I made an appointment for a haircut with a level 1 student. The institute is really nice inside, looks quite new. The music is quite loud and runs the gamut from Green Day to smooth jazz. I wish they'd turn it down as I had to scream pretty loudly to talk to my stylist.
Here are the issues I noticed that are preventing me from going back:
-My stylist was really nice, but never offered me any tea, which is a signature of Aveda salons and shops. The other customers around me all had tea. I ended up asking for some and they only give you a 2-3oz cup - not the stylist's fault, just seems like they could offer a full cup.
-Again, stylist was very nice, but she never offered me any of the complimentary services such as shoulder massage, scalp massage, mini facial, etc. After the lady next to me (lol my mom, we booked our haircuts at the same time) was offered all of the services by her stylist, I ended up asking mine about it while she was shampooing my hair. She gave me both a mini facial and scalp massage which were lovely, just remember that they're very brief services, less than 5 min each.
-Something I loved: The shampoo room has full tables allowing you to lay down at the wash bowl, which is awesome! They even provide cushions to place under your knees for back support.
-This might just be my preference but I don't want to have a conversation when I'm getting my head massaged and a mini facial. I really wanted to sit quietly and relax but my stylist started asking where I was from, etc.
-Ok, here's the biggest reason I wouldn't go back to a level 1 student. I asked for a very simple haircut, the same haircut normally takes my regular stylist less than 45 min, including shampooing and a blowout. My full appointment at Aveda from first discussing what I wanted to having the instructor sign off on it to shampooing and cutting and getting multiple checks from the instructor and having the instructor to fix some spots to finally getting my hair blow dried (which had to be sprayed down with water again bc it was nearly dry by the time she finished cutting) took over 3 hours!!! I live almost an hour away so I lost half the day to a simple haircut. Highly recommend bringing a snack along, btw.
-If the appointment had stated it may take that long, I wouldn't have minded. But the appt lists the haircut time slot as an hour and 45 min.
-The students aren't allowed to accept tips. That's not cool. Regardless of how long it took, I really wanted to make sure my stylist got *something* so I was bummed that I couldn't tip her at least a few bucks.
-Be aware that your haircut is a learning experience for the student, which I'm totally cool with and was happy to help! But the instructors come by a LOT to check on how it's going and make sure you're happy and to provide any fixes. There are some long conversations around techniques and how the student should be cutting, etc. I didn't mind at all, but I did start to reach a point where I just wanted the instructor to finish my cut so I could go home.
Bottom line, if you're on a tight budget and you have a ton of free time, this is a great option for you. I have medium length hair and it was $19. I'd be open to going back and working with a level 3 stylist as they're much more experienced. But the 3+ hour time for a simple trim was CRAZY. I'd gladly try the other services if I lived closer as the prices are really great. But again, I'd stick with the more experienced stylists. read more