Sassoon Academy

You know the adage ""Fast, cheap, good. Pick two.""? Well that definitely applies to hair cuts. Cuts from the Vidal school are the best I've gotten anywhere, zero maintenance, and they're cheap. But be prepared to sit in that chair for a couple hours. more

-was rudely corrected on the phone upon making the appointment when I said I'd like bangs, and the receptionist replyed ""oh, FRINGE?"" sorry I'm not up-to-date on your salon jargon. Pros: 0 Cons: numerous more

Dianne................... need i say more. who could ask for a better instructor!!!!!!! Pros: Dianne more

I will never again pay money to have to sit through a butt-numbing 6 + hours of torture (TWICE!) for a half a head of highlights. The first time the color was wrong and my hair at the roots was noticably darker than the rest. The instructor would leave the room for long periods of time in between small bouts of supervision. (Probably for smoke breaks since she would come back reaking every time.) She did help a few students place one or two foils but failed to come over to the student highlighting my hair, knowing that I had been there the day before and had sat through an entire day of bad service previously. Also, the color instructor was very rude to another patron who decided she did not want the blowdry after the color, since she had already been there for 4 hours and had to leave. The instructor scolded the customer that she had been warned about the time needed and that the students had to learn. The woman walked out anyway. The staff may warn you of 3-4 hours, but that is not usually the case. Pros: front desk staff was fairly nice Cons: most everything - instructors are pretty rude. more

I recommed it my friends all the. I don't live near an hour away, but worth the drive. more

Good place to go for the latest style, worth the extra cash too look good, you will not regret it.... Pros: Worth the price every time more

I have been going to Santa Monica for apx 5 years from Orange County for color, highlights and cuts and have never been disapointed. Yes, it takes longer but it's half the price. Instructors are fantastic and students are great. more

I'd like to share my experience for those of you who are still re-thinking going to a school to cut your hair. I was hesitant to go at first thinking what if they mess up, but I decided to give it a shot - it's only hair, it can grow back. So I did, and boy was I ever glad I did. This was the BEST experience ever. I went to teh Vidal Sassoon on Miami Beach, Florida. The people were all super friendly. The instructor Josh is the best. He spoke to all students with respect, never telling any of them they didn't know what they were doing if something was done incorrectly. Everyone in the class getting their hair done was very happy. Yes, it takes time - but it's a great experience. You see how he teaches the students, it's very interesting. You really don't notice the time since you're paying attention to everything around. The stylists DO talk to you. They're not as chatty as regular saloons, remember they're learning and nervous. Most stylists that are there are already working and they want the certification from Sassoon to make the extra $$. I will definitely keep going back. If I need my hair cut and can't get into a class, I will pay full price. The experience was awesome and I recommend it to everyone. Pros: great sense of style/great staff/very welcomed feeling more

We are learning & try our best, as nervous as we R. For some of us it's our 1st time & for others it's close 2 our last. Its a learning process that we do everyday 2 be precise 2 perfection. I dont no about all of us but most of us want to do what our clients want but R subjected to our instructors guidance (considering it is their best advice coming from a large history & many years of sassoon training... believe me they know what is right for you & what is going to suit you the best way possible). It takes us a long time because we have a strict cutting regime & we care about our final results. For those that feel we don't interact with the clients thats probably because we R focusing on what we R doing or are not familiar with small talk. I would also like to remind the person that is reading this... the students of sassoon come from around the world & don't be surprised if you have a hard time understanding them. We truly want our client to walk out feeling beautiful with a Big smile on their face. It makes us feel proud & gives us more confidence. We all want to have clients feel great because it makes us feel great... (& getting that 5$ 20$ tip is just the icing on the cake ;) ) We R here @ the Sassoons to get the best training &DON'T FORGET to get our license!! Some of you lose sight that & demand beverly hills service. An average professional haircut takes 45 minutes, a sassoon hair cut takes 2 hours. But a school takes ""AT LEAST"" 3 hrs & it says it on the white piece of paper you sign in with. As for our instructs... the arrogance some of you stated comes with the territory. They are all fabulous instructors. Despite the fact they take there 10 min cigaret breaks every 30 min to leave a class full of students searching for them. They have the students best interest. I hope everyone changes their mind & are more appreciative. Pros: great finishing, great students, and wonderful instructors Cons: long waits, you might not always get what you want more

I have been taking my long thick wavy hair here for years and have never been disappointed. The students, while some seem nervous, always know what they are doing. Even better, they are always careful so that even if they do make a mistake, they have not cut off too much and the instructor can handle it. more

What's not to like about a VIdal Sassoon haicut, getting fussed over until the haircut is perfect, and being on the 3rd Street Promenade to shop afterwards? I have had haircuts all over the world, in some of the finest salons. This haircut ranked with the best haircuts.(It was even better than the cuts I got at Vidal Sassoon in Beverly Hills and London). My idea of a ""good cut"" is one that needs little attention to look fabulous, and looks good growing out for at least a month or 2). The drawbacks? It took over 2 hours, and most of that was waiting for permission to proceed. There was a ""cattle call"" feeling about the whole experience when I arrived(SO many people!)--however, my hair stylist and the instructor made me feel like I was the only person there, once I sat down. I hesitate to give this the 5 star rating it deserves only because I don't want to have to fight for an appointment in the future! I would recommend this to any age, any hair-type, men, women--they had someone for everyone. Excellent! Pros: Great stylists at rock bottom prices Cons: Ambience is very L.A. class-room, but service makes up for that more

I used to go here when I went to college up in LA. I'd get the awesome student discount. Your personal experience of the academy depends heavily on who you get as a hair stylist in my opinion. I would go in with a group of friends and each one of us would come out with a completely different experience. Just keep in mind that this is an academy! more

I went here for the first time a month ago and had a great stylist and instructor. I brought in pictures of possible cuts and they asked questions so that they would know exactly what I was looking for. Since what i wanted was a combination of the pictures, they actually cut the pictures so that the stylist could see what it would look like ""combined."" The instructor (Sal) was so great at explaining things and checking to see the progress. With the exception of one part in the back not being cut right ( i didn't notice until later otherwise would have had them fix it), the rest was an outstanding cut at a fantastic price! I had fun with both the stylist and instructor. The only downfall was the length of time it took, but that's to be expected at a training facility. I'd recommend going there with a clear picture of what you want OR having an open mind to be suprised by their creativity! Pros: Price, professional cut Cons: Length of time needed to wait more

hi, idiot.. there is no instructor named dave so why dont you mind your business with your stupid culrly hair and go to supercuts.. thanks bye Pros: amazing FO SHO more

I read some of the reviews here of people with horror experiences, and it makes me sad that these reviews will prevent some from coming here. I would say that if you've never gone and you're curious, then please do try it out. Pros: value, creative cuts Cons: long wait more

I have been coming to the academy for about 7 years. Usually they managed to give me a fairly good cut. However, during the last year or so I have received the worst haircuts immaginable. John is the only person there that sees to it that my hair is done well. The worst was my last visit. I was seated with a young man, Joseph, who bragged about how great he was. The results were the worst. I bit my lip through the cut, and with the help of the instructor, the cut was at least.....shorter. When it came time to blowdry my hair, the student had NO idea how to blowdry. He claimed to be in his 8th month at Sassoon. After sitting there for way over 3 hrs., I finally told him I had to leave. My hair was a mess. He continually put product in my hair, and during the blowdry he constantly smoothed (mashed) my hair flatter and flatter. He did not know what he was doing. So, I figure that anyone who has been ""trained"" for 8 months, and can't even blowdry hair, there is something wrong with your system / classes. One side of my head had a clump of hair that was about 1 inch longer than the rest on the hair. In addition, he ask for my review sheet that I received when I signed in. I gave it to him, and he never gave it back; said we could discuss it after my appointment. I believe that he probably filled it out himself....with rave reviews....and it had my name on it. I resent being subjected to the kind of treatment I received there. Yes, I understand that they are students and I should not expect great things. But when the instructor takes a look and trys to compliment me into believing that the hair cut looks 'great', when in fact it's a disaster, I need to start going someplace else. Pros: price Cons: chancy more

They were rude! I went in for a hair cut and the instructor didn't even let me choose what type of style I wanted. They insisted on cutting my hair in this curly mullet type of style. I refused and he gave me attitude in front of about 30 people. I was trying to be nice and trying to explain that I would prefer my hair a certain length and he kicked me out. But that's better than me walking out with a mullet. In any case.. this is the worst service I had ever received from someone. I do not recommend this salon for anyone. Pros: its a nice place Cons: horrible hair cuts.. and horrible service more

""I have hats."" Pros: It's Cheap Cons: It will make you ugly more

I went to the salon at least 10 times over last 2 years. Most of the time my haircuts were really good, and I recommended the salon to my mom. She got her haircut today. I can hardly call it a haircut. It looked worse than a haircut a kid would do to a doll. The instructor was rude, when my mom mentioned that her hair was cut significantly shorter then she wanted. Throughout the process she reminded not to cut her hair too short, even brought pictures. My mom is 50 and she looks like she's missing hair in the back., and even the hairline is not straight. She's going to shop for a wig tomorrow - that's how bad and short (unfixable) it is. The risk of getting this bad a haircut outweighs the 10 good haircuts you might get if you are lucky to get a good student. They let incompetent unexperienced students practice on you, and instructor did not stop the student from ruining my mom's hair right before New Years. You are better off getting a $10 haircut elsewhere. more

Truly, this was a master cut. I mentioned to them that I normally go to the Vidal Sassoon Salon in Beverly Hills, and who normally cuts my hair there, but that I couldn't afford to go... The master teacher then got very involved in monitoring the cut -- let's keep this clear... I had an avant-garde haircut with avant-garde color and I got to Vidal Sassoon specifically for that because most other salons in LA can't cut short hair worth a nickel. The mark, though, of this fabulous cut is that this cut has grown out superbly -- so much so, that friends insist that I let my hair grow; with these great layers, I suddenly discovered I have wavy hair - something I haven't had since I was very small! It took six months for this cut to reach an awkward stage -- and we are talking it grew out from a very short cut. I am very, very pleased with what I got. more