I've had positive experiences at this salon before and even left a glowing review. But my most recent visit left me incredibly disappointed, not just because of the result but because of how the owner handled things once I tried to express my concerns.
I had been seeing Naomi for a while and was already at the level of blonde I wanted. This appointment was meant to be a simple root touch-up. Naomi is genuinely talented and has done beautiful work for me in the past, which is why I kept coming back. During this visit, she chose to only lighten the pieces near my face that hadn't been previously bleached, in an effort to protect the health of my hair. While I understand the intent, we were not on the same page. The result left me brassy and uneven, and I was almost in tears before I even left the salon. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, as I know she tried her best, and I felt bad that I wasn't happy with it. She wasn't acknowledging that there was any yellow or brassiness, and I felt like my disappointment may have been upsetting her, so I tried to stay positive and left.
That night, I tried to reach out to Naomi to see if there was any way she could fix it before an event I had the following day. After seeing my hair in daylight and getting confirmation from others at home that it looked yellow, I really hoped to have it corrected. When I called the salon, the owner answered. She offered me an appointment with her the next evening, and I initially agreed. But after reflecting on how I had been made to feel at the appointment, I realized I wasn't comfortable returning, especially since Naomi never responded to me personally. I texted the owner to let her know I would not be coming back.
I politely explained why I was unhappy and that I would be exploring other salons. The owner was somewhat cordial at first, saying to let her know if there was anything she could do to remedy the situation. But she was also defensive, telling me that the level of blonde I wanted was "impossible" because my natural hair color is dark. Reading that, especially knowing my hair had already been the exact shade I wanted, only confirmed that I was right to seek services elsewhere.
After finding another stylist who was able to achieve my desired result in one session, I took the owner up on her offer to let her know how she could help. I requested a partial refund to offset the cost of the correction, which she denied. The conversation quickly became defensive.
She also became dishonest. She accused me of pressuring Naomi for 30 minutes to lighten my hair further, which is completely untrue. I was extremely gentle with Naomi and never pressured her. The owner continued to downplay my concerns, emphasized legal liability, and claimed I was choosing an inspiration photo over the integrity of my hair.
Then the tone escalated. She brought up surveillance footage and said they had eyewitnesses, and warned that legal action could be taken if I left a defamatory review. I never threatened to leave a review as leverage. I simply asked for a fair resolution after a service that left me visibly upset and ultimately cost me double to fix. The repeated mention of cameras and legal consequences felt like an attempt to intimidate me into silence.
To be clear, this review is not about Naomi's talent. I honestly adore her as a person and still think she's a skilled stylist with a lot of potential. But I felt she made decisions without fully realizing how much I had been emphasizing over the past several months how important it was for me to avoid brassiness.
I won't be returning. I was a loyal client who left the salon in tears, tried to resolve things respectfully, and was met with blame, surveillance threats, and legal warnings. Clients deserve to be heard, not silenced. How a business responds to a dissatisfied customer says far more than any before-and-after photo ever could.
I have posted a photo of my hair after the appointment and a second photo of the correction by another stylist to show that what I wanted was not unrealistic. It was absolutely achievable read more