I wanted to get color done recently for upcoming interviews and browsed online for nearby salons…read more Initially, a few salons I saw (with good reputations) had 2 week waits, which I couldn't do. I found Studio Elle online and booked with them, since they were very close to where I live. Originally I had it scheduled for one day and changed it because something came up. They had availability that evening so I went in.
To preface, their website is pretty simple, shows the services they offer and the prices. Single process color - $70.
I get there and I meet Jose - now if you look at the other two reviews on here for Salon Elle, Corene S. HATED Jose's work so I was a little nervous, even though this was color, not a cut.
Jose was...eh, not that friendly. I am TALKATIVE. I love when hair stylists talk to me, ask all sorts of questions. Yes, I'm the weirdo who loves small talk. But I expect it when I go to a salon. I go over to the chair, he offers me no spot to put my bag or jacket (I ended up putting them on the ledge where the mirror was). I told him I was there for color and tried finding a photo of what I liked from a few months back. Meanwhile, while I'm browsing facebook for photos, he's going back and forth with an employee/boss/coworker about someone having a pricing issue. Yeah, don't discuss that in front of customers.
Eventually I show him photos and he brings back two shades of red and says he's going to combine them to get the shade I'm looking for. Sure, looks good. On the phone, they said the appointment would take 1.5 hours and it pretty much exactly did.
He seemed to be evenly spreading the color, then I waited about 30 minutes, then he washed it out, all normal. During color and after he asked a few times what I thought - I told him both times my glasses aren't on and I can't see. (A previous salon had these little glasses 'gloves' that you can put on your glasses to prevent dying..guess they don't have these here. INVEST IN THEM, THEY'RE REALLY NICE FOR BLIND CUSTOMERS LIKE ME).
He asked if I wanted my hair dried. I asked the cost ($25) and skipped it. He put some product in and then blow dried it for 30 seconds just to make it not soaking. I went over to put my glasses on and look at the color. It was DARK. And also really really really tangled - what did you put in my hair???? I got home and blowdried and flat ironed my hair and it's definitely a lot darker than I was hoping. I really wanted a dark red, but not much different than what I had (just fixing roots and all over one shade). It's black-ish now and though I have very dark brown hair naturally, this is a smidge too stark for me.
I leave and he says "Okay, $75." I paid and tipped him but uhhhhhh where's the signs that tell prices? No where! I REALLY DISLIKE when a list of your services and prices are not visible to the customer. Let's just make up random prices! I like you, $50. I don't like you, $80! Tip me! Ugh. A good salon is up front about prices and services. Yeah sorry guys, I'm not coming back.
Also their website has no hours, nor does google. It says "By appointment or by chance." Hey, they're honest.
