Very kind and helpful people nothing bad about how they are as people however if you are someone who doesn't have straight hair don't come here. I am Hispanic with curly hair and came in to get my haircut for graduation. I came in with curly hair and left with extremely short hair even though that wasn't what I showed in the picture of what I wanted. Again very nice people but seems like can't cut none straight hair correctly unless you are on their ass the whole time. read more

Very friendly; very easy to work with; average quality. We used them for our bridal party. We hired two hair dressers; only one showed and one to curl hair. This caused everyone to be rushed and no one's hair to be "just right." Everyone looked fine, but no one looked phenomenal. The bride's hair looked great to start, but did not stay in thru the night. For high school and college formals, they may be adequate. Do not recommend for bridal parties. read more

Service was exceptional! They did such a wonderful job with my hair and makeup. Very clean and inviting. They accommodate all schedules, opened up early to accommodate my event timeline. Go see them, they are great! read more

Lauren (the owner) is absolutely amazing. For realz - I'm talking hair guru, and for anyone who has read any of my previous salon review you know that I'm annoyingly paranoid/ high maintenance-bordering on worst client ever- picky about my hair. She's so amazing that I followed her like a faithful disciple from her former salon to her newest venture and have recruited just about everyone I know (and, ahem, like) with hair to do the same. I can only assume that she's handpicked an equally amazing staff for the new place. Call. Go in. You won't regret it (but I might regret telling everyone once the place is more bumpin' than Empire Records was back in 1995. Seriously. If evolve ever has Rex Manning Day, I'll blame Yelp). read more

Evolve Studio - Hair Salons Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

I am very pleased with my experience here at Evolve Studio. I had great interactions with both Lauren and Hanna. Lauren, the owner, is someone that genuinely cares for her clients and will give you realistic (but great!) expectations on the outcome of your hair. She let me know during our consultation a price range of what the service would cost and worked with my budget while offering solutions to my very warm hair which I wanted ashy. She let me know what I wanted could be done in a few sessions but that they would do everything they could to help me with my warmth in one. Excellent service and consultation. Hanna, my colorist, was amazing. Amazing attitude, excellent attention to detail and very attentive and caring to the customers needs. She really listens to what you want and will work with you to take steps in achieving the hair that you want. I'm so happy I no longer have that red orange tone in my hair. Thank you Lauren and Hanna :) I'm happy to have found this salon Please see the before and after! Update: came in to discuss next steps of my coloring treatment and toned the hair to more of a light ash brown + olaplex. Lauren and Hanna were wonderful and kind! They really care about meeting the needs of the customer and really work with the customer to achieve the customers Dream hair! They put the customer above everything else and I think this salon is a true true gem! read more

Evolve Studio - Hair Salons Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

I called on a Monday for a blow out on Saturday for a wedding we were going to in the area. Super easy and I was thrilled that they could get me in so quickly. The salon is super clean and is taking special precautions to make sure guests are spaced out well. The hair stylist that took care of me, Morgan, not only did such a great job with my look, but she was also one of the nicest people that I've spoken to in a while. We had such an awesome conversation (even while wearing masks). If I lived in the area, I would 100% be back here often and request her. Thank you Morgan and Evolve! read more

Fabulous people and studio. Masks are always worn. Free parking around the back, metered in the front. They carry the Oribe range of products which are wonderful. Recommend. read more

I'm so glad I went with Evolve Studio for my wedding! Lauren and her girls came to our venue and did an amazing job with our hair and makeup. Lauren is so fun and down to earth, and we had a blast hanging out with her the morning of the wedding. All the girls at Evolve really listened to each of my bridesmaids' and moms' needs for their hair and makeup. One of my bridesmaids wanted to change her hairstyle to an updo a while after her formal style was complete. I could see this causing some problems with other salons, but the Evolve girls were flexible with their schedule and happily changed her hair to make sure it was exactly what she wanted. Lauren, thank you for making me feel beautiful on my wedding day. It was a wonderful day and every time I look at our pictures I'm amazed by how perfect my hair and makeup looked throughout the night. I highly recommend Evolve Studio! read more

Evolve Studio - Wedding hair and makeup by Evolve Studio - Hair Salons Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

See all

This should actually be a 1 star review. If the actual hair and makeup result had been anything like the service I received before my appointment it probably would've been 5. Unfortunately, it was not and I cried on my wedding day (not happy tears). I live in North Carolina but was having my wedding in State College, PA which meant that I had to do most of the planning via Internet and phone. I really wanted to have my hair and makeup done all in one spot so I booked Evolve. I coordinated with Lauren who was great. She was super on top of everything and was quick with a reply. I wasn't able to come in for a test run on the hair and makeup (which I really regret) so I emailed some pictures in advance to convey what I was looking to achieve. I'll just cut to the chase. The hair was good, not great but good. I'm sure if I had come in before hand for the trial run the kinks could've been worked out and it might have been perfect. My sister also had her hair done here and she looked great. The real atrocity was the makeup. The girl who did my hair/makeup was actually really sweet so I don't want to bash her by name but if you're thinking about having your makeup done here message me and I'll pass it on. She should really be avoided. It started while I was waiting at reception. I saw a wedding party finishing up and noticed that one them (presumably a bridesmaid) looked fairly awful. There was no noticeable shadow on her lids so her eye had no shape and the liquid liner wasn't doing her any favors. The rest of the makeup was forgettable. I noticed who had done her makeup and then realized that she would be taking care of me as well. Based on what I had just seen I decided to just have my eyes done, instead of a full face of makeup. I really wanted to wear fake lashes and I really suck at putting them on. I figured even if her makeup job sucks I can just alter it when I get home. How wrong I was. Here is why it was bad: *This girl is white and I am Mexican. I'm not sure if she didn't have a wide enough color palate or if she's never done darker skin makeup before but the base foundation that she used around my eyes was so white I ended up looking like a raccoon in reverse. * It looked like she only used 1 shade of eye shadow so my lid looked totally flat. I paint so I understand the the concept of tone, definition and shaping. These are hard to achieve when using only 1 color. *The color she used was this brown coppery shade which did not do me any favors. I said I wanted a smokey look but one that was appropriate for daytime. I assumed she would go with some grey or something. She didn't, she just used the same flat brown color and it looked awful. *Towards the end, I took a look in the mirror and was not happy. I thought maybe the lashes would help so she put those on and it just looked worse. I was really trying not to cry at this point. I asked if she could just take off all of the eye makeup and leave the lashes, which she did to the best of her ability. I ended up going home and running to the bathroom so no one could see me. I did the whole thing over again and unfortunately lost the lashes (the one thing I wanted!) in the process. I started drinking wine at this point and that helped. My wedding ended up being happy and amazing! I was surrounded by all of the people I love most in the world and married my best friend (and that was, after all, the point). But pictures are starting to roll in and every time I see one of me I cringe because that is not how I wanted to look on my wedding day. read more

Lauren (expert hair stylist) is sweet, inviting, and has a true talent when it comes to transforming hair from zero to 100. She knows what she's doing and offers a lot of options so you leave happy and wanting to come back. I'm calling tomorrow to schedule my next appointment! read more

Evolve Studio - It was windy out so as soon as I left it got a little messed up but still loved it! - Hair Salons Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

So I needed to get my hair done about two weeks ago. It hadn't been cut in over a year and my color was a mess due to a previous stylist at a different salon. I went to Ashley, and she was absolutely amazing. So sweet and made me feel so comfortable. I was about to move away from the area and really just needed a fresh start. She knew I was moving so she easily could have just rushed through because I could have been a one time client! BUT she still took her time, listened to me and what i wanted and did an amazing job on my hair. I haven't been this happy with a color in so long. Such a great experience here, I'll definitely be making the drive back to see her when I need my hair done!! ‍ read more

I checked out Evolve tonight. I had heard good things through friends, so I wanted to experience it for myself. The salon is well-designed and sleek (without being pretentious.) The staff was friendly and professional. My stylist listened to what I wanted and used several interesting tools to achieve texture and versatility in my cut. (I like really funky, fun cuts, so I was super pleased with her skills!) The sinks were comfortable, and the stations are spaced out well so that you feel like you have some privacy (and you're not listening to the person next to you blab through their entire appointment.) At the end, my stylist didn't "push" products on me -- I hate when someone tries to pressure me into buying something! I was happy from start to finish, so I felt inspired to commit to a follow up appointment. I'm excited for my next "evolution!" read more

This is a great place with excellent hair stylist. I came in and Christina was so helpful with the Balayage. She did an amazing job and I'm definitely a returning customer whenever I am back in town. Definitely a must go. read more

incredible. I came here after getting my hair cut and donated at THON. So I was just getting used to short hair and my stylist was extremely kind, personable, easy to talk to, and encouraging. She did an amazing job washing, drying, cutting, and styling. She made me feel confident and beautiful and she was truly passionate about hair. I enjoyed my entire experience there and the environment is calming and lovely. I would recommend evolve to anyone and really wish I got the name of my stylist because she was truly fabulous. I gave her a hug at the end for her service! And even though my hair cut was apart of THON I still was treated equally and amazingly. They donated their time and talent and Evolve is a great establishment overall. read more

Thank you Laura for a wedding up-do along with perfect make-up that lasted 16++ hours in heat/humidity (and lots of happy tears)!! Looked beautiful and had many compliments throughout the day!!! Thank you!! read more

I have not got my haircut there, so if you are looking for a haircut then this review may not be useful. I went there for eyebrows. The place looks awesome and you feel you are gonna get the best job done here. The girl who did my eyebrows was very polite. But she asked me too many questions, which I liked at first but then I am not an expert and I was hoping to see an expert who would know better than me. And I got BURNS!! I was leaving for a weekend trip on the same day and next day morning I found my skin was burnt below my brow. Thank God it was not too much and that skin came off in two days. I would not go there again for brows. May be for a haircut. read more

Horrible experience. Second time I have been here hoping for a natural and blended look with my hair. Whitney did not listen to me and didn't seem like she knew what she was doing. She used a thick brush instead of a thin brush to paint on the hair. She never used foil to help separate the hair and when she washed my hair, she didn't put a toner on. She made me feel uncomfortable and it was like pulling teeth with this lady for a light-hearted conversation. I do not recommend this place and I especially do not recommend this "professional" lady Whitney. read more

I first tried this salon after being frustrated with many of the other salons in town. I like edgy styles and am willing to play around with my hair, but could never find anyone who would do that... until now! Lauren is really great at funky styles and cuts and listens to what I say I want to try. She also explains how she'll cut it and offers ideas for future styles. I'm happy with the service, everyone is friendly, and the price is very affordable and fair. They don't try to push products which I really appreciate (as I have a stockpile of random stuff at home and really don't need anything else)! read more

Don't trust the reviews below. I did, and it was a mistake. When I mentioned I found the salon via the excellent reviews on yelp, Lauren flat old told me her friends and even her former roommate write them and said "if you ever feel like writing one I offer 10% back!!" A nice offer, but that's not the point. Overall my experience was mediocre. It's a very nice looking salon but the services offered are definitely NOT top notch. My highlights were way too far apart for how much they charged for a "full head" of foils. PS Check the dates on those 5 star reviews. Some of them were written by different people on the same day. Hmmm... read more

I have been to salons all over this country, including some of the finest, most expensive salons in New York City. I can say unequivocally that Lauren is significantly more talented than any of those stylists. Her cuts are flattering and flawless, and her coloring is gorgeously artistic, not just the usual paint by the numbers highlights. I cannot recommend her enough!!! read more

Lauren is amazing. She is not only amazing with hair but a wonderful person as well. She has done my hair off and on for many years because I no longer live close to state college, but for my wedding I gladly drove there for my hair trial then she came to Philly for the day-of. My hair was amazing! She did the cut, color, and extensions. My friends are still talking about it! My whole family wishes we had a little machine to transport us to state college once every 6 weeks. You cannot go wrong by trying evolve! read more

I had one of the best haircuts of my life at Evolve. My stylist was amazing- kind, friendly, listened to what I wanted and knew how to achieve it flawlessly. I hadn't gotten my hair cut in over a year after a bad haircut so I really shopped around to find a good place in State College to go to and I'm so glad I picked Evolve. Not too pricey and the service was great! read more

I got my eyebrows waxed here and they quite literally could not have done a worse job. I went there and asked if they could do a walk in and here is what happens. Receptionist A says yes they can do a walk in, but I could tell she was about to check the availability of whoever did the waxing. Before she could do that, Receptionist B said she could take me. Receptionist A seemed surprised that Receptionist B was going to do it, but I didn't think much of it. B takes me into the salon and just sits me down at a little bar type area and has me sit on a stool. Any time I have ever gotten my eyebrows done I have been either in a reclined chair or lying down. Never have I just been sitting straight up. Anyway, I tell B what I want done and she starts pasting me up with wax. It was clear very early that she didn't really know what she was doing, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt because this salon appears to be upscale. B starts going all over the place with what she is working on. Left then right then middle then back to right then left. Absolutely no method to her madness. B goes on to completely botch my eyebrows as well as cake my eye area (eyelids included) with wax. It took me 10 minutes in a steaming hot shower once I got home to finally be able to open my right eye fully. She took an enormous chunk out of my left eyebrow and left hairs sticking out everywhere. Again, my eyebrow was pasted with wax so I couldn't exactly tell how bad it was at the moment. After repeatedly looking in the mirror and instructing her to fix what she had done to my left eyebrow, she said that the wax was why it looked like that (hairs stuck to each other everywhere and chunk missing) and that no two eyebrows are the same. That was her explanation for my eyebrows looking completely different. That no two eyebrows are the same. Pathetic and flat out stupid. You get them waxed and trimmed so that they look the same you babbling idiot. She then brought over another woman to check it out. This woman bent down to look at B's work and had the biggest "oh shit" face on her that I have ever seen. She gave some bull shit answer that they looked fine, but they weren't. I finally said fuck it and decided I was better off going home and plucking whatever miscellaneous hairs were left myself. I could live with a bad job. It happens, I can understand that. But to just completely deny that my eyebrows look awful and to give some excuse that because there is a ton of wax all over the place that is why they look bad is mortifying. Receptionist B should be fired immediately. She said she lives in upstate New York if you read this and need to determine which employee of yours is providing such terrible service. read more

I liked this place! Cool atmosphere, very friendly but sophisticated. Whitney was great and chatty, did exactly what I asked (a trim), & I was in & out in 40 min. I'm very tender headed but it wasn't an issue at all. They weren't pushy about products, which I love, & didn't yell at me for only getting a haircut every 6 months. I obviously can't speak for any major hair changes since I only got a trim. read more

I am the first to admit that when I walk into a salon with a photo, I have no idea how the results will (or should) be achieved. That being said, for my first visit I scheduled a partial foil over the phone with expectations that the hair I had been dreaming of for months wouldn't truly come to fruition. When I showed Lauren my photo, I said, "This is the hair I want, but I don't expect I will leave with it today." Lauren surprised me by letting me know she could give me the hair I had been drooling over. The only catch - to take my dark and thick hair blonde, Lauren would need more time than a partial foil would allow. She helped me reschedule a new appointment and I left excited that blonde hair was a possibility. When I came back for my new appointment, Lauren was excited and explained she had done research to find the same formula as the star in the photo I showed her. The salon environment was relaxing and the staff was happy and complimentary. It has been a month since Lauren worked her magic and I am still in love with my hair. I am so grateful to have found Evolve and Lauren! read more

Lauren is a genious at hair cuts, highlights and brows. She's the only one who has ever been able to give me a brow arch! Love this place and recommend it all the time. read more

I do NOT recommend this place. I asked the stylist to do a natural blend of highlights to cover my roots. My highlights were not done to the roots at all and were spotted. Some sections of my a hair was not even dyed. I complained to the stylist and she got VERY defensive. I contacted the owner/manager and resolved the issue. Additionally, I ended up going somewhere else to fix the hair color. read more

They were nice here but I wasn't fully satisfied with my results. I paid way too much to basically have a few highlights put in... I told them I wanted no more gold in my hair but still have a ton of gold showing. The color also washed out after the first wash. Nice place just make sure to be more clear about what you want. read more

I got a very good haircut here today. The stylist was a very friendly and attentive person. The salon was very nice as well.

I moved to state college after living in New York and I was trying to find a hair salon that I can trust with my hair. I used to work at a salon when I lived in New York so I have high expectations. I know how to give a proper wash and blowout. So before I trusted them to dye my hair I figured I would get a simple blowout. If I liked the blowout I would be a little bit more comfortable with them dying. I went into the chair to get my hair shampooed. He gave me the most uncomfortable and painful shampoo I have ever gotten. He seemed like he tried to massage my head to give me a nice wash but he ended up squeezing my head to hard I started to get a headache. When I got into the chair I had to tell him the kind of blowout I wanted. There's different types so a stylist should always ask. But he just grabbed the blow dryer and started going at it without any idea of what I wanted. I told him I wanted a little wave, something to give me volume. I do this to my hair all the time. At the end, my hair had absolutely no wave to it. My hair was completely flat and he didn't ask me what side I part my hair so he did what he wanted and it looked even worse. He ripped out my hair the entire time. Terrible experience. Ended up having to pay $35 for a headache and a blow out that I could have done way better. Wouldn't recommend read more

Just as these reviews state, Lauren is AMAZING. Best hair cut I have had. Unlike most hair salons she doesn't cut too much or too less and gave me an amazing conditioning treatment that made my hair so much healthier. I plan on getting a balayage from her soon because she definitely knows what she is doing. Evolve studio has great customer service in general, someone took my coat and got me tea right as I walked in. This is the place to get your hair done for sure! read more

I am originally from State College and have been planning my visits home for the past several years around my hair cuts with Lauren. From New York, Philly and now all the way from North Carolina! I even take off work to come home a day early at holidays just so I can get in with her! I have impossible, super thick, curly hair and she has given me my mornings back by taking my styling routine from almost two hours to around 20 mins! I've paid $100 for haircuts and have never gotten results like this. read more

Evolve is a beautiful and wonderful Salon. Every time I go, I feel like I'm being treated like family! Besides the wonderful people there and beautiful look to the salon, what they do with hair is outstanding. Lauren has taken my hair from dull dry and damaged, to healthy with a beautiful ombre,a brilliant blond, and to now a silky reddish brown. This woman knows color and know exactly what to do with it for your hair. She also brought my hair back to life with great products, their salon has many and really keeps up with what's new . For the first time in two years my hair is actually growing and I owe her for that ! I've seen what the other stylists at Evolve can do too and it's really impressive. I fully recommend this salon for anyone, as Evolve is the best in town! read more

I have taken my son and daughter to get their hair done a few times and the experiences have been great. Ashley and the staff go out of their way to make them feel welcome and the stylists always do a great job. Getting a good hair cut for a 9 and 12 year old is not as easy as it should be but they have always done a great job. On a side note whoever did the design work DID AN AMAZING JOB!!!!! read more

I have never ran into a business as unprofessional as Evolve Studio. The first time I made an appointment, I called them on the phone a week prior. I thought it was weird that they never contacted me to confirm my appointment the day before. Once I got there they told me that they didn't have my appointment listed in their system, so they squeezed me in to their schedule with a junior stylist handling me. I asked her to lighten my roots and for some reason she was able to make my hair five shades darker than it originally was. Not only that my hair looked green. The kind of green that you get after you have been sitting in a pool of chlorine all day. Then I called them to make another appointment because I was very upset. So they made me another appointment. When the day comes, they told me that my appointment was the day before and that I have missed it. As usual they never called to confirm the appointment, because they have done that then there wouldn't have been a miscommunication. And for the record, I know I got my date right because I wrote it in my calendar right after calling them. So not only did they ruin my hair, administratively they don't know how to operate. My advice, don't even try them out. Yes their price range is in the lower side, but you get for what you pay for (including their lack of professionalism). read more

I was really excited to try out this new salon because I heard great things but I was very displeased with my cut :( The salon is very nice and the staff seemed friendly. It was also nice that they give a discount for new customers. But I had my hair cut by Debbie and I felt like she flew threw the cut and did not do a good job paying attention to my hair type and what works/doesn't work with my hair. My layers are choppy and the cut is way shorter than I wanted (which I understand is partially my fault for not being specific enough to start). My cuts usually take 45 minutes (I have pretty thick hair that takes a while to dry) and she finished in less than 30 minutes which made me a little nervous, and I had every right to be. If I go back, I will not be asking for Debbie but I have heard great things from friends about Lauren. read more

My husband and I both made appointments together to get our hair cut at Evolve. My husband, who has medium length hair for a guy, received the worst cut of his life. It was cringe-worthy. My haircut was ok. They charge anywhere from ~$35-50, but tell you that you can come back in for a maintenance trim a few months later. I honestly could have gotten a better cut if I went to a chain and paid $20. My husband could have gotten a better cut if I had done it, blindfolded. Well, yesterday I went back in for the trim with a "Senior Stylist" this time and sat down. The beautician, who clearly just finished beauty school as another employee watched her the entire time I was there, would not trim my hair. She told me that she could only trim bangs or take some weight off. I don't have bangs, so she hacked into my hair for 30 seconds and then took my cape off. That's their idea of a "maintenance trim". I had family waiting for me and didn't feel like getting into it with the manager, however, the other 2 people in the salon heard the entire interaction, but did nothing to rectify or acknowledge my disappointment and frustration. Lame place, typical of most salons in State College. Stay away. read more

DO NOT GET YOUR EYEBROWS DONE HERE. I went in today for a normal eyebrow wax as a walk in. There was another girl waiting to get her haircut. The first part of my experience is basically the same as Ryan D's Yelp review below. There were two receptionists and the one asked the other if she could quickly wax my eyebrows before she cuts the other girls hair. The girl who was supposed to be doing my eyebrows whispers something to the other girl. I don't know what she said but it gave me bad vibes and I felt uncomfortable. We go to their waxing area that is literally set up like a little bar. There's stools and I was sitting upright which I thought was strange. Anyways, this girl clearly did not have any idea what she was doing. She starts dabbing wax on me and only does half of my left eyebrow. Once she took the strip off she kept reapplying it and taking it off and reapplying it again until she GOT WAX ON MY EYELASHES. I was like get this off now please and she takes some but not all of it off and goes and picks up another waxing stick. I then told her that there was still wax on my eyelashes. After she gets it off, I asked her if she's ever waxed eyebrows before. She said she's done it plenty of time before (I hope that's a lie) and goes to pick up the stick again. I realized that if she continues I might not have any eyelashes by the time I leave this place. So I asked if there was anyone else that was available to wax my eyebrows. Some other guy came over and he was not as horrible as this chick. Four hours later I still have a red scar on my eyebrows. Save yourself from a traumatic experience and don't go here. read more

I have gone here twice for highlights, and have not be pleased at all. The first time I went, I chose a newly trained stylist, so I assumed that was why. The second time (due to lack of other salons being available), however, I chose a very experienced stylist and it was still awful. I showed the stylist photos of very blonde hair and described that I hated the brown in my hair, and he still didn't make my hair any blonder. Everyone who saw my hair afterwards actually asked if I had gotten my hair dyed darker. On top of this, they had told me full head highlights were $85, and I walked out of the store having paid 150$ not including tip. He insisted I get my hair cut without mentioning it was going to be another 50 dollars, and charged me for a second bowl of dye when he barely even used a drop of it. Just a waste of money, lowlights instead of highlights, and a wedding with my hair not looking how I had been hoping. read more