For reference, I have thick, fine 4A-3C type hair and asked for a flat iron / wash / cut Front desk people and academic advisors were kind and professional, and I asked if they were able to do 4 type hair. She answered yes enthusiastically. I get there at my appointment, my stylist was going to dry cut my hair (4 type) without washing or styling first, which isn't what you would do with 4 type curls. During the wash, she did not use specific shampoos/conditioners according to my hair or scalp health, she just saw my hair was coily and used a "thermal helper" shampoo, and she didn't even wash my scalp. I ran a finger over it after it was wet with left a residue of gunk. Scalp was still dirty! She attempted to blow dry my hair, which took 2 hours and 40 minutes just to look like my hair was air dried. I was furious. She then asked a second stylist to help straighten my hair and the final result was MY AT HOME blow dried look. Her boss cut my hair and i was charged almost 40 dollars. The next day, complete fuzzball. My hair reverted within a day and it's an itchy mess. Furious. You would think students learn to do HAIR, not just straight hair! Felt like such a laughing stock read more

Went in for a mani/pedi. I know it's a school, but all I needed was a cuticle clean up and regular polish. Student immediately started with drill around my nail beds. After I requested she not use the drill her performance quickly went down hill. My feet were wet, dried, and polished. My hands were sprayed with a mist of hand sanitizer and polished. Dhe emptied the footpath and started putting things away without washing or sanitation, including drill bit and nail file. I was so eager to get out of there, I smudged my nails. read more

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The students do a good job only when they are available. Most of the time they will set up the appointment, but when you show up they will tell you they cannot serve you because the students are not available. They don't even have the courtesy to call you that they need to cancel the appointment. When you complain, expect to hear lies that you are not nice to them. There is a lot of scope for improvement, but the management is not even ready to listen to you. The business is going because their rates are cheaper but I do not know how long they will survive with this approach. If I could give them a zero or even a negative grading, I would. read more

This business is very unprofessional and the administration is quite unkind. Questionable labor practices. The room where they do nails is hot as hell and seems to have little to no ventilation. read more

A waste of money and time as a student and customer. The administration and customer service is lacking.

Went to PA this afternoon and received a STELLAR gel manicure from Chelsea! I said all I want is some hot pink but otherwise she can decide what to paint. She did these super fun cheetah nails I would never have picked them out on my own but I LOVE the look! So glad I had her call the shots. read more

Protege Academy - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

Definitely use the Groupon they have if you plan to try this place. It's very cheap for a haircut, conditioning and styling. The student who worked on my hair did an amazing job. She conditioned it and styled it. She also had a great personality so we had great conversations. One of the teachers cut my hair and I just asked for a frame but it wasn't the best haircut. It was underwhelming. I'm not sure if it's because she was busy monitoring other students, however, this is the only reason I gave this place a 4 instead of the 5. The student's work and service was definitely a 5. read more

Protege Academy - Cosmetology Schools Near Me - East Lansing, Michigan

I had a great experience here! Gracie was amazing! Very sweet girl! She looks the part. Very bubbly and friendly!! Everyone was so welcoming!! My hair turned out great!! Check them out! read more

Everytime I have a event to attend Protege is my go to place. Kayla does an AWESOME! Job on my hair. Always there when I need my hair done. No more travelling to Detroit, I can stay local. Totally recommend. I take my mom with they accommodate us at the same time so convenient. Gloria Montano read more

Go here if you don't care at all about what happens to your hair. I have gone to many other cosmetology schools and had amazing experiences but here the energy is different. Not friendly, not personable at all. It is more about getting as many customers as possible and less about creating real life learning experiences for the students. When I got my hair done here, the instructor barely came by to check and it took 6 hours.... I ended up with thick blonde zebra stripes instead of highlights. I'll never forget it read more

i have been refraining from saying anything about my situation with protege academy until my friends were no longer current students. but now that they have graduated, i would like to speak my truth. NOT to take away clients from this business, but to further prevent any other students, who are just trying to better themselves and their future, from going through some of the things that myself and other students have encountered there. i began attending protege academy in june 2019, signed a contract to be finished in may 2020. i eventually switched to part time and my graduation date changed to june 2020 with my absolute max graduation date being the middle of july 2020. obviously with covid, that date had been pushed back to oct-nov 2020. my lease in mount pleasant was ending at the end of july but i had not been receiving my unemployment so i had no money to sign another lease and did not want to have to stay in mount pleasant for a whole extra year just because graduation was postponed by a few months. i'd hoped that with everything going on and the leniency with things such as car insurance and home mortgages, the owners of the school would sympathize with my situation and help me out. they did not. i was told i would have to pay the remaining balance of my contract before they would release my transcripts to me so i could transfer. yes, i knew this was in the contract and i had full intentions of completing my training at protege despite how unhappy i was there. but like i said, i was absolutely without a doubt meant to be done weeks before my lease was up, had the school not closed due to covid. covid is not anyone's fault, but as the people with the upper hand in the situation they had the opportunity to choose compassion and they did not. instead, i was told to "buy a house or rent a hotel room in mount pleasant" for the remainder of my program. with my hands tied, i began seeking other options as i could not afford to continue living on my own near the school or to pay off protege for credit of the work i've put in. my family is in grand rapids, so i had no choice but to move home. i went on a leave of absence, which i was also given a hard time about, until i emphasized that i was in fact homeless. a few weeks later, i received an email from the owner of the school notifying me that i had been dropped from the program (normally you have to request to be dropped or break a rule, neither of which i did) and if i wished to continue i would have to write them a statement saying that i wished to continue and they would decide from there if i could. i was then put in a bind as to continuing school without a transcript, thankfully douglas j aveda was much more flexible with me and my ongoing situation. they allowed me into their program with a copy of my hours from the state. but without a transcript they know nothing about my cosmetology journey besides my hour count. so even though i'd clocked upwards of around 1250 hours, they could only accept 800 hours putting me back at the halfway mark. i am thankful that they found a way to make it work for me without starting over, but due to protege not working with their students in a global pandemic (even though many, many, MANY other rules and contracts were bent in favor of other students) i will now clock around 2000 hours for a 1500 hour program. again, i do not post this hoping to draw clients away as the students there still need practice and people willing. but i post this, hoping that even one student considering this school will choose otherwise. in many situations, myself and other students have felt that we are seen as nothing but dollar signs and free labor. a school is not a business, it is somewhere where you are meant to train, teach, and grow with your students. my passion for hair is bigger than the amount of hours that i have completed and have yet to complete, which is why i will keep going. but my passion was dimmed at protege as i felt there was no one there that truly cared about my education or my forthcoming career. please reconsider if you are thinking about starting your career at this institution. read more

Erica S did a great job with my hair, cut it exactly how I like it and styled it perfectly. Also kept conversation lively and made the experience very comfortable and fun, would definitely recommend and go again. read more

I attend protege, and i'm so glad i choose this school. Everyday when i walk in i get reminded of all the amazing and talented girls i work with. you get a great education for the tuition and learn so much. read more

I got a mani pedi done. While it was significantly discounted, you can think of it as having a friend paint your nails. My toes came out fine, but they don't really buff your feet so it didn't really look like I even got a pedicure. My nails were worse than if I had just painted them myself, which is what I did when I got home. The girls working there are nice and it is a learning experience, so if you're willing to let them practice on you then this is the place. I am hesitant to come back if I don't have the time to tidy up or redo my nails. read more

Worst haircut experience of my life. I understand that they're students and they're learning, but I was there for an HOUR AND A HALF just for a simple trim and my hair still wasn't even dry. I was hoping to get more done, but after sitting there for so long I just wanted to stick to the basic trim and get out of there. They offered to fix it or have me come in another day which was nice, but then did some half ass layers, didn't re-style at all so they didn't look good and I still wasn't happy, and then they told me to style it myself at home and come back another day. Why should I have to go home to style it when that was their job in the rust place? Will NOT be wasting anymore time coming back. Ridiculous. read more

This is a horrible school. Very insensitive owners and workers. They are a business first and only looking to make money and don't care about their students' learning or the students' well being. This place is owned by a husband and wife team and their son is the financial aid director. Due to covid many students are struggling to finish school and they will not let the students out of their contracts. The owner himself told me today that their are other options such as buying a house there or stay at a hotel or motel until the students are finished with school. Covid is nobody's fault but they are so worried about making money and staying afloat they are willing to drive their students to debt, and the ground so they can get their money. Instructors are rude and immature as well. They care about money not whether you learn or grow. I would not recommend this place ever. read more

I am a current student at Protege Academy and I am so thankful that I chose this cosmetology school. I researched all of my options in the mid-Michigan area and decided on Protege Academy because they seemed to be genuinely interested in having me as a student. They were very thorough in answering all of my questions and always made time to speak with me and that has not changed at all since I have become one of their students. I cannot say enough about the instructors, they are amazing. They all truly want to see each and every student to excel. They are excited to share their knowledge of cosmetology to each and every student. The students that graduate from this school are very knowledgeable, up to date on all the current styles and trends, and are polished and ready to work in a salon. There is a healthy atmosphere there between the owners, instructors and students combined and I feel like I am part of the Protege Academy family rather than at school. The clients that come in are wonderful and I enjoy seeing them each time they come back in for services. Protege Academy's campus feels like you're in a hip, trendy salon rather than at school. Not only are the facilities up to date and trendy, but the education that is offered is unheard of. The owners want all students to have every opportunity to explore the cosmetology world and see what doors are open to them and so they offer all students and graduates the opportunity to study at the TIGI Academy in New York and Milan, Italy each year. They don't have to do that, and that truly shows the dedication and commitment that they have to their students and graduates by showing them what opportunities are available to them with a career in cosmetology. I went to the TIGI Academy in New York and learned more than I ever imagined I would. I also made some new friends there! The training I received and the entire experience was priceless and I am so thankful I had this opportunity. If you're looking into cosmetology, I strongly encourage you to visit this school and see for yourself. You won't be disappointed. This school is amazing! read more

Clean salon with nice services. It's much more laid back than the Douglas J Institute in "downtown" EL area. Plus, parking is not a hassle. It's also not as fancy as Douglas J, but the students are faster and more efficient in my opinion. Protege is a good option if you are on a tight budget. read more

More than once, we've gone and the stylist wouldn't, or couldn't, do what we wanted. Today, I had to hold my daughter's hair and show her how to do it. Unacceptable. From now on we'll stick to going to the professionals only. read more

I have been to Protege Academy a number of times for pedicures. Every student has been professional and dedicated to a job well done. The students are supervised by teaching staff. I have always been greeted by an enthusiastic, smiling student. Cleanliness is extremely important to me and this school is immaculate!! I drive from Concord because I love everything about Protege Academy. I will continue to do so and I highly recommend others do so too. read more

They have given me highlights and trimmed my hair, facial and mani pedi. I loved the facial! Highlights and hair trim was great. The mani pedi not too good. Way too long not much different then if I did it myself read more

I go here every week. The prices are great and Davita is the best! She can do any style you like. She also does the absolute best wash. Go see Davita! read more

I love Protege. I go there all the time for hair cuts for my whole family. I also get my eye brows faxed on occasion there. I have no complaints for them. The students do a wonderful job, you dont wait long for your appointments or walk ins, and its always a happy friendly environment. Definitely recommend. read more

Protege is a hit or miss. Find a stylist you like and stick w her. Ask for her specifically when you book and pay attention to what other stylists are doing in case your stylist is not available next time. They do cater to almost exclusively stereotypical Caucasian clientele. Straight "coarse" ("Asian") or textured "coarse" hair ( multi racial/ Samoan/ Puerto Rican/ "African") they usually but not always have a hard time accommodating. But they will always book you even if there is no one available who can actually do your hair. If you have loose, fluffy bunny rabbit hair, that is their specialty. Otherwise chances are you will wait forever or possibly your stylist will leave w/o finishing your hair ( this has happened to me twice) read more

I had upgraded to a gel manicure and while my student was nice and helpful, the manicure that was supposed to last 3 weeks didn't even make it 5 days. I'm a little disappointed to have paid for the upgrade only for it to not last. read more

With the help of Groupon, I've jumped around to a lot of different salons in the Lansing area, but I'm finally settling down with this one. I have long, thick, dark hair, and I love the attention the students here give me, whereas other places usually try to rush through my hair because I just have so much of it and it takes a lot of work. I've gotten haircuts, perms, deep conditioning treatments, and mani pedis here. The services often take longer than what one'd be used to (just because they're students), but there's great attention to detail and they really try to get it right and to make the customer happy. As a student, I also love the prices. I can finally experiment with different treatments and not worry about burning a hole through wallet! read more

I made an appointment for 4pm to get my hair cut colored and highlights. Sat there until 430. No one acknowledge me at all. Once I got back there they were more worried about taking a before picture. It took the student 5 hours to do my hair!!!!! When she was washing the color out of my hair she had water going down my back. Once the cut started she kept asking the instructor where she was supposed to cut my hair!!!! I finally asked the instructor to cut my hair before the student messed it up. 5 hours later I didn't get the cut I wanted and was out $70!!!! I do not recommend going there ever!!!!!!- read more

This review isn't about a service I had done there but rather about the sheer unprofessionalism of the people who run it. So here's what happened. I was hired in the middle of May. I was given a set of hours upon my getting hired. I DID NOT pick these hours. I would only be able to work part time until June (they knew this when they hired me). The only day I requested to have off was every other Saturday to spend with my kid to which I was told "oh yea, that's totally no problem at all". Everything is going great. No one has complained about my ability to do the jobs that are asked of me or told me I had done something wrong. I get along well with the ladies who attend school there and a majority of the other people who work there. And not a single person asks me about my availability, if I could work more hours OR if I would be flexible to change the schedule already set into place. Then, at 6:30 in the morning, just 4 weeks after starting my job there (passing up other opportunities to work during the summer months because I thought I had found a good match for myself) I get a text message (a FUCKING TEXT MESSAGE) telling me that my availability wasn't enough, they were looking to the future and planning to relocate, blah blah blah AND that it was required to all new hires to work every single Saturday! This was never brought to my attention until this point and why wasn't I told this when I had originally asked for every other Saturday off? I asked the asshat who text me to have someone call. I gave it a weekend before I myself called. My calls went unanswered (they have caller ID) I asked others who I had befriended to ask someone there to call me and I still have heard nothing. At this point, it was just a job. A job I was relying on but still not something I had intended to do for the rest of my life and I have moved on. I could go on about all the other extremely unprofessional and uncomfortable shit that goes on there once clients leave but I won't. I will say this though, finding out the chick they replaced me with quit after 2 weeks via text message was genuinely satisfying to say the least. If you plan on getting your hair done there, do it. Most of the ladies that attend school there are great. But if you're considering working there, I'd take a look somewhere else. They will NEVER value your work ethic and throw you out the door without warning. You are there to fill a spot until something better comes along. read more