I had a fantastic experience at the Aveda Institute Madison. I arrived a few minutes early. After I checked in, I was offered a choice of coffee, tea or water while I waited. The facility is clean and organized. My appointment was on the weekend right before the holidays. It was busy but did not seem chaotic.
Pasia was my colorist and stylist and Stacy was the instructor. Before we got started, we all talked about what I wanted to do with my hair (trim, side swept bangs and going lighter with my highlights) and how I typically style it (just brushing and blow drying). Pasia and Stacy had great suggestions - balayage and lighter colors that would work for my hair and suit my skin tone. They discussed the process and bounced ideas off each other. They were both friendly, upbeat, knowledgeable and professional.
As Pasia cut and colored my hair, Stacy would periodically stop by to check on the progress. While waiting for the highlights to develop, Pasia gave me a relaxing hand massage. And when it was time to shampoo, she gave me a much needed scalp massage. She finished with a beautiful blow dry and style and suggested some products that are compatible with my hair. The instructor came back to do a final check and made just a few tiny tweaks to the cut.
Just to note, I have very long and thick black hair and the appointment took about three hours. The color came out great and the cut was exactly what I wanted. I will definitely be back!