This is a first class place. Debi Offerdahl is a well known stylist serving Madison and Monona's far eastside for over 20 years. Debi has been awarded a multitude of local and national awards. Any wedding or other function for your daughter, yourself or a friend for hair and makeup styling would be handled with the utmost care and attention. The Salon and its decor is beyond beautiful and proffessional. Would very highly recommend Debi and this Salon read more

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Mercedez totally transformed my hair! She is knowledgeable and has extremely fair pricing. She did wonders for my hair and does great extensions that blend perfectly!! read more

Ultimate Veritas Spa Salon - Hair before the extensions were put in - Massage Near Me - Monona, Wisconsin

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This place as reopened and should have stayed closed. You know when you see an old friend whose life is falling apart because they make shitty decisions, and you feel bad and want to help but no you can't do anything? That's how I felt at my latest visit to the Ultimate. Literally the worst hair experience of my entire life. 3 or 4 years ago, I use to go there all the time to have my hair colored. It was such a great experience, the place was always packed and full of energy. It felt high end. Then I moved away and stopped coloring my hair (correlation not causation). I was back in the area and decide that I'm ready to go blond again so the first place I thought to call was Ultimate. I discovered that Linn (the amazing woman who colored my hair previously) was gone. That's when I should have backed out, but I didn't because the receptionist assured me they had everything written down and could do exactly what Linn did, and that she'd book me with a senior stylist. When I arrived I was a bit taken back by how empty it was. I went in on a Thursday evening, so it should be have been packed. There was the receptionist, the owner, and the "senior stylist" who did my hair. The other 28 stations were dusty. No one or nothing was in the manicure area. It looked like a ghost town. I described what Linn did, the "senior stylist" had the colors Linn wrote down but said she would do a slight variation. The owner assured me the "senior stylist" was fantastic and to trust her. When Linn did my hair the first time I had a full head of foils and came out blond (natural hair dark brown). When the "senior stylist" did my hair I came out looking like I was from the 90's with chunky golden blond streaky highlights - think Spice Girls. She also added a carmel brunette low light. Keep in mind, I specifically asked for a cool blond, those two colors are completely opposite. I was mortified. Completely mortified. Aside from that, she had stiletto nails that hurt and her pants kept falling down, so she's go from her hands in her pants to pull them up to touching my hair. The entire experience was uncomfortable. I told the "senior stylist" that I was not happy and she was upset that I didn't understand how going blond works. Turns out she graduated from beauty school last year and she is probably a senior stylist because she's the only employee. When I explained why I was not happy the receptionist said it'd lighten up with the summer sun. That's not what I'm paying $140 for. Also, the entire place was empty but the receptionist came over and used the hairspray next to me, spraying it over my Louis Vuitton purse. They gave me a discount price of $90. When I was leaving I overheard another customer ask the owner if any of her employees or customers were coming back and she said she was working on it. I didn't realize the place shut down. The Ultimate now is not the Ultimate it was years ago. It's horrible and I strongly advise against going there. The next morning I went to Tempt'd (2 blocks away) where I had a great experience in a fun, relaxing environment and I walked out blond, in one sitting. read more

If I could give this salon a negative-star review, I would. My experience, along with four other bridesmaids, was absolutely horrible. Weeks prior to going to Ultimate for our hair appointments, we were provided the following quotes: Formal up-do style $65 (Long hair is an extra $10) Down, curled and styled, $40 Shampoo Blowout $25 When I arrived, my hairstylist confirmed that I requested my hair curled and down, but asked if I'd like just a few pieces of hair pulled back on one side for style--nothing more mentioned. Sure, why not? For two bobby pins holding an inch of hair in place on the side of my head, I was charged for a Formal up-do style at $65. I asked for clarification, since my appointment was quoted at $40 for having my hair down, curled and styled. The woman at the counter, with the consensus of a stylist that didn't style my hair, agreed that by having two bobby pins placed in my hair, my style was transformed into a formal up-do style and would be charged as such. I was shocked. I fought it, and yet no further explanation or apology was given. The woman simply swiped my card and smiled. Not only is $40 far too much money for something that took a stylist 20 minutes to complete and nothing more than a simple curl, I was now being charged $12.50 per bobby pin that a stylist suggested I have in my hair. The stylists did the same to all five bridesmaids, and none of us left pleased with our hair or their service. We re-styled our hair at the church, having thrown $65 at Ultimate's terrible customer service, poor communication and a horrible experience. To make matters worse, the stylists were rather unprofessional and talked poorly about their management (we can see why), colleagues and other clients to one another and to us throughout our appointments. I'd have to agree with Ultimate's stylists, I wouldn't boast about this salon to anyone. read more

UPDATE: Mallory has moved to Elevation in downtown Madison on Butler Street, so I will be switching to that salon. I started coming to Mallory after stylist hopping for 10 years in Madison. My hair was "complicated" after another stylist ruined it with bleach 18 months ago, but Mallory has it looking healthy, stylish, and beautiful again. I've never gotten more compliments on it. I had another fantastic color and cut with her on Friday - she's flexible, listens to what I want to do with my hair (I told her my length goal and she smiled and promised "We will get there, don't worry") and gives the best scalp massage I've ever had. She also NEVER insults your hair - I've had stylists do this and it ruins an experience that should be relaxing and enhancing self self esteem. I would highly recommend asking for her when you book - you'll be very glad that you did. read more

My sister and I decided to give our mom a complete "makeover" as a gift. I called multiple salons to inquire if they would be able to strip color out of my mom's hair. (She decided to stop coloring her hair and let her hair grow out, so she had grey/white on top and dark brown a few inches down.) Many of the salons said that it could not be done. When I spoke with someone at the Ultimate Spa Salon, they stated that they would be able to lighten the color so it would blend better with her natural hair color. The stylist was very nice, discussed what she was going to be doing. She put lightener on my mom's hair a few times. I was nervous that it wasn't going to work. She got a new hairstyle, and when it was all done, she looked FABULOUS! I was very pleased with how it came out. It was pricey to have it done, but when it comes to a drastic change, I'd say it's worth it! read more

Getting your hair cut here is worth the money if you don't plan on getting your hair cut every 6 weeks like you are supposed to. However, do not get your nails done here. We called to make an appointment for gels. They booked us. We arrived and they told us we were going to get a complimentary hot wax dip, which I started and as they started to have me pick out the color of nail polish we started to clarify that this was gel nails (because gels don't have nail polish, they are clear). As one of my hands had already been dipped they told us that actually they don't offer the gel service there and there must have been some confusion. We should have left then, but since I had already dipped my hand we decided to stay and get mani-s. They CHARGED me for the wax dip and our nails didn't last two days. read more

Hair is good. Makeup and nails were absolutely terrible, can't even describe how bad. My experience was for a wedding hair/makeup/nails. DO NOT. HAIR(6/10): I guess first off I should say that in the end my hair did end up looking amazing. However it took twice as long as it should have because the stylist(who was the owner) WOULD NOT LISTEN TO ME. AT ALL. I showed her a picture of exactly what I wanted, and she kept putting my hair up in a completely different style/look. It wasn't until the 4th time that I held my hair in place, where I wanted it, that she actually put my hair up to look like the picture I provided. Which was extremely frustrating considering the other crap I put up with the day before. And also, they charge full price for the trial, which is stupidly overcharged. NAILS(0/10): I payed $40+ dollars to get gel nails done and they were absolutely terrible. I had to go to a nail salon to get their gel taken off and replaced. DO NOT GET YOUR NAILS DONE THERE. MAKE-UP(0/10): I was very excited to have my make-up professionally done and was extremely, extremely disappointed. The owner again, was the one working on my make-up, she hardly had any make-up at all, and the only stuff that she DID have was stuff that matched HER skin tone. I'm super pale so none of her makeup worked for me AT ALL. She also didn't have any lipstick lighter than a dark maroon. I asked for either I light pink or a light nude, she came back with maroon and brown. She also had NOTHING to cover my dark circles and DIDN'T HAVE ANY MASCARA AT ALL. She didn't blend any of the makeup she applied and she layered so much 'bronzer' on me I looked like a tangerine. The 'smokey eye' made me look like a raccoon. I ended up just going to Ulta, buying myself new make-up and having my sister-in-law apply my make-up. (which ended up actually looking absolutely perfect) SERVICE(0/10): Absolutely horrid. The owner did not ask, or listen to what I wanted or had to say. She just nodded her head 'yes' when I told her what I wanted and then promptly ignored everything I said and did what she wanted (which looked like shit). She was talking over my head at her other employees the entire time, and barking order at them, treating them very rudely. The entire experience was overpriced shit. SAVING GRACE: The receptionist at least was very nice and trying to provide the best customer service she could, though the rest of the employees (especially the owner) clearly didn't care or weren't trained at all. I'm honestly amazed that the receptionist puts up with all of the owners crap. read more

Pros: - $39 first-time massage - Decent massage packages - Very relaxing massage - Professional and clean Cons: - An extra $7 for 'deep tissue' massages? Come on. Just raise the prices and make them all deep tissue. - Strip-mall location - Massage rooms are a bit spartan and cold (temperature and otherwise) - Tough to get an appointment during peak hours - No spa 'smells' or aromatherapy Overall this spa has the most flexible packages for massages I've found. And their first-time massage price can't be beat. But don't expect a 'spa' experience. read more

Not so ultimate. Mediocre manicure that chipped within hours. I also suspect that the polish was old because it formed bubbles and dried slowly. $32 for just a basic mani. read more

Went to Debi with the Covid boredom, tried to get her to cut off a bunch of my hair. She told me not to:) If you are looking for someone to advise you on what to do with your hair, go to Debi, otherwise I would be regretting the haircut! read more

OK I have been pondering putting on this review for a while now. I don't generally put negative reviews but feel I have to put this out there so no one else goes through what I did. I actually went to the salon years ago as a repeated customer. I heard that the salon was struggling and decided to go back and try it again as I like to keep my money locally spent. Debi HAD a great reputation as a good stylist... apparently things have changed and my experience was terrible. The cut was good but she did not listen to me about what I wanted with the color at all! I was there for highlights and low lights and left with an all over color change that she assured me would make the low lights and highlights that I already have be better. She told me it was a temporary color as it would slowly wash out. It was not at all what I had requested or was looking for. I was extremely unhappy with it and she admitted that it was her error and not what she expected either. I returned to the salon to have it "fixed" and she actually put a brown all over permanent color on my hair. By the way I'm blonde. She was extremely nonprofessional,rude and caustic to me. I have to admit she acted a bit bizarre through both of my visits...? Needless to say I won't be returning. My advice... Enter with caution! read more

I just moved here and was looking for a salon specializing in African American hair. This was the first place that popped up on a google search so I called without checking their website. The girl picked up the phone, and I asked if they did African American hair and her comment was "well, we're not a barber shop if you know what i mean." I immediately told her that her comment was racist and we would not be using this salon and hung up. Might not have been able to use them for my kids anyway, but For my Caucasian hair, I will definitely never come here. Zero tolerance for such comments. read more

I have my favorite stylists at Ultimate, but what would a salon be without a few excellent hair artisans who have some great jokes to boot? Here's what I love about Ultimate: Polite manner on phone and always upon arrival. No snooty attitude on phone or in person at front desk. I've only used their hair cutting/ coloring services but the place is always full, which I take as a good sign, no matter what day or time I am there. I do love my edgy stylist, but they have someone for everyone. Ask to be matched up with someone that will suit your style and character. read more

New year. New Day. New Do. I wanted to take off some more length, dead ends and all BUT with someone who wasted 'scissor happy'. You know the type. I called and made an appt with a Master Designer; I received Lisa Torgerud. I gave Lisa an idea of what I wanted; with 2 photos in tow - so we could to come to a harmonious agreement. I took off about 5 -6 inches and was in and out in less than an hour and a half. She was professional, quaint, and efficient. Her styling area was clean, neat and attractive to the eye. I will return. read more

I've been here three times, and each time was just excellent. A clean, professional salon. The massages are lovely: the rooms are comfortable and relaxing, and each person I've had has been just great. Their hand and wrist massages can't be beat. The pedicures are great: my experiences have been a little rough and tumble, but they sure make my feet look amazing. The manicures lasted for over a week, and were fast and lovely. I also had my hair cut and colored here, and it turned out stellar. Professional, friendly service with a great cut and amazing highlights. The stylist took my concerns about my hair (lightening without damaging) seriously and worked within serious constraints very well. My only cons: Some of the rooms can be a little cold. Also, my manicurist went MIA when I was in the nail dryer and I had to find another manicurist to fix one of my nails. Other than that, and the rough handling of feet during the pedicure, all my experiences here have been top notch. read more

Tiffany is, by far, the best stylist I've ever had. I recently moved to DC and have let my hair go for 6 months because I knew I'd be back home in Madison around Christmas and could sneak into Ultimate and get my hair done right. When I first started going to Tiffany, I did what every girl does post-break-up. I sat in her chair and told her I didn't care what she did with my hair but that I needed something different. She gave me the perfect cut and color. I was stopped multiple times by strangers asking me where I had gotten my hair cut. It was stylish and professional - plus, I could just blow dry it into shape, no need to curl or use a straightening iron. Love this place! read more

I really cannot say enough about my stylist Debi . I was frustrated for awhile with my last two hair stylists of how they cut my hair. (I have curly/wavy hair and never seemed to get the cut I wanted. I saw a good review on my neighborhood site so I thought I would give The Ultimate a try. I have loved my haircuts every time.! She is a wizard with a pair of scissors! She also has great hair products which I believe she formulated herself..I always have felt great walking out of there.. read more

I had my hair done at the Ultimate. I have quite a bit of gray and was trying to lighten my color so that my roots were less noticeable. She did explain that I couldn't get to where I wanted to be hair-color-wise, and I was okay with that. But, when we were done, my gray roots were still really obvious (which was my whole point in being there), so I asked her if she could fix the roots, and she agreed to stay late which was very gracious and accommodating. BUT, she charged me to correct the issue. I have never heard of a salon where they charge you to correct an issue in the same appointment (or coming back in a day or two later, for that matter). So, when it all wrapped up, I paid $251 including tip, and still wasn't happy with the color. I called the salon a few days later to see what their policy is, and yes, I was told they do charge to correct issues such as that. The stylist was quite nice, but I won't be coming back. The prices were ridiculous!! Regarding the salon, it really needs a face lift. The waiting space isn't bad, but the rest of it is awful. Dated, drab décor with harsh lighting. Certainly no "spa" feel about it. Blah! read more

I have a gift certificate for an Ultimate Makeover - 2 1/2 hours of consultation, cut, color, style and makeup. I was really excited to try the Spa and in desperate need of a haircut so I called right away to make an appointment. I was lucky enough that the first available appointment, although 2 weeks away was on a Friday night. I booked the appointment and made big plans to go out with friends to debut my new look (really, how often do you get to have your makeup professionally done for a night out.) Flash forward to an hour before my much anticipated appointment I received a voicemail message informing me that Mallory was running behind with another appointment and I would need to call to reschedule mine. WTF? You're cancelling my appointment and not even apologizing or offering me any option like a shorter service? I swallow my anger and return the call think that perhaps since they canceled my appointment, they would find a way to quickly accommodate me with a new appointment or perhaps upgrade me for the inconvenience. Nope. I was informed that Mallory's next time slot was a week and a half out or I could see someone else on a Tuesday - Who needs their makeup done for a Tuesday night? Honestly if it wasn't a gift certificate I would just cancel and go somewhere else. This is NOT a great first impression. To be fair, I would like to add that their phone staff have always been delightful. So that and the limitations of yelp are the only reason they get a star. I will update after I have my service, hopefully they are worth the inconvenience and irritation. read more

Extremely disappointing first time visit. Showed up for my appointment and they told me that the massage therapist called in earlier in the day. They were nice enough to call me earlier but didn't actually leave me a message to say that my appointment was canceled. Thank you for wasting my time today. read more

ALL of the stylist Ive seen have now left as well as the majority of the front desk staff. The place has gone down hill! That being said the salons prices far exceed the experience!!!! Its decor is horrible. Paint is chipping off the walls, holes in the ceiling , the waterfall at the entrance is broke. It's pricing itself out of Madison. read more

I love the ultimate spa and salon! I get my haircut there by lynnelee and she does a great job both with cutting my hair and giving a great neck massage between the wash and cut. She also gave me the great tip to start using Moroccan oil products in my hair. Not only do the products smell great, but they also make my hair very shiny and smooth. I also got my hair and makeup done here for my wedding, and brought in my whole bridal party to do their hair and make up. It was great to have a different stylist for each member and get the whole process done in 2 hours. I had Tiffany working on me and she did a fabulous job figuring out what I wanted from pictures that I brought in. The Ultimate Spa and Salon is the only place I'll go to in Madison for any spa needs. It's definitely not cheap, but I find its definitely worth the price. read more

I will give this salon 2 stars. I went today for a facial, 6/27/15, unknown to me I had a stylist giving me my facial because of an illness the esthetician wasn't able to do it. If I would have known that it was going to have been done by a stylist, I would have gone somewhere else for one or would have waited. I was very disappointed. My appt. was at 9, I got in at 9:20 and then the misting machine was broke, after it had spitting hot water all over me. I do have to say that I got a discount but I much rather would have waited for someone who knew how to give a facial. read more

Ultimate has improved a lot since they first opened. I get a great cut and blowout from Tamela (one of the educators) and she gives a lovely neck massage and shampoo as well. They really try to do a great job over there, and their digs are pretty attractive, so give them a shot. read more

I had microdermabrasion with Sarah. It was my first experience with the service as well as the technician. I think Sarah did a great job of making the experience pain-free, relaxing and even a bit educational. I'm very happy with the results and will go back to Sarah for other spa services. The atmosphere and decor are OK - not a complete spa feel, but not terrible. read more

I LOVE Ultimate! A friend referred me to Alyssa and she is who has done my hair for the past two years! She's great and always makes me hair better than I imagined. The salon is nice. Other reviews say they are pricey but you get what you pay for. I get a paraffin dip and neck/scalp massage when I get my hair done. I'm not sitting there all day like other places. The front desk is very friendly and I even get mailed coupons for discounted services. I will be going back as long as I'm living in Madison. :) read more

I moved back to the Madison area after being away for seven years, and I desperately needed someone to cut my hair. After trying a few places, I finally decided to give Ultimate Salon a try and I am glad I did! Upon my arrival at the salon, I was quickly checked in for my appointment, and was offered coffee, water, or soda. I relaxed in the waiting area and was pleasantly surprised to have my stylist, Pada, come and get me just a few minutes later, since I was ten minutes early. Pada asked me some questions about my hair and what I wanted done with it. I knew I wanted a different cut than I currently had but I wasn't sure what I wanted, so she recommended a few styles. I picked one and she got to work. I love the new haircut! Pada gave me exactly what I wanted and she gave me a lot of useful tips on styling it. She was very friendly and the complimentary neck/shoulder massage she gave me after washing my hair was divine. I will definitely return to Ultimate Salon and Pada. read more

I usually get pedis at Cameo (AWESOME AND LAST A MONTH!) but they were booked. Visited Ultimate for the first time. Treated more like a service than pampering. For what was supposed to be a 1 hour spa pedicure our appts. started 15 minutes late and only lasted 40 minutes. Foot massage was rushed and polish is bumpy and only looks so-so. Very dissapointed for a $65 price tag. I don't think I'll go back. read more

I'm only giving this 2 stars because the "extras" are nice. Water, coffee, neck rubs after shampoos, etc. Everyone was also very nice, and welcoming. As for the haircut I received.... I consulted with the girl on the phone the kind of stylist I wanted. She gave me a name for a master stylist, and I went with her recommendation. I brought in photos, and talked with the stylist at length before the cut asking for her ideas. I ended up getting more inches then we talked about taken off the length, and the style is mediocre at best. Even after going back to try and get it fixed, I'm still not happy. It will have to wear my hair up for at least 2 1/2 months. *edit* I had to come back and drop this down to just 1 star instead of the original 2. The more I live with it the more reality hits, and get me angry that I paid so much money to end up looking like this. This style is awful, and even my boyfriend and roommate confessed that they hate it. I wouldn't recommend this salon, unless you already know a stylist there. Groceries will be tight for a while, but I'm going to another salon today to see if they can help me before my big family event this weekend. I'm not even sure if there is anything they can do. read more

I just had the most insane experience at The Ultimate. I am actually a hairstylist at a different salon on the West side of Madison, but I was given a gift card to The Ultimate for a facial. My appointment was scheduled for 10:00am and I arrived at about 9:45am for my service. I quickly noticed that all of the lights were off and the door was locked. There was another girl waiting in the parking lot so I asked her if she was waiting for an appointment also. She told me that she actually worked there and it was her first day and she wasn't sure what was going on. I then realized that she was the person who was supposed to give me my facial. She was very nice and I could tell she felt really bad so I told her not to worry I would just wait in my car for a few mins and see if someone shows up. She then told me that she had been waiting already for over an hour. After about 20 mins I was finally let in to the salon and was greeted by the owner. She told me that the girl who was supposed to be doing my facial had left. I explained to her that I had been given a gift card and at this point after all of my trouble and waiting I would just prefer to get my money back. She then went in to along story about how the FBI is investigating for fake gift cards that have been issued online. She asked me where I got the gift card and when it was purchased and wanted all of the info off of it. I felt as though I was being interrogated! All I wanted to do was use my gift card and get a relaxing facial! She told me that people had been selling fake gift cards to her salon online and I assured her that my mom had purchased the gift card in her salon, not online. She was slurring her words and seemed very our of sorts. After some exchanging of words I realized that I was not going to get anywhere with her so I gathered my things and left. I am not sure what I am going to do now because I have a $75 gift card that I have no interest in using. Being a hairstylist myself, I know that we would never talk or treat our customers this way. If you are thinking of trying this place I would strongly urge you find somewhere else. read more