There were some good things about this salon, so I'll start there. The parking, even on a Sunday, was plentiful. They offered me a freshly-brewed coffee right away, and it was truly delicious! In general everyone was very nice and there was no attitude. I left with a decent color and cut that was close to what I'd requested. I was also very pleasantly surprised at the end when the total was 50% off!
But there were many things that did not please me. I made the appointment for a black-tie event I'd been planning for two months and I wanted my hair to look great. (I was also shopping for a new stylist). I specifically told the appointment-setter on the phone that I wanted a style in addition to the color and cut. She didn't seem to get that on the first try, so I repeated it and was confident that I'd have someone style my hair at the end to go with the look I'd planned. At the end of my appointment, it became clear that I wasn't scheduled for that (not the stylist's fault) and I was very disappointed. At first she asked another stylist to do it (she had another appointment so she couldn't) but then at the end it didn't materialize.
The stylist was really eager to please and was a nice person. But from the beginning when the barrage of monologue started about her kid, I knew it was going to be a long morning. She's studying for a degree in another field and was clearly just doing hair to pay for that -- which in theory is fine, except it's MY HAIR! It was just unprofessional. She also didn't seem to listen to what I wanted, or even notice when I said something, so I finally gave up and shut up. I asked for eyebrow color -- she at first said it wasn't allowed (and I completely understand) and then seeing my disappointment agreed to do it. Unfortunately (I have brown/gray hair dyed blond with highlights) the color came out *darker* instead of lighter.
When I first sat down, she looked at my roots and exclaimed, ""you have a LOT of gray!"" Well big surprise, I'm 50 -- and this does not make a good first impression. She was also very self-congratulatory and several times said ""I should be good, I've been doing this for 12 years!"" Isn't that for the client to decide? I heard at great length how in one day a week doing hair she wanted to make ""lots of money."" I felt like a captive ATM. Isn't the client supposed to come first? At the beginning I also tried showing her a photo of myself in the evening's outfit so she'd know how I wanted my hair styled, but she wouldn't even take a look, and at first barely acknowledged me.
The color process was a little odd; it felt like she was jamming the brush into my head and it was uncomfortable at times. The foils were irregular and sloppy and appeared to be randomly placed over about 1/4 of my head. That said, I loved the cut.
There was generally a good vibe in the salon, but a few things were amiss. First, there were no robes. So I had to put my shirt back on and go out to find one. Second, the WiFi was down. This was a huge problem as I'd planned to prepare a document during my long appointment -- one needed for the event that night. I got as much done as I could using my iPhone connection and transferring it to my computer. But I had to complete it at home, and was subsequently late to the event. Lastly, I really like the owners' attitude that they want to make sure every customer leaves happy -- and it might be a nice touch if the owner came around to check on clients, especially new ones. I must say I'm shocked by the tone of the owners' responses to unhappy clients here (although some are nice and appropriate). But I just do not see how the defensive snarkiness will do the salon any good, and if any of the reviews identified as fake were indeed real, that client will be extra mad. I'm sure I'll get it here as well -- sigh -- as I did not post a five-star. But as I was shopping for a new salon/stylist, there was just too much wrong with the experience to come back.
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