My mom was in town visiting and we stopped in for the relaxing spa treatment which included a facial, back massage, hand and foot massage and scalp massage. Both of our students did an amazing job! They were friendly, attentive, confident and provided a very relaxing experience. Their instructor was also friendly and made sure that we enjoyed our experience. I will definitely be back! read more

I've been going to Douglas J since I was in college in Michigan State University campus. I was so happy when they opened one in my hometown of Grand Rapids. Always super friendly staff and booking an appointment is easy. I usually go in for their 90mins facials. I'm asleep within 15 minutes and wake up to the most hydrating face ever. I'm usually very relaxed as well. read more

First off, let me say that the facial & Massage I received from Gillian K was excellent! My review would be 5 stars if it were about the service alone. The only issue (and reason for the 4 stars overall) was with the music/sound. I understand it's a school and not just a salon, but the music was a bit problematic. It was probably louder than it needed to be in order to cover the elevated ambient noise of the students - however, the music selection was surprisingly disjointed and distracting. The music tracks themselves weren't bad, but playing completely different styles of music, with pauses in between, became a distraction very quickly. Shout out to Gillian, Abby and the front desk staff for creating a very enjoyable experience overall. read more

I went in for a blonding treatment. My roots had grown out but had level 9/10 hair in the back. I wanted a scalp bleach (which I have gotten PLENTY of times before at other salons with ZERO problems. My hair has always been healthy! I use zero heat). I showed the stylist an inspiration picture from her own instagram; work that she had done before. It was icy blonde/platinum- my roots just needed to match the back of my head pretty much. Long story short- the bleach was left on far too long. It clearly took her longer than expected to do my hair and she started rushing when we finally went to the bowl. Normally I have toner sit 5-10mins; it was put on and immediately rinsed off. I left with ORANGE hair. My hair was already pretty blonde- there was no reason for it to be orange. I went home and attempted to tone it with rounds of blue & purple shampoo, only to have CLUMPS of my hair fall out in the shower. I have gotten my hair done 20+ times and this has NEVER happened before!!!!!! I called the next morning and asked for a refund for my service, simply so I can use the money to now purchase treatments for my hair to strengthen it & regrow, along with go to a better salon to fix it. They told me their "policy is no refunds; but I can come in within 15 days to get it fixed." Why would I let the same people that just ruined my hair and burnt 1/4 of it off touch my hair again? Not to mention the instructor saw the end result- was even helping blow dry me at the end because the student was rushing because she wanted to leave- and I was told I could "come back for more toner because it was more orange than we thought." Unacceptable. I now have already spent $75+ on expensive treatments to save my hair & get to spend more at a better salon to get it fixed. I understand making a mistake but being so unsupervised where you fry my hair off is absolutely unacceptable- especially when these are students that are graduating to be real stylists in a month or so. I am so upset and disappointed. read more

See all

Others I saw had good service, got a good stylist, but our service was poor. Outcome of appointment: hair color and service given was not the one asked for. If you're a supervisor or manager at this institute please leave a direct line I can call to speak about the issues. I want to speak about the behavior that occurred during the appointment. My girlfriend went in for a full hair color change. The appointment was scheduled for that, however, she was told by the student, Maddie or whatever the M word name was, black hair, short person, that there wouldn't be time. We had to call and change the appointment to 30 minutes later due to personal issues. If that is what made the appointment unable to do the full head that should've been made clear. No communication between the scheduling staff and student performing the service. The whole visit took about 5 hours. Girlfriend went in and described clearly what she wanted, strawberry blonde, gave one picture for an example to not be confusing. The hairdresser was confused, gave a "huh" and a confused look. Even in the most basic retail stores, you are taught to communicate any issues. My problem is why my girlfriend had to say and was very pleasant enough to say, "is that confusing? Did that make sense? Can I explain again?". From what I got, the hairstylist said, without any input from her that a full head would not be done because there was no time. Communicated the same to the teacher present there on Jun 14th at around noon. My problem again is why the student and teacher only spoke to each other and not to my girlfriend about what she wanted. Both events I mentioned demonstrate the poor customer service skills of this institute and a lack of communication, which led to the poor result of the appointment. The stylist proceeded to say highlights would be done instead to accommodate for their lack of time (the institute). The stylist, Maddie, Madeline, whatever that similar name is, didn't even ask or show what color she would use. From what I understand is their were very little words from her and a very poor inquisitive nature to see what her customer wanted. Seems like one of the most important qualities for this field is lacking in that person. The whole procedure for the highlights was described as physically painful; each part took much longer than it should, hair color received was completely different from what was verbally requested, very smooth and strong hair turned frizzy and damaged, and rough and knotty (my own opinion). By the way, I'm a pharmacy intern at one of the largest hospitals in this state, while also being a pharmacy technician of over 3 years at multiple large reputable companies. I have a great eye, and my girlfriend's hair was not supposed to be that damaged after. I've seen many full head hair changes with beautiful shiny hair after, the frizz and damage were unseen before by me, for just highlights. The picture shown for highlights, when my girl realized that was the only outcome (she couldn't change it because no communication or input from her was allowed), the picture showed chunky or thick highlights. She did very thin ones, to be honest, there were lots of highlights but incredibly thin. She just didn't ask what the customer wanted! Also, the ending color was not at all what was asked for. She didn't even give any samples or suggestions. By the way, to anyone reading this or hopefully, any management going through this, why did my girlfriend not speak, why didn't she say anything? Well, she's very kind, and these kinds of examples of what she'd have to say are confrontations that doesn't suit her. It doesn't have to, and she doesn't have to say anything. She communicated strongly in the beginning and was shut down immediately. You as an institute need to teach your students to be open-minded to people. The students attitude was standoffish like they didn't care which sucked because they also didn't know what they were doing. The stylist was standoffish, unprofessional, and inexperienced, with little to no stylistic skills. True beginner in hair styling and customer service. Asked for no input from customer, customer gave input and it wasn't received, barely spoke unless with friends who came to talk them while working, did not give any samples for hair colors, did not ask what type of highlights the customer wanted even though customer accommodated their poor time management (reason they couldn't do full hair color change). Poor quality of work, when working the hair was not gentle at all, poorly inexperienced as each phase of the highlights took an unnatural amount of time, Stay away from a short stylist with black hair whose name starts with M, possibly Maddie is the name. read more

Here is a list of all the things that were wrong with my appointment: -no head massage or anything. -I had a groupon deal for a botanical treatment and they just didn't do it. -my stylist had never cut men's hair and did not follow a word of what I said I wanted, thank god her "educator" came and fixed a couple of the uneven parts. -I have to go get another haircut to fix this one. Only go here is you do not care what your hair looks like, it is a school for people to learn how to cut hair not a real salon! read more

I have been coming here for several years now to get cuts, colors and massages. I used to walk away feeling satisfied and as if the students and instructors listened to my requests and made it happen. My last few visits, I have shown pictures of what I wanted and walked away with something completely different than what I had shown. While my most recent visit I did like the color, it was still not what I had requested and as a result, has me seeking elsewhere to get hair services, even if that means costing me more money in a salon. Costs at Douglas J have also gone up, and services are added without my prior consent. It saddens me about my most recent visits, as I love supporting students as they gain experiences to build their skills. But for the money I pay and to not get what I requested, I can't continue to be a guest. read more

Beautiful building: very clean and well maintenanced. All of the students are incredibly kind and willing to help. I've had nothing but phenomenal service here, and the price is incredibly affordable! Highly recommend :) read more

Douglas J Institute - Hair cut and blowout! - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Douglas J Aveda Institue is absolutely amazing. I have been coming here for years and always get great service and the staff is friendly and accommodating. If you happen to make an appointment with Keenan, this guy knows customer service better than anybody. read more

Had a 90 minute facial and brow wax done yesterday at Douglas J. and everything was wonderful. The student assigned to me had real talent and a gift for connecting with me. She checked in often, which I really appreciated. Loved the products and calmness of the room. However, I have one MAJOR complaint. The school has got to replace or do something different when it comes to the exfoliation brushes. I thought it was maybe a product being used with the brushes that I smelled, but after a few seconds of use it smelled absolutely like a damp, moldy old dish rag. It was a mildewy smell that I could continue to smell for a while because it was used on my face. I informed the student right away and she apologized profusely. It definitely was not her fault. She informed me that a newer sanitizing method was being used, but regardless it was god awful!! I recommend this place all of the time and I've been a customer of the school since its very beginning. This was suuuch a disappointment since the student was so good at her job. I really felt bad that she continued to apologize, but it truly wasnt her fault. I informed the instructor and she apologized as well. This was 110% unacceptable for any place but especially since the Aveda products smell like heaven, I was absolutely stunned. I really hope people read this review and are warned!! read more

We bought Groupons for 90 minute facials -- we both had student who were very close to graduating. I've been here previously and understand they are still students. However, there was no "flow" to the facial. A lot of starts and stops, I was cold the entire time, she never offered to turn the heater on the bed. Overall, it was an ok experience and a great value. My skin did feel great when she was done. I would go back again. read more

My 17 year old went in on Wednesday, April 3, and had Gabrielle as her stylist. My daughter wanted her hair colored and the stylist was excellent in talking with her and letting her choose the colors she wanted. Pictures were shown and things seemed to be going well. At this point, Gabrielle needed to have her instructor approve. this is where things went wrong. Colors chosen by the client were changed by the instructor named Somer without consulting the client at all! My daughter ended up not getting what she wanted at all. And, this put Gabrielle, as a student, in a very awkward position - does she listen to the client or to her instructor? Gabrielle did a beautiful job (though it took a very long time), but because of the color change, it did not turn out the way my daughter desire. She left in tears and I can't blame her! I didn't even know about the situation with the instructor until it was too late. If you go here, make sure that you talk to the instructor and know what is going on. If you teach here, LISTEN to the stylist and the client, communicate with them, AND, if there is a minor involved, talk with the parent! I was there, and if the instructor had talked to me, I would have insisted that the stylist keep the color choices as they were hers and this was her birthday and Christmas gift. I usually highly recommend Douglas J. Aveda, but this experience has made me second guess my former opinion. read more

See all

DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL. when i say that i truly from the bottom of my heart mean it. if you just enrolled or are about to enroll, get out while you can. I started the program in november of 2022 and just graduated today. today was supposed to be the one good day i had out of this school and i left the building in tears of anger and sadness. my whole experience here has been nothing but bad. from experiencing racism and discrimination to being talked bad about by the educators. When I first got on the clinic floor "chores" were a thing that the educators asked people to do real quick before we left. as soon as my class with 3 minorities got on the floor educators Kate, Janice, and Markie were constantly coming up to only us 3 asking us to fold towels and do the laundry. mind you we had 2 other girls in our friend group that were white and were never asked to do any of that. Kate would even say things in spanish to me like "go fold the towels por favor". She would never talk like that to anyone else but me. mind you i dont even speak spanish. I brought my concerns to Kathy and Jenn and was told that they are just "adiment" talkers and meant no wrong by it. they just kept coming up with excuses for the educators. Their solution to this was to create a "cleaning chart" like way to solve racism with a white board. There were also times I either stayed over or didn't take a lunch and they would never give me my hours for it. I had no problem staying over or not taking a lunch as long as i got my time for it. And leagally we are required to take a 45 minute lunch so if i dont take one i better be getting my time for it or im going to state board. and they would over book so we wouldnt get a lunch. it took them over a month up until the week before i graduated to give me my hours from staying over. My mom had to come up to the school in order for them to listen. To Jenn, Kathy, Kate, Janice, and markie: I hope you all feel so fucking proud of ur actions. You all made my experience here shit. Jenn you never did your job and everytime i went into your office you were either on ur phone, watching a show, or eating and would tell me to come back later. like u are here to help me not do whatever the fuck u want and get an attitude whenever i went in there. Kathy, You are supposed to be the person we go to when we have concerns and you were nothing but rude and just came up with excuses for everyone's actions instead of actually doing something about it. Kate, dont even want to get started on you. You were so rude and racist since the moment i met you. You are rude to clients too. You need to learn how to keep ur comments to yourself and need to grow up for real. Also these students are your students. not ur friends. you should not be talking to some of these people like how you do. I really hope you get fired, because you do not deserve the title of "educator" to anyone that looks up to you i feel bad. Janice, You are supposed to be "team leader" or whatever but half the time you are just as rude as the other educators. like why would i go to you to voice my concerns when you are the problem. Markie, you were cool at moments but you were also just so rude. and anytime you and kate were together y'all were on a power trip and wanted to control all of us. like when u guys made the "no sitting or phones, do mannequin work all day" rule. like chill out dude. anyone i did not mention were nothing but nice and actually wanted to help us. and i appreciate that handful of people for making my experience not all bad. Today was supposed to be a good day and was supposed to be about my accomplishment of graduating. but Jenn and Kathy did not want it to be that way. I left that building with tears. because they are truly so fucking rude. anyways I just want people to know not to come here unless you dont care about your education. these people do not deserve to be educators and need to be fired. state board needs to take a visit here asap. read more

I had a beautiful job on my hair todlovely young l,, My head was tilted up to look at half an inch to an inch of fuzzy disgusting dust on every light fixture and air vent, then you look down and you see tufts of hair wound and each of the casters of the cards, Spellcheck sucks. Having brought the same for having brought this information to the stylus. This is how the site goes you cannot just any text apparently the cleanliness in this establishment is meant for 1 foot off the floor and 3 feet up. But don't hold that against the stylus they do beautiful work. read more

They cut my hair over an inch shorter on one side and took like 3.5 inches off the whole thing when i asked for .5 inches off. They also cut a huge chunk out of my hair to do a test strand and forced me to do a haircut when i said i didn't want to if i wasn't getting my hair highlighted. They wouldn't bleach it even though my hair is healthy and hasn't been touched in over a year by any color or bleach. read more

I am never going to Aveda again! I went in for an all over color and highlights, and although the students were very nice, they did not give the color I wanted. At the end of the visit, the front desk receptionist said that if I did not like something about my hair, I could come back within 14 days and fix it, free of charge. After setting up a second appointment, they told me to redye my hair to the color I wanted, it would be an additional $50. My sister also got her hair done during my second appointment and they lied abt the price (saying it was going to be $80 but ended up being $100 and then told her the same thing about coming back in within 14 days to change ANYTHING abt her hair that she didn't like). After calling the next day, the said they cannot give out refunds but instead want me to come back a third time and pay for the color I wanted. It seemed VERY dishonest and like they wanted our money. read more

I came in to get my hair washed and styled and I got McKenzie as my stylist. to say the least, SHE WAS AMAZING! She welcomed me in, massaged my head, and even made me laugh a few times! Totally recommend coming here! (Request mckenzie as your stylist). Not only was she kind, my hair feels and looks wonderful! Will definitely be coming back. read more

My daughter attends this school and is really disappointed with the lack of curriculum and often laments having to just sit around with nothing to do because the instructors don't provide them with enough to fill their required hours. One of her instructors apparently spends most of her time discussing her drug habits other overly personal information rather than teaching content. We're paying a good 12k and she could probably learn just as much by watching YouTube videos. Not to mention her shadowing experience where she was chastised and intimidated by the teacher for asking questions. When she asked the other students she was told they just keep their heads down so as not to draw attention to themselves to avoid being targeted. I read similar complaints here and elsewhere, unfortunately not before she enrolled. I'm saddened because she was so excited to get into the program and now feels stuck with something that isn't what she was sold on. read more

The haircuts are fine. DJAI gets 3 stars because it does not allow tipping for the student stylists. I don't know what kind of BS someone arrived to in their head, but the policy is simply moronic: it makes it needlessly more difficult for people in a scholastic/training situation, which in many--if not most--instances involves things being financially tight. read more

WOW! I am so impressed by Hailey Bates! This girl just started school at Aveda and she's already SO talented! She gave me EXACTLY what I wanted + more! I am SO SO SO happy with the outcome of my hair! She was friendly, engaging, and so sweet! I can't believe this service was free, but I will absolutely be one of her regular paying customers when she graduates school! Thank you SO much Hailey you're phenomenal! (First picture is the before of my hair) read more

See all

Often go here and have always gotten top notch service. Fair pricing. Just allow extra time.

Hi, I'm posting this review for anyone who is looking to go to school at Douglas J, I just graduated their cosmetology program. Look into every other option before enrolling in this school. Their counseling side of school is such. A. Sh!t. show. I had a loan that was suppose to be dispersed to me throughout the school year, about a quarter into the year I stopped receiving checks. A few months went by and I finally reached out and asked where my checks were, one of the counselors went on maternity leave and failed to make a plan to still have students receive their checks. So ok the problem was solved i got my back payment of checks, I understand mistakes happen, BUT a few month go by and you have to fill out an online exit counseling form in order to graduate. I filled out this 30 minute form a couple times and every time it gave me a message saying form can't be submitted so I asked the counselor, she was no help and gave me a hotline number for the website. So I called the website was on the phone for 2 hours, filled out the form multiple more times just to be told at the end of the phone call I could just print off the form and hand it into my counselor.....holy frustrating and WHY WOULDNT THE COUNSELOR JUST TELL ME THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE. So I printed off the form filled it out for the 6th time and handed it in. It's now been a few weeks since I graduated and I'm still awaiting my email from the counselor to schedule my state boards. Turns out she lost my paper form and this has been holding back my state boards email! Not to mention the short-staff and the over abundance of students, there's not enough stations for all students, there's barely any teachers and no curriculum so you sit on your a$s all day, the teachers literally have nothing scheduled for any of us to do. The construction on the roof that had debris falling everywhere for 4 months. I would not attend this school if I had to do it all over again. Look into Paul Mitchell, they don't have Saturday School, no uniforms and LET STUDENTS ACCEPT TIPS, this is something I can't stand about Douglas J, we are the only school that can not accept tips. Any other school can't be half the sh!t show Douglas J is. My classmates would agree, thanks for reading my review I know it's negative but I'm hoping to save some people some trouble! read more

I have been to the hair side of Douglas J, had cut, color, highlights, lowlights, excellent service and outcome. Yesterday I went and had a 90 minute facial, and a 60-minute stress relieving treatment with Cameron. It was great, Kameron and her instructor discussed with me my skin type etc. they then mixed it up, it was wonderful. Had a great experience in a very nice spa setting, the service and price are great. They have gift certificates so great for a gift. read more

I had a really good shampoo, hair cut, and style experience. Tiyunnia did a fabulous job on my hair and the price was amazing. Honestly, the cut she did beat most seasoned professionals from my past experiences. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous letting a student do my hair; however, the instructor always was there to check the work and make sure things went smoothly. Tiyunnia keep up the good work. I will be back! read more