I stumbled upon this salon while researching natural full service salons for women of color. I have been seeking a stylist who is a veteran and skilled in providing a multitude of services. With the summer ahead and the humidity rising here in the south, I needed to find a professional. I stumbled upon Anes Hendricks and her versatile skillset on instagram. She does it all. Natural curls, Locs, braids, silk press, cuts, color. You name it! While this area of Durham is a 29 minute commute from home, it was well worth the visit. This is not a salon but a beauty spa. They offer so much with ambiance to match. They offer nail spa services, in addition to barbers and stylists. The salon suites are very spacious. Parking is easy,customer service is great. Everyone is professional and the noise level is low considering it is a shared space amongst professionals. When you enter a receptionist greets you. I booked a hot steam scalp detox treatment, and crochet box braid style. My wash and hot steam service was heavenly. 30 minutes of pure relaxation. Anes treats your shampoo service like she is a massage therapist. She is meticulous. She even turned off the lights for my steam treatment and put on relaxing mood lighting. Anes took her time discussing my hair goals and consulting about the health of my hair currently. It has been a challenge finding the correct products for my natural hair and combating dryness and hard water in the south. She provided recommendations and solutions. I learned that Anes also has a Iheart Radio Apple I-tunes segment on air called Kinky, Curly, Straight. If you're looking for a relaxing, quality salon experience, this is it. read more

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Gia is fantastic! You cannot go wrong with her practiced eye and superior skills. And as great a stylist as she is, she is an even better person. She gives back to the community is so many ways, including with her outdoor camps for children. We would all do well to support Gia and her wonderful salon! read more

I got a pedicure here back in early 2020, I thought it was pretty cool with the copper bowls. Unfortunately they were in operation while being renovated. And I think that is unsanitary. I ended up with an infection that made my left foot swell up twice its size. And its a problem I continue to deal with 2 and a half years later. I DO NOT recommend this place to anyone read more

This place looks pretty but I was very disappointed in the service & lack of professionalism. I wear a very simple low maintenance pixie & she did a complete botch job both times that I went to her. I'm an effort to support a black owned business & partly because I was still searching for a stylist that would accommodate my work schedule I even made a third attempt (I called & texted) the owner Gia & politely requested that she fix my hair. I was willing to work with her while she learned my hair texture & preference. She completely blew me off, ghosted me. She never responded to my request. Mind you, although I wasn't satisfied neither time that she did my hair I paid fully without hesitation & tipped her well. She's trash! Not a decent human being at all. I would never recommend this place to anyone read more

I went in for a tapered natural style. I went to the barber that stylist Jina recommended, Derrick. I had a consult with her a week before my appointment, as she was going to do the twist-out and color and "barber" Derrick was going to do the cut. I showed them both pictures of the style I wanted and they BOTH assured me they could do it. He shaved me COMPLETELY BALD while she sat there and watched. He left patches throughout my hair. He didn't bother to blend or even it out. When he handed me the mirror I almost passed out from shock! I think I may have been a guinea pig, because this man clearly doesn't know how to cut hair! To make matters worse, Jina got short with me when I expressed how disturbing the experience was and how I trusted her while she sat there and WATCHED HIM BUTCHER MY HAIR. She even suggested that I pay $50 to purchase hair that she would GLUE into what little hair he left on my head. I was insulted that she would think it was okay to expect me to pay for their mistake. Derrick should never be allowed to cut hair again and Jina is not to be trusted. If you are getting weaves or extensions, I guess you're good. But, if you have natural hair, STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! If I could provide a rating of less than one star I would. Because giving even one star after my experience is extremely generous. read more

Shelia has been taking care of my hair since I was in middle school , she kept my hair healthy when it was relaxed and my hair is even healthier now that I'm natural read more

I went to Aura for the first time a few months ago. My stylist was Jina. She was friendly and styled my hair well (I'm natural and got a silk press). Although she did an excellent job with the style, I was only moderately satisfied with my overall experience. The pros are it's very close to where I live, the salon itself has a nice interior where I was greeted by a friendly receptionist and offered water. I think she knew I'd be waiting for a while lol (see below). And overall I did like my style at the end. But there were also too many cons for me to ignore. The cons were: 1) My wait time. Jina was dragging a bit for some reason (i.e. before my service, leaving me at the shampoo bowl for way too long etc.). 2) She didn't seem to care when I asked her questions about hair care. Overall, she was friendly and we talked about other things but when I asked her advice on how to best moisturize my dry hair she pretty much seemed like she could care less and didn't give me much to work with. So that was weird. 3) I did experience heat damage on the front of my hair, meaning my curl pattern is nearly gone. This has ONLY happened to me when "pros" do my hair, never when I've flat ironed it myself (which I have been doing for years but sometimes like a break, hence going to a salon). I think they see kinky hair and go ham not realizing some of my strands are fine and hair that isn't properly moisturized can't take as much heat/passes. She did get my hair super straight and it lasted for two weeks but dealing with the aftermath wasn't worth it. And finally, and what bothered me the most was 4) False advertising. The service on the website said $45 ("blow out and smooth"). But at the end when I went to pay she charged me nearly double! I asked her why it was $80 instead of the $45 it said on the site she said "because your hair is 'very' natural...next time it will be less". Basically, she used my kinky hair as an excuse to overcharge me. My hair is not long (about 5-6 inches) and not very thick (medium density) just kinky. So although I knew it was bs I was caught up in the moment and not only paid her what she asked but tipped her $20. Yes you read that right. I'm naturally a good tipper and she did get my hair very smooth and we had a good rapport. But when I got in the car I beat myself up a bit for paying $100 including tip for a service that was advertised as $45. I should have walked out paying $55-60 at most including tip. She added her tip and then some by quoting me $80 AFTER my service. But hey that generous tip after being overcharged is on me. And after waiting so long I was excited to be leaving too so I had a temporary lapse of judgement Lol Overall, I think Jina is a good stylist and has a pleasant personality but she took too long for a simple service and definitely overcharged me. Of course, I won't blame her for still tipping her well, that was completely on me. I think even she was shocked lol. For the wait, damage and overcharge (without warning) I should give 1 stars (or 1.5 if I could) but my experience did have some pros too, so I'll give credit where it's due. I just want stylists to be more honest upfront about prices and honor their customers' time AND the health of the hair (not just the style). read more

I love Aura salon. I've been a customer for about 4 years and Jina knows exactly how I like my blowouts. I have a stylist that slays my natural hair there as well. Jina always drops hair knowledge for me every time I come through and it keeps me coming back! read more

Love this salon -- great location, talented stylists, modern environment! Although the owner Gia is my home stylist, I've gone to several other stylists depending on my services and all are outstanding. My 10y daughter has found her hair "godmother" with Jina L. who keeps her natural hair well hydrated (great for educating her and me as well)! Recommend Anes for naturalistas. Tried facials , will not be disappointed for spa services too. read more

love love LOVE Aura Carrie does my hair, Vee does my eyelashes. definitely my go-to salon for my needs.

My go-to hair salon! It's really nice inside and all of the hairstylists are really friendly. I always go see Vickie, but all of them do a really good job read more

Aura Salon, Day Spa and Boutique is a destination you must experience. The relaxing atmosphere is extraordiary. The staff is friendly, professional and knowledgeable. read more