that they were willing to lose a customer rather than negotiate even a little on that outrageous bill. read more

friendly environment, but that can be deceiving. I cannot remember the girls name even, I'm pretty sure it was Brittany or Tiffany or something to that effect (young blond with curls). However, the girl either really hated me, or didn't know what to do with my hair. She crowed about how healthy it was and how she was so happy to find such healthy hair because she had never seen it during the cut and then turns around and from what it felt like tried to destroy every last strand while it was wet. She asked me how I kept it so healthy and I told her, no heat, comb through when wet with de tangler, I let it set after I comb through it (ie: let it dry before I even take a brush through it to further style it), and my gentle shampoo and deep moisture conditioner. (Giovanni) To explain this terrible event, she washed and cut it just fine, it wasn't anything spectacular since all I asked for was a trim to test the waters, but nothing to complain about. However, once it was wet and she wanted to dry it, I felt like I was going to cry. Literally, she was either clueless about how to handle hair or she was trying to rip my hair out of my skull. She attempted to take a brush to it instead of a comb and instead of taking the tangles out BEFORE she started her hurricane wind style of blow drying, she was tossing it around like it would just fall into place on its own while trying to tear the brush through it. If you don't have the picture yet, she started with tangles, created more tangles, and then tried to tear through them with the brush while creating even more tangles. My hair was seriously ratted and not improving and my scalp was sore. That is when I stopped and said, this is why I A) don't brush my hair when its wet, I comb it, B) USE A DE TANGLING PRODUCT and C) refrain from tossing it around while trying to brush it. She just ignored me and I left with half wet hair, a sore scalp, more split-ins than I came in with, and a personal kicking for ever letting my beating get that far before I said enough. I'm sad to say they just were not up to what I expected. read more

I went to Elan with a picture of what I wanted - long layers. I showed it to the hair stylist, she said it wasn't realistic and then gave me a haircut that had the majority of my hair chin-length with few long straggles past my shoulders. I am embarrassed to go outside and I'm thinking about buying hair extensions to add to the gross straggles remaining. I came in with long hair and it was totally butchered. And then, I came home and looked at my hair again...for the 40th time today hoping it's not as bad as I am making it out to be, and the longest layer wasn't even straight! I had to cut some off just to make it even. I will never go there again. My friends tell me it's awful and I should go back to the manager and have her fix it, but I'm scared to let them do anything with my hair again. Ugh! read more

I have to say that Jeff has been cutting my hair for years and I have always been very satisfied. Last week Jeff was out so Allison cut my hair, I was equally as satisfied. I have always been treated well and the haircuts have been awesome. read more

I have had my hair cut by both Allison and Teresa, and have been very happy with both! Teresa is my normal stylist and I generally go in with an idea of what I want but trust her judgement enough to try different cuts! Can be a little pricey but totally worth it if you want a great cut! read more

We considered this salon for our bridal party. After the hair trial, I'm over the moon relieved we decided to go elsewhere! At the hair trial there was no deposit made or contract signed or any appointments made. This salon was under the impression we scheduled appointments with them months ago but we never received any follow up emails or texts to confirm appointments that were supposedly made. The bride received a confirmation call the day before. The bride explained to this salon that we have decided to go elsewhere for hair and makeup. On the day of the wedding the owner of this Salon called all other salons in Bloomington to find out where we were. The owner of Elan found us at Mardon and harassed the Mardon staff to talk to the bride while the bride was in the chair getting primped for her big day. Elan salon wanted to get a credit card number from the bride to charge over $300 for missed appointments. The staff at Mardon handled the situation with nothing but class. The owner of Elan threatened to walk down to Mardon to collect payment. Elan salon also told Mardon staff that they did not care if it was the brides big day or if she was happy or not. As a bridesmaid in the bridal party, it was terrible watching my best friend go through something this horrible and unprofessional on her magical day. I highly encourage all other bridal party's stay away from this place for they only care about money and not you! Hope this helps! read more