This is my first Yelp review. Even having a bad experience with Christy at Icon Salon, I wasn't going to write a review until I just went in to "fix my hair" and was so personally insulted by her that I felt compelled to share my experience.
I've had 3 experiences with her now, if you would include my "fix my hair" experience. First experience was for a cut and it was fine. Not the greatest haircut, probably a 7 out of 10, but it was fine enough for $50 if I remember correctly. While I was there, she had commented about how my balayage job at another salon looked really brassy and that I should come to see her in a couple months to get it re-done and lightened for the summer. That was in December.
It was now May, and I felt like it was time to get a haircut and finally get my color re-done for a bachelorette party I was going to the following week in Laguna Beach. I was booked a 7:45am appointment on Fri 5/29 and the process took about 2.5 hours. I asked for a balayage with subtle blonde highlights and brought in several reference photos for Christy. I didn't want the highlights to start from the root so it would be low maintenance, but she advised that it would look weird if it wasn't from the root. She said she would do a mix of both from the root and several that were a couple inches down. I wasn't so sure about that, but I trusted her and she began the process.
Once my hair was blow-dried and styled, I noticed that there were several thick strands of highlights on one side, where it just looked like a skunk strip. I asked her to put in a couple dark pieces to break up the color and have it look more like highlights. I could tell she was annoyed, but she did it for me and I was out the door. Total cost came out to $140 + $20 tip.
When I washed my hair and styled it myself the next day, I noticed a line of highlights starting at the same vicinity at the back of my head that I had missed at the salon; she had curled my hair so it wasn't noticeable. However, when I had hung out with my friends over the weekend, multiple people had pointed it out and said I should definitely get it fixed. One of my friend's friends is actually a stylist at a salon in the Pearl and said it was a definite stylist mistake. So I called on Sunday and left a voice message about my hair situation and when I can come in to get it fixed next week.
Monday rolls around and I expected to get a call from someone at Icon, but no one calls me. So I call them around 5pm and Christy answers the phone. When I told her about my hair, it was apparent from the line that she was upset. She was short and said that she could fit me in the next day, which is today, Tues 6/2 at 1:30pm. It's during my work hours but I really wanted to get it fixed before the party so I told her I would make that time work.
So I come in today and I could tell from the get go that she was pissed. She was so short with me, her face was red and she hands me a mirror and asks me to point out the strips that needed fixing. It's clear that there is a line in my hair and she is wanting me to play the role of stylist because "she doesn't know what's wrong with my hair." My friends had said probably a couple foils from the root would help solve the problem because they are like that on the side but when I had asked Christy for that, she said that she cannot go any lighter (probably because it would take more time to do that) and that she can only go darker. She said the only thing she could do was bring a couple of the highlights lower so that they are not all starting at the same place. I didn't agree with her, but I didn't want to be around her any more than she wanted me to be in that chair. While she is putting dye in my hair, she literally says to me, and this is verbatim, "Never book color with me. I don't mind doing your cut, but do not book me for color." I was speechless that she even had the nerve to say that to one of her clients. Then she proceeds to lecture me that this this look "depends on how you style it." I couldn't disagree more. In my opinion, the difference between a mediocre stylist and a good stylist is that your hair looks good however you style it, straight or curled. She spritzed the hair strands with dye, and I walked out of there just livid.
She did not try to rectify the situation and make me a happy client. Instead, she insulted me and told me to "never book color with her." She clearly does not value her clients' satisfaction, but rather cares more about the quantity of clients over the quality of her work. Again, I don't write Yelp reviews even when I have had bad services or experiences. However, my experience with Christy at Icon warranted one that I wanted to share this lengthly review of her. Clearly, I will no longer be booking any more appointments with her. I will be taking my business elsewhere for both cut AND color.
Now you guys be the judge and tell me-is this the job of a good stylist? read more