As someone who has never done anything with their hair and had what they call "virgin hair", I was a little skeptical of change. I researched a whole bunch of reviews on different hair salons all over Calgary and that's when I came across RedBloom. The majority of reviews for all 3 of their locations seemed to be pretty good and customers seemed to be happy with the results, so after checking out their Instagram account and checking out some stuff on their website, I decided I would stop by at all 3 locations in hopes of having a few different consultations. I stopped at RedBloom Downtown first. Parking down there on 11th Ave. is a little difficult, but the area itself is really open and bright and a perfect place for a salon. My friend and I walked in and were greeted by one of the girls working at guest services who was not super friendly, but rather just straight to the point. I showed her some pictures of what I had in mind (still not 100% sure) from my phone and she seemed to know what I was talking about, so that was refreshing. She reminded me that RedBloom has different levels of hair stylists and that each one usually varies in price depending on what level of hair stylist you get (as well as length, style, ect.) and then asked me which level I preferred to have which I really appreciated. Being someone who needs a lot of reassurance when it comes to big changes like my hair, I told her the price did not matter as long as I have someone who likes to do what I had in mind (which I later learned was called Balayage or Hair Painting), and who was of course good at it. Promptly, my 15 minute consultation was booked with Justine, one of their intermediate hair stylists. Before you meet with your hair stylist, you're asked if you would like anything to drink and you are taken to a waiting area. The entire salon is amazing inside and has this awesome modern look to it, and it is also very open and bright which is nice. Not long after, I met with Justine who looked at some pictures from my phone as well and gave me her opinion as to what she wanted to do and how much she thought I should get trimmed in order to achieve my intended style as best as possible. After discussing what she would do to me on my next visit, she ended up giving me a quote and breaking down the prices for me so when I came back there would not be any surprises. This was greatly appreciated, and since I happened to stop in on one of their slower days, she even did a fishtail braid for me as well and sent me on my way.
I came back yesterday for my actual appointment and was greeted again by the same girl at the front desk who was even ruder this time and actually made things kind of uncomfortable. Thankfully she only works at the front desk because I would not feel excited if she was my hair dresser. I get that we all have bad days sometimes, but she also was not that nice on my previous visit. She asked me if I needed to put a coat away or anything (which I did not) and I was then lead to one of their dressing rooms where I was told to change into a robe to prevent anything from getting on my actual clothes. Again this time I was asked if I would like anything to drink as to which I said I was fine. I did not have to wait at all because Justine was all ready. I showed her one more picture I found from her Instagram and she once more went over what the plan was for my hair and confirmed with me that it sounded good to me. The entire appointment was altogether around 3 hours. Justine has an awesome vibe to her and is very confident about what she is doing which is nice to see. She looks really focused, but she was also able to talk to me normally while she "painted my hair" so it was easygoing and relaxing. A few times she commented as to how excited she was and that "it was going to look beautiful" which of course made me super excited as well! In the end, my hair turned out to be a gorgeous balayage style, one I would have never thought I could pull off, but all I got were compliments from other hair stylists and I couldn't have been happier! Justine also seemed really proud of her work so I was happy for her as well. I then asked her if she recommended any products for my hair to take home and she wasn't pushy (BIG PLUS!), she just said "if anything, try this", so I ended up taking her word for it and buying the product. When I went to pay, there was another girl working at the counter who was SO sweet and genuine and just kept going on about how amazing my hair looked which so great to hear after such a big change (and a 3 hour appointment!). The price including the product was $212 and it was so worth it. After I payed, Justine and I took some photos of my hair (sides and back) outside for her Instagram and I of course thanked her a million times. The style I got today only needs to be touched up about every 4 months and I will 100% be back! RedBloom has been amazing and I'm so glad I tried it! Definitely recommend! :) read more