This was an absolutely traumatizing experience. I went to the Murray Hill location to get my roots…read moredone and tone my hair, which was a mix of strawberry blonde and old highlights. I showed the stylist a reference photo and explained that I wanted a copper tone, not too dark, just something to even everything out.
When she finished, my hair was nearly black.
I was shocked. I immediately said this wasn't what I asked for, and instead of acknowledging the mistake or offering a helpful solution, the stylist insisted that I had asked her to match my roots. I hadn't. She got defensive, combative, and started yelling at me.
The receptionist stepped in and was more empathetic. She agreed something had gone wrong and offered to send me to their uptown location to fix it. I asked very clearly if I would be charged, and she said no. I even asked again before leaving, and she repeated that I wouldn't be charged by either location.
I paid out of pocket to Uber uptown. The stylist there, Gary, did fix the color, but made sure I knew how busy he was and treated me like I was lucky he was making time. He gave me a condescending lecture about showing reference photos, and when I told him I had, and that I had been very clear, he brushed it off. I've been getting my hair done for years. I understand the process. I know how to communicate what I want, and I always come prepared with photos. That wasn't the issue.
At one point, when another client joked that her scalp was burning, I tried to lighten the mood by laughing. He turned to me and said, "You're laughing now, you're going to have it a lot worse."
He was right. My scalp started burning so badly I cried.
It was a long and emotionally draining process. The color looked better by the end, but I now have a scab on my scalp, most likely from the chemical treatment. And then, despite being told repeatedly that I wouldn't be charged, Gary tried to make me pay more than the original salon visit would have cost. When I told him that the receptionist at the first location had specifically told me it would be free of charge, he said, "She made a huge mistake if she told you that." He then went on to argue with me, saying even his family pays, and made me feel like I was being difficult for not wanting to pay after everything I had been put through. After going back and forth, he agreed to charge me $150, which I paid, even though it felt completely unfair.
I called the receptionist at the first salon afterward to tell her I had been charged. She denied ever saying I wouldn't be, which felt like the final blow. After all of that, I felt completely gaslit and taken advantage of.
I left with a damaged scalp, out time and money, and genuinely shaken. I've never written a review like this before, but I think people deserve to know what kind of experience I had. I would never go back.
