I went to Uzuri Braids for the first time this past Saturday, February 21, 2015, to get mid-back length Senegalese twists. I love my hair!! I had a wonderful experience, and would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to get braids. I'm going to break this review down into four parts: Services, Pricing, Atmosphere, and Customer Service.
(1) SERVICE: I was really pleased by how easy it was to make an appointment to get my hair braided. I called on a Thursday afternoon, and was able to schedule an appointment for 8AM 2 days later. My stylist did an excellent job, and really took time to make sure that my hair looked how I wanted it to. I was a little anxious simply because this was my first time going to this salon and working with this stylist (Moriah). Also, my natural hair is kind of long. It's about bra strap length, and I was worried that it would take forever to get done, and that my stylist would complain about the length. And worse of all, I was worried that my braids would end up feeling really heavy with the combination of my hair and the synthetic hair. I worried for nothing. My hair looks and feels amazing, and the whole process took between 5 and 6 hours.
My stylist was not heavy-handed and I was surprised that my head wasn't hurting during the braiding process. In the past, when I've gotten extension braids, they were tight and my head was in pain for a few days. I used to think that this was normal and unavoidable. But my head does not hurt at all this time. Yes, there were some sections of my head that felt sensitive when I was getting the braids done, but I think that's normal. When my hair was finished, I did not feel in pain at all. And I just can't get over how lightweight the hair feels, even though it's mid-back length.
(2) PRICING: The shop has a menu of their services and prices. The price that I was quoted on the phone was the exact same at the store, $250 for mid-back length Senegalese twists. I received a $15 discount, since it was my first time there, so I ended up paying $235, not including the tip for my stylist.
(3) ATMOSPHERE: The salon is very clean and inviting. There are lots of nice pictures hung up high on the walls that showcase hairstyles the stylists have done on clients. There are a few couches to sit on, and they happened to be selling Girl Scout Cookies on a cute display table, as well as some Afro-centric jewelry, and of course, natural hair products were on display. There are several stylist stations and the whole place seemed very well organized, which was nice. There wasn't a lot of hair on the floor and it wasn't cramped. Uzuri is a family run business and it definitely has a warm family feeling when you are there. Almost all of the other clients that came in while I was there were regulars who seemed very comfortable with their stylists, and generally happy to be there.
(4) CUSTOMER SERVICE: When I got there, a woman sitting at the receptionist desk greeted me. She confirmed my appointment and directed me to my stylist. Even though I was a few minutes late, no one made me feel bad about it. My stylist was polite and showed me where I could hang up my coat. The other stylists were already working on clients, and everyone was having casual conversation. Even though it was my first time going to Uzuri, the other stylists and customers made me feel included in the conversation. Between the great conversation and the great music that was playing in the background, the time it took to get these super long braids just flew by. Everyone was really nice. One stylist even got me some tea to drink when I made an off-hand remark that I hadn't had any coffee that morning and wanted something warm to drink. She did not have to do that for me at all. It was a nice gesture.
All in all, I would recommend Uzuri to anyone looking to get some Senegalese twists done. I'm hoping to keep this style in for at least 6 weeks, so I will update this review if I have any issues with my the braids. read more