This was my first time ever coloring my hair, so I relied heavily on the stylist's professional recommendation and expertise. I came in wanting brighter blonde with more lift and dimension, but was advised (color by Karol) to do balayage instead of traditional highlights. Unfortunately, the end result was extremely warm and the brightness sat far too low, with little brightness near the root or around the face frame -- not at all the look I had communicated I wanted, or the look I showed through inspiration pictures.
What's especially frustrating is that I voiced concerns DURING the appointment. While my hair was being foiled and while it was being cut, I mentioned that it did not seem like enough brightness or placement to achieve the result I wanted. Looking back, it also made very little sense that the haircut was completed after the balayage placement, because additional length removed would have essentially cut off much if not all of the color that had just been added (cut with Raquel).
After the appointment, I immediately sent extensive messages expressing my concerns and asking for help correcting the issue. Instead of feeling heard or supported, I felt the responsibility was turned back on me, despite trusting the stylist's recommendation as someone with no prior hair coloring experience.
What also left a bad impression was how strongly I was pushed to come back into the salon for another appointment rather than having any meaningful conversation about resolution over the phone. It felt less like they wanted to genuinely address the issue and more like they wanted me back in the chair where I would feel pressured to simply agree to whatever "fix" and charges were presented to me. Which is essentially what ended up happening.
To make matters worse, I was ultimately required to pay FULL PRICE AGAIN to fix a mistake that was not mine. Neither the stylist nor the salon owner were willing to meaningfully negotiate or work toward a fair resolution, and I was charged full price for both appointments. In the span of two weeks and the entirety of two Saturdays, I spent a total of $585 FOR HIGHLIGHTS trying to achieve a result that should have been done correctly the first time.
I understand hair services can vary, but professionalism also includes accountability and customer service when expectations clearly are not met. Sadly, this experience left me feeling dismissed, frustrated, and unsupported as a first-time color client. read more
