I've gone to a couple of salons here and there, but never consistently. I have pretty simple hair - it's fairly straight and long, and I don't usually go to salons to get anything other than a simple haircut.
Was in desperate need of a haircut and heard about Aveda from a friend, so I decided to check it out. I must have gotten lucky, because they had an opening right during my lunch break on the same day. Booked an appointment with an Institute student. I was led to an upstairs area, where they had a large open room with mirrors where patrons and students were at work - it was pretty crowded. The chairs are put at pretty close quarters - they don't have booths like other salons, so I was seated pretty close to the two other people around me. My student stylist would occasionally bring her instructor over for guidance (seated pretty close to us) so it's not like you're just let completely free with an inexperienced stylist.
You can definitely tell that there are a few rough edges - I'm not sure what they teach about small talk, but the conversations were definitely very forced. My hair appointment took about 1.5 hours, which is pretty long given the cut I was asking for. The stylist sitting next to me spent more than two hours obsessing over his lady's bangs - trimming them constantly until she was covered in a layer of hair. Definitely budget in extra time - this is not a place to go when you're in a rush.
Afterwards, I was subjected to 20 minutes of my stylist awkwardly trying to sell me Aveda products in the downstairs area - it was obvious that both of us were feeling very awkward.
The haircut itself was fantastic - exactly what I asked for, and for 28$ the price is unbeatable. Would definitely recommend!