I like to give salons the benefit of the doubt. Muse Atelier had rave reviews so I decided to visit to get my highlights touched up. I'm sad to report there is nothing good about this salon. Issues:
- Poor customer service (good luck getting them to answer the phone)
- Sub-par salon (looked like a train wreck)
- Employees could use a lesson in how to treat their clients (greeting, interaction)
- Need more training (don't advertise someone as a specialist when they barely know what they're doing)
I asked if they did balayage highlights and they said yes and referred me to a specialist named Liz. I was able to get in same day which thrilled me!
I parked and went in through the back, which wasn't anything to show off. It was a wreck. Granted they were going through some construction, however this place looks as if it's been ransacked. Nothing to compliment like some of these reviews.
Instead of standing to greet me and introduce me to the place as a new client, the stylist and colorist on hand were both sitting in their chairs, lounging and eating. I introduced myself as a new client and my colorist, Liz, did not stand to greet me. She finished eating her cookie and then moved me the chair she wanted to work on. She was acting kind of weird but I figured she was just shy.
I showed her a picture of Sarah Jessica Parker because a) that was the hue I wanted and b) she gets balayage highlights. I've had balayage plenty of times so I knew what I was looking for. I also told her I had grown out my base to use as a lowlight and had spent months to do this. She communicated well and I felt comfortable.
So she gets started. This is when I knew things were going to go downhill. Balayage is a precise technique that makes it look natural and unprecise; however, she was sloppily grabby large chunks of hair to paint. They were all blending together and color got on my face a few times. She also was talking to me about the rather inappropriate subject of walking in on her nephew pleasuring himself.
After the painting was done, she put me under the dryer and proceded to forget about me -- the dryer turned off and I sat there a good 10 minutes without any heat/without her noticing. Once she did come over, she advised me to go to the sink so we could wash.
While washing, she toned my hair -- not something I asked for, but I figured if the color of the dye was too yellow that perhaps she was trying to make it warmer or cooler. However, when I got back in the chair, I knew I was going to be unhappy: my hair was RED.
Does SJP have red hair? Was my hair originally red? NO. Liz even mentioned that it looked "all one color" aka strawberry blonde. I ended up paying, tipping and leaving, hoping the lighting in the salon was terrible. I realized after the fact that she had toned my hair with red toner to hide the fact that my highlights had bled.
I took some pics to send my mom and my friends and they advised me I needed to get it fixed or get a refund. I'd worked at luxury salons for years so I knew what I was looking for. I called several times without an answer (another issue: I had to call three times because anyone would answer to book my appt.) and finally decided to email, which in turn got me an immediate phone call.
Long story short, they did try to get me to come back by offering to redo it, however Liz informed me that she "wasn't focusing" on my hair and wanted to take another stab at it. I bluntly told her no and asked for the manager, who then informed me they couldn't get anyone to fix my hair. I got a refund for my service and my tip.
Needless to say it's ridiculous that a stylist/colorist would not be focused on their client's hair -- hair is something that requires precision and care.
Muse needs to get it together regarding their front desk, their technique and their customer service skills.
See the photos on my blog. http://www.kirbiegoestohollywood.com/2010/12/i-wasnt-totally-focused.html read more