Gary Manuel Aveda Institute

Upon completion of a THREE and half hours color appointment with an Advanced student was told, I would have to come back to correct the color and complete partial foil. Wrong color, grey roots not covered at both temples and crown and brown color residue still caked on my face. No one should have to ever walk out of a hair saloon looking like a clown! more

After a noisy service due to the student next door jabbering while i tried to RELAX, and my very NEW student texting during the service for extended amounts of time, i was in short, dissappointed.This was 3 months ago. At check out, the nice girl at the desk, Jen? Took the time to ask about my service and listened to my concerns. She apologized and asked if they could have the opportunity to provide a quality spa service. Long story short, my complimentary facial today WAS AMAZING! ASK FOR JEN! I DID! more

Over the past few months of my sporadic 2+ years of going to the Gary Manuel Aveda Institute, the front desk team & quality of services performed are finally worth MORE than their cheap prices. It seems like the newer staff at the desk is attentive and accommodating! The teachers finally know what they are talking about, and the lil bit slow students are all REALLY good and consistent! For the first time in MONTHS I experienced Aveda's Points of Difference! i don't know what changed, but keep it up! more

Went in for a shoulder length straight cut. Sounds simple since my hair was already in the basic style and just needed a trim but 3-1/2 hours later I am wondering.... "what was I thinking"! The haircut was great and the student was very pleasant but all of the fussing was overkill. And watching the line of students 8-10 deep follow one teacher(?) around for approval to move on would have been comical if it wasn't so annoying to be waiting for her to check you out. For a school they need to learn and then teach their students that the main reason people change stylists besides a bad cut is that they don't respect the customers time---most people don't have time to waste and this was a huge waste of time and a parking ticket (I didn't get a chance to go out to add time to the meter before parking enforcement got to me). I lost much more in wages and the parking ticket than was saved in the price of the cut. more

I should preface this by saying I came here because of an ad on craigslist of a student needing hair models. She was doing bobs that week. I have a bob and was looking for a shape-up and thought that maybe she would be able to spruce it up and make it look more modern. What I got was a basic trim. I asked if she could cut the back shorter than the front (inverted bob) and blunt cut the ends. She said she couldn't do that (?? as in you are unable because you don't know how or you can't because that is the rules?) Apparently the only variation I was allowed to request were layers (which I didn't want). On the plus side it was cheap and since I was the first appt. of the day it was relatively quick. They weren't pushy about buying product which was nice and put on a new aveda lipstick color on me before I left. I will probably try them again but expect it to be a trim not an actual cut/style. (visited in 3/2007) more

I started going there as soon as they opened. The first month all services were $5. However, I first got a temporary color put on, and after two hours of work, NOTHING happened! I had to go back the next day for another 3 hours and get a permanent color put on. I had a mediocre student the first time, but eventually I found Erin. She did a great job for the time she was there. I have long hair that is probably 70% gray, so I wanted what they evidently call "a double process"; foiled highlights with color in between. Erin would do that I would be charged about $45, then a hair cut for about another $15. After she left, then next time around they wanted to charge me about $90 for the color only and said she had "undercharged me". After all that the last time my hair came out way too dark with no contrasts so I went back and they threw in a few blond streaks...this involved me coming back again and another couple hours!!! So I am giving up on them and moving on to Nucleus where I know I'll pay about $100 but I will get great results every time. Too bad...I think GM is getting too expensive for a beauty school with beginners. And my time is worth something, too. Some people like the atmosphere but for me the fact that all the students wear black and they mainly play techno music is annoying. I like to be in a relaxing atmosphere when I'm pampering myself. And...the parking in front is no longer free. In fact you WILL get a ticket if you don't move your car every two hours; which is very hard to do when you are in the middle of a three hour process. more

I'm so tired of paying nearly $50 for a haircut and getting just ok results. Today I decided to throw caution to the wind and try the Aveda Institute. I'm SO glad I did. Amber cut my hair and while I was a little nervous when I met her, she did a wonderful job. She listened to what I wanted, asked questions to make sure she understood and then ran it all by her instructor. (Aviva, who was as cool as her name.) The salon itself is pretty no frills - but in a funky, industrial warehouse sort of way. Everything is clean and the high ceilings are interesting to look at while you're being shampooed. They use Aveda products, and they sell them as well. There is a full spa, offering treatments and services by students as well. My cut took quite a while, but you should expect to spend a little more time than you would in a normal salon. These are students, so they are making sure that they do their best. Plus they have to have their instructors check their work before they style you. Aviva came by and evened up my layers a bit (nothing major), Amber dried and straighted my hair and I was out of there - for FOURTEEN DOLLARS. I went on Friday afternoon and was able to park in one of the free spots right in front of the salon. On a nice day, you could walk it from downtown. (About a mile.) more

I have been going to the Institute almost since it opened. It's classy and friendly, and best of all you get a really great haircut for the same price as a barber shop. I have gotten more compliments on my hair since going there. My only complaint, and it's really not that big of a deal, is that sometimes the students are a little slow. But I've learned to just make an afternoon of it. After all- it's not a barbershop. more

I've had 2 great experiences at this Aveda institute. The first time I got a haircut; the second time I had highlights done--for only $38. I had no parking problems in the area because both times I've gone in the morning, when the streets around the salon are pretty much empty. The only possible drawback is that services take a bit longer than they would at other salons--but this is only because the stylists are doing their best to do a really good job (and they have to have their supervisors check their work at certain points). But overall, the low price and good work is worth the extra time. more

My 16 year old daughter wanted her hair done for a school dance. The talented young woman who cuts her hair on a quarterly basis wanted to charge her $50. I couldn't see her spending her cash or mine (go ahead, call me cheap but, this was not wedding!) for this event. For $12 plus tip (cost is $12/hour) she had her hair curled and crimped, pinned up with 40 different bobby pins, sprayed with Aveda products andthe result was a really cute little up do. This is not your beauty school for the shampoo and set crowd. The facility is clean, smart and the students look hip in their basic black. The staff was very friendly and the student who did my daughter's hair really worked hard. Everyone was happy, especially my pocket book. more

Imagine: AVEDA products, beautiful salon and much cheaper than all other aveda salons. Welcome to Aveda's training salon- but you have to be willing to take a risk with your hair. (hey, it does grow back!) Actually, I haven't heard of an upset customer -- especially since before and after the student works on you, a professional and teacher comes around to help out/clean up the edges of a product. In the beginning, they have you sign a form that you may come out with something not-perfect and you have to recognize that it is a training salon and risks- but I always feel like I am taking a chance with any stylist for the first time so I don't see that as a huge drawback. Plus, Mercedes and Chase are both my favorites and worth trying out to see for yourself. For $14-18 per haircut, it's cheaper than other chain store hair salons (i.e. hairmasters) and much more upscale. The thing I loved most is that they are new and excited to be working in their field so their enthusiasm and happiness helps me rest assured that they care a lot and will give tons of effort into my haircut. They book up fast, so plan at least a week or two in advance-- they also do facials and spa stuff like a rosemary mint body wrap that sounds divine. Check it out next time you need a haircut and want to have an enjoyable experience. more