Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute - Charlotte ‍ I have been a big fan of Aveda schools since my days in San Francisco. I used to go to the school on Kearny and Bush in the Financial District, and I absolutely loved it. So when I relocated to Charlotte, it was an easy transition to discover there was an Aveda school here as well--same trusted brand, same great products, and the same strong training philosophy, just organized a little differently. In San Francisco, students were grouped by skill level. The graduating students--called the "gammas"--were the rock stars of the school. They had the most confidence, the most experience, and could complete services efficiently. They worked on the main floor at street level, almost like a little jewel box where passersby could watch them practice their craft. It made the whole experience feel special. One thing I'll never forget from San Francisco was the shampoo experience. You would sit in the chair, it would gently tilt back, and your head would be perfectly cradled in the bowl. The hair wash was so relaxing and luxurious that I used to joke I'd install a shampoo bowl in my own bathroom someday. There's something very comforting about having your hair washed--it's simple, but it feels wonderful. Now, back to Charlotte. The setup here is different. All haircuts are priced the same--currently about $22--regardless of the student's level. There are add-ons available, but one thing to plan for is time. You should expect to be there for at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours, especially for hair services. What I truly appreciate is the level of supervision. Instructors are everywhere. They check the consultation, the cut, and the final result before you leave. Because of that structure, you're very unlikely to walk out with a bad haircut. In more than 20 years of visiting Aveda schools, I've only had two less-than-ideal experiences, which is a pretty strong track record. I've also had facials here, and they were excellent. The experience includes thoughtful touches like a relaxing foot wash, shoulder massage, steam, extractions, and a thorough skin analysis. It feels professional and surprisingly luxurious for the price. I remember paying around $45 for a longer facial, which is incredibly affordable compared to traditional spas. A few practical tips: * Parking is easy--there's a lot and a garage behind the building * Scheduling multiple services (like a haircut and facial) can be a little tricky, so patience helps * Bring cash for gratuities, although some students accept digital payment options Most importantly, remember that this is a teaching environment. These students are learning, building confidence, and preparing for careers in the industry. If you're expecting a fast, high-end salon experience with every bell and whistle, you may want to visit a traditional salon instead. But if you value affordability, professionalism, and supporting students as they grow, this is a wonderful option. I genuinely love this place. It has become one of my go-to spots in Charlotte, and finding little creature comforts like this has helped the city feel more like home. Treat yourself. Get the haircut. Book the facial. Enjoy the day. I recommend it. read more

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5 stars for Shay! She did my partial highlights and was a doll. She lit up while talking and was so personable and made me feel comfortable. Amazing communicator, human, and stylist. I left a happy customer. I watched other people not be as happy with their partial highlights so I think it really depends on who is doing your hair. Reasonable price (they are students, after all.) The instructor Sam was also wonderful and fun and funny. I'll be back! (Mainly for Shay) read more

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'I visited Cinta AVEDA yesterday for a color tint and highlights on my dark brown hair, and I am thrilled with the results. Working with darker shades can be tricky to prevent brassiness, but 'Jade', the stylist achieved a perfect, rich base tint and added dimension with a few subtle highlights that borders my face. My hair looks sun-kissed and healthy rather than over-processed. The AVEDA products smelled amazing as always, and the attention to detail during the consultation made me feel very comfortable. If you have dark hair and are looking for a sophisticated color shift, this is the place to go! 'Had a wonderful experience at Cinta AVEDA SF with "Jade"! The process was thorough, and the supervision was excellent, ensuring the color turned out exactly as I wanted. It's hard to find a salon that handles darker shades this well without losing the hair's natural shine. My highlights are blended perfectly into my brown base. Great value for the high level of science and quality of the AVEDA line. I'll definitely be back!" I love my new color tint and highlights at Cinta AVEDA line, and my hair feels incredibly soft. Excellent service service for those with darker hair looking for a professional touch in San Francisco." I want to mention my stylist named, "Jade", who was the professional who worked on my hair and attached these photos by , "Jade", of my hair in the natural light. read more

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Had a great experience with the student Elena today! She was very attentive and asked me about my hair texture and chose the right products throughout the cut+style appointment. I left very impressed by the final result :) read more

Cinta Aveda Institute - U cut on the back - Skin Care Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Unprofessional. Students behave like they are in Junior High School. Teachers are too busy and destracted. Clients feel like a hair puppet. I've had my hair color blend messed up 4 or 5 times. If you tell the front staff they do nothing management doesn't care. If you want to be a student go elsewhere this place will be shut down by the Department of health due to the lack of focus and care. read more

they forgot my appointment and didn't schedule it and I booked it weeks before but they just forgot it so you guys need to get your act right and don't forget shi read more

Thank you Bria! My hair looks great, exactly the color range I wanted to go with my fall Florida vacation. read more

Cinta Aveda Institute - Full highlights - Skin Care Near Me - San Francisco, California

As long as you got a little time, this place is awesome for haircut and our balayage. Very reasonably priced as your hair is done by a student. However the teachers tightly supervises. My haircut was 2+ hours as Juan was fairly new but the cut turned out pretty good. Now I am here with my two kids - two for balayage and one for haircut. Cannot wait to see how it turns out. Nice space as well. read more

Cinta Aveda Institute - 3rd floor space - Skin Care Near Me - San Francisco, California

Deborah M. San Francisco, CA @ 667 @ 57 2 肉國 * Oct 1, 2025 My 5/23/25 last haircut: Janie, a Supervisor or "Educator" was awesome. I learned some technical words from her like "concave" for the way my long hair is cut. read more

As far as educators go, Sam is a well-rounded individual that makes sure you get the best education possible. His balance between professionalism and compassion has been exactly the type of educator I needed during this time of my life. He makes sure you don't get left behind, even with a huge class like mine! He's funny, caring, structured, and knows exactly what he's doing in this constantly evolving industry. He makes learning exciting, challenging, and makes you smile-- even on your worst days. He also knows how to set the vibes with a great playlist while you're getting your hands-on practice. Not only have a gained a well-rounded experience, but also I have gained a life time friendship and mentor. Thank you Sam for all that you do! read more

Cinta Aveda Institute - Me in class - Skin Care Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This is a great place to get a great haircut . I appreciate the help of the well skilled teachers. Aveda is a good place to get quality work with a discount. The techniques and practices are wonderful. The finishing touches are well done. .Aveda is a trusted name in the hair industry . The products are great and environmentally friendly. read more

Got my hair colored for the first time by the amazing Izzy! She was so kind, delicate and did a great job with my hair. I love my hair! Book with her you'll be happy you did! read more

Cinta Aveda Institute - Pink hair tips pt 2 - Skin Care Near Me - San Francisco, California

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i recently had great experience with two stylists. this time my stylist called out so i was assigned a back up. i asked the stylist that i like to keep layers and if she had some suggestion to add more fullness to the top. she used a terrible technique not used by aveda. she ruined my look. i am super upset about this. i do not wear a man haircut or menopause hairstyle. i will never ever cut my hair with this student nor with that supervisor who should know better if she is qualified for training students. a cheap mall cut you can get at any place for less. she runs under yy. no yy ever for me again. do not put be ad jobs on guests. read more

The educators here are amazing! I signed up for the barbering program and I am about two months in. So far we have learned, cuts, color as well as braiding on textured hair! If you want a great program to join to start your journey in cosmetology or barbering, look no further! read more

As a current student at the school Lindsay and Danielle are some of the best teachers at the school! They both help so much when we need it and make it fun to learn new techniques. The school itself needs some upgrades for sure but the staff does their best to make up for it. read more

Had a great experience at Aveda today, Mia was super attentive and paid a lot of attention to what I was looking for and made sure she delivered great service. I would definitely recommend her and will come back again. read more

The haircuts here are hit or miss. I've gotten some good cuts and I've gotten some bad cuts so it's a gamble for sure. The most frustrating thing about this place is they often cancel without any warning. A courtesy phone call would be nice but they often don't notify you until you are at the desk checking in. To avoid this I make multiple appointments on the same day or the same week. When I forget to do this I am always sorry. read more

Precision Accuracy Consult 10+++. My stylist, Liyah was incredible, gentle, and created a new style that I LOVE! Dimitry is a master! Confident and humble and knows the AvedaWay! I've been going to Aveda since the 90s in Manhattan, SF and now New Orleans since I retired. I wish that Aveda would send Dimitry to share his exquisite offerings! read more

Very good experience. Recommended. Creative, warm, welcoming. Instructor, Emma, and student, Chewy, gave me a whole new look. Yippee! read more

I wanted a full platinum blonde and color correction of previous coloring by another salon. Imelda and Sarah, students were very thorough in following the instructions by Kennth, the colorist with many years of experience. I felt in good hands with this Team and the outcome was exactly what I wanted! I would highly recommend Cinta Aveda. I will be using them in the future for root touchups. read more

Cinta Aveda Institute - Blonde Baby! - Skin Care Near Me - San Francisco, California

Love my bangs - Prem is so great! She cut my bags exactly the I wanted #janematthewsbangs thank you so much.

Amazing facial Student very attentive Supervisor very supportive Tahiae was aware of my request read more

I was going to get my hair done by my little sister JJ who attends school here at Cinta Aveda. The atmosphere when I walked in was very welcoming and everyone was super friendly. It smelled amazing in there and I was impressed by how well the students were keeping the place clean despite it being a classroom where they practice hair all day everyday. I was so happy with my hair and I knew my sister was going to make it flawless. I highly recommend booking appointments here if you need your hair done for a reasonable price! read more

I came in for a wash and blow dry and thought that it would not take that long, however it unfortunately ended up taking 2 hours since Lauren the stylist doing my hair was unfamiliar with wavy hair and added too much product the first time around making my hair greasy, hard to dry, and requiring me to wash my hair yet again and start the blow drying process from scratch. While Lauren was super sweet she unfortunately struggled, took too long, and had to redo most steps with her instructor's help. If you have textured hair that is wavy or curly or want to be done in less than 2 hours with a wash and style I highly recommend looking elsewhere, or for a different stylist at Cinta Aveda. read more

My experience in cosmetology school has been really positive, thanks to my instructors Emma and Linsey. They explain techniques clearly, give practical guidance, and genuinely support their students. I've learned a lot from both of them, and their teaching has made the program feel motivating and worthwhile. read more

I had some gray blending done today (lowlights, to add more pepper to all the salt). :-) The staff was great; very friendly and accommodating, from the front desk, on. Also, they were very QUICK, which I really appreciated. Emma, a lead stylist/instructor, in particular stood out; the perfect customer service personality: friendly, good-natured, and attentive. Thank you! read more

Great experience from the greeting as I entered and check in process with bodie (spell?) great natural products and services executed by the students. I highly recommend the aesthetics services but some of my favorite are the back facial, plant peel and facial. read more

Deb is amazing! She is so good at styling/ blowouts. If you're thinking about coming here, book with her!

Massively unhappy, don't do color here. Came in for natural blended warm/brown partial highlights. He asked me how close to my roots I wanted it, I said not close at all, just really on the bottom. It took just under four hours, the instructor was gone and didn't check the end result, which was a head full of bright blonde highlights, like I look blonde - and random untoned super-blonde chunks. He took so long during the process, he started spraying some of the foils with water, while the rest of them were on my head, which means I now have half orange and half blonde. When I put my hair up, one ultra blonde streak runs from the hair around my ear. Im honestly not very picky with hair but this is rougghhh. The student stood over me when he asked me to fill out his form and give feedback, so I didn't give any. read more

I was late but they accommodated me. I was graciously welcomed by all and introduced to Mo. I had reserved a buzz cut but Mo was kind enough to work with my hair in more subtle ways. I'm very thankful and appreciative of his time and skill. He was communicative, and seemed well liked by instructors and colleagues. read more

Just received one of the best haircuts ever! Mohammad listened to my needs and delivered. He's confident and took his time. He knew exactly what he was doing. I'll definitely be back for another "Gentleman's Cut"! read more

For $28, I got shampoo, cut, and dry which I was pretty happy about. Overall, I didn't expect the haircut to be amazing given the students are in training, but it was a solid job for long layers and curtain bangs with the help of an instructor. I did have to fix the bangs up a bit at home myself since they cut it pretty blunt and didn't blend it in with the rest of my hair. I wouldn't expect any sort of good blowout for styling either. At least for me it was just a drying job that resulted in really flat looking hair even though they seemed like they were using blowout techniques with a roller brush and dryer. It's not going to be a quick service since the student is pretty careful and cautious with the cuts and asks the instructor for help if they have questions. Beware to ask for a longer length than you think you want since they most likely will cut off more than you ask. I went before dinner and there weren't many customers then, mostly just students hanging around before going home. The studio itself is clean and professional. read more

Went today and had Jesus C. Do my hair and did it's perfectly! So happy with my cut.meet my need and asked many questions.

Like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. Gonna be wearing a hat for a while. The students are doing their best but I don't see them getting adequate supervision and the past couple times I've gotten my hair cut there it shows. The instructor instructed at the beginning but then didn't check the work afterward. I had to fix it myself when I got home. It looks a little better but the whole thing is just bad. I'll go back to my usual guy. His cuts are pretty hit or miss but they're definitely better than what I get at Cinta Aveda. It's too bad. I got some really great cuts in the past. All I got this time was a truffle full of hair ends. read more

Had my color and cut by debbonet it looks great people compliment me with my hair cut and color! Highly recommended! The place is nice and good atmosphere! read more

I recently got my hair cut and colored, and I love it! A huge thank you to Shacory and the instructors for their amazing work.

I am a student in training here. There's not a day that goes by that I regret choosing this school. The vibes here are amazing!! Everyone comes to school so positive every single day and the relationship building is insane. The instructors make sure everyone is comfortable with their environment and don't let a single person fall behind. Sam especially not only is so friggin funny but he has an incredible way of teaching, he truly connects to each and every person learning their strengths and weaknesses helping them build their way up. I'll remember all the faces I've met here forever!! read more

I'm currently taking Sam's intro class, and I've been really enjoying it! He's a great teacher with tons of helpful tips and knowledge , he always makes the class fun. Sam's humor and easygoing style make me feel really comfortable learning here. read more

This is a great school with great educators my favorite is Sam who works with you closely and guides you through everything he teaches us . Sam Keeps the class fun and makes it comfortable to be here. His sense of humor is out the roof and he his energy keeps the class going !!! Amazing inside and out Dede/DeAnt read more

I've had the pleasure of having the teacher Sam. He's supported me through my journey and really helped me,