Sloppy Mess at 5-Star Prices
I spent $200 for the worst cut and color of my life. For a place that is marketing itself as a high-end Boulder salon, I have to say that absolutely nothing about my experience at 1313a Salon was high-end.
This was my first haircut/color post pandemic and I was so excited to walk out of the salon feeling great; feeling like myself again but that is just not what happened.
This was my first time trying out the salon and I researched reviews copiously before choosing it. I made an appointment with Amanda.
The salon is a bright, clean spot, however when I walked in for my appointment on a Saturday morning, the receptionist was getting her hair done at the front desk! This didn't exactly give off vibes of professionalism.
I came in for a trim and to color my hair so that it would be as close to my natural ash/cool brown as possible. I have (or rather, had) long hair and wanted to keep as much length as possible. I understand that my ends were in rough shape, but I was shocked at how short my hair was when I left. It didn't at all resemble what I asked for.
The color was the worst part. I've been to other salons in town where the stylists explain the color they choose, they show you the swatch they suggest. Amanda didn't discuss any of that with me, she just chose what she thought matched and told me she'd leave it on longer since it was an ammonia-free dye and wanted to achieve better coverage. I trusted that she knew what she was doing - this was also a mistake.
First seeing the color of my hair in the bright salon lighting, I thought that it looked a bit dark, but it wasn't until I got home that I realized just how incredibly dark it was. It had no resemblance whatsoever to my natural hair color! It looked nearly coal black and was very severe, especially going into summer. I still can't stand the sight of it and who knows what it will look like as it grows out.
And even worse, after the fact I found out that Amanda used permanent dye because "semi-permanent wouldn't cover the grey." I wish she would have told me that before dyeing. I have never in my life had my hair colored with anything but semi-permanent and it covered the grey just fine.
Also, my forehead was dyed dark; when I got home I saw that I had dye spots on my cheek, nose, and on my ears and had to scrub my face with rubbing alcohol to remove it. I also realized that the new shirt I wore to the salon had dye on it as a result of the careless experience - there was dye on the collar, a dye spot on both the back and on the front of the shirt. I waited 15 months to get my hair done by professionals precisely to avoid such a situation! This is absolutely not the sloppy mess one expects from a high-end salon.
Ultimately, I understand that mistakes happen; we're all human. The issue I have is how Amanda and the salon chose to resolve the situation when I called to express my unhappiness with their services.
On the Monday following my appointment, I called the salon to let them know I was unhappy with my experience, that my color was far too dark and unnatural and that I didn't know if it was a bad match or if the color was simply left on too long. I asked if there was anything Amanda could please do to help me get it back to my natural color.
The receptionist spoke to her and told me, "Amanda said she could **come in on her day off** on June 2 (nearly a week and a half later) and she doesn't know if she'd have to strip the color out and highlight or what." This is 100% not what a customer wants to hear - absolutely horrible customer service.
I would never want someone to have to come in on their day off, however this ordeal has been a waste of MY time and MY money. I spent more than two hours in the chair and nearly $200 to leave completely disappointed and feeling awful about the way I look. There was no apology and I did not get the impression that the salon was at all concerned that they had a very unhappy customer on their hands - and someone who would have been a repeat customer had they been taken care of and treated well.
I really dislike leaving negative reviews, however I rely on honest reviews heavily and wanted to share my experiences so that others can hopefully avoid the same mistake. There are many salons in Boulder that have talented stylists, provide good customer service, and own their mistakes.
On that note: Does anyone know a good place in town where I can go to get my color fixed? read more