This is a very mixed review.
I purchased a groupon for a keratin smoother. They were offering two options: an express (lasting 4-6 weeks) and an intense (lasting up to 6 months) smoother.
I booked the intense smoother the day before my appointment and had still not purchased the groupon (I was clear on the phone when I was booking that I hadn't purchased it yet). When purchasing it, we accidentally bought the express one instead of the intense one and I didn't realize till I was on my way to the salon.
I had a hectic morning and was running late, but called to let them know and asked if I should still come in. The staff was very friendly and accommodating and told me not to worry.
When I showed up, I told the woman at the front desk that I had accidentally purchased the express smoother, so I'd be needing that one. She told me it was fine and brought me back to my stylist.
The stylist (whose name was Holly) was initially super friendly and sweet, but when she was shampooing my hair and mentioned something about the treatment lasting 6 months, I clarified that I had told the woman at the front that I had accidentally bought the express smoother and because it was all so last minute, groupon had not yet returned my call to change it to an intense smoother.
She left me with my hair in the sink and walked to the front, clearly upset. She came back after a few minutes and didn't say anything. I asked her if something was wrong and she told me that she'd be doing the intense smoother but only charging me for the express. That was very sweet, but I'm not sure why she did that and she did not explain anything.
Moving on to the treatment: this was my fourth smoother, so I am pretty familiar with the process and what it entails.
Hair is supposed to be flatironed pin straight, and all the way down to the root. Also, every other time I have had a smoother, they go over the entire head of hair several times. She went over once and left my roots and crown still a little curly. (I took photos leaving the salon) This was not a quality smoother and definitely not worth the $200+ value they list on the groupon.
It has now been 12 hours and my hair is very puffy and does not feel soft like it usually does after a smoother.
Fast forward to the haircut (which I paid extra for)- she did not ask me what kind of cut I wanted; I had to volunteer that information and told her that I want it completely flat all around, at one uniform length. I mentioned that I had done some research on thin hair and that there is a technique where the bottommost layer all around the head is cut a little shorter than the hair that lays over it. She told me she was familiar with the technique, then began cutting my hair, never asking what length I wanted. I asked her how much she was cutting off and her response was "well do you want me to cut off more?!".
She then cut the back of my head shorter than the front (?!) and trimmed at my face framing strands as well (?!), both things that I clearly articulated that I did NOT want her to do. I think "one length all around" is pretty self explanatory. She also did not do the shorter layer underneath that I asked her to do.
She then finished and as she was putting things away, saw me kind of playing with my hair and looking in the mirror and asked if something was wrong. I was obviously not at all happy, but I prefer avoiding confrontation so I just let it go.
The appointment ended when she just walked to the front. I assumed I was supposed to follow her and did so.
When I had to pay, I asked how I could tip and without looking away from the computer, she told me that I could either pay cash or put it on the card. I handed her some cash ($10) and told her she could put another ($10) on the card. Her response? "That's fine."
I do not expect a roaring "thank you" for a $20 tip, but some courtesy would be nice.
The entire appointment starting after she found out I had paid for the express smoother (still don't understand why she didn't just do that one) was awkward and unpleasant, and honestly, I feel, a complete waste of my time and money.
Either way, the bottom line here seems to be that it's better not to buy groupons for this salon because my experience so starkly contrasts other reviews I have read about the place that this is my only logical conclusion.
Also, the whole point of groupon is that you get a serious cut in the price, without sacrificing the value of what you are purchasing. That is clearly not the case here. read more