| rev:text
| - It's hard to know how to rate the Academy of Beauty Professionals (ABP?). If it were a full service salon I would have given it one star for sure. But these are students, right? I can't hold them to the highest standards.
Let me start by saying that this is the same location that has previously housed Empire and Martin's, both of which I've used at various times. In comparison, ABP is reeeaaally bare bones. You check in at a desk so small that the appointment book hangs off the edge. The product shelves are about 75% empty. The client chairs are not actually salon chairs but space-age looking desk chairs. Gone are the cabinets holding students' supplies; in their place are plywood shelves and tin cans on wheels. Several areas are bare plywood - not sure if they're waiting for installation or for demolition, but the effect is the same.
The Good:
- The price: $12 for a haircut and style. This is why we come here, after all.
- I got a great haircut. Yay! My long hair became much-neater, medium length hair, and I've received several complements in the weeks since.
- The student was ready for me within five minutes of my appointment time. (The previous school, Empire, apparently didn't cover promptness and students were often 15-20 minutes late.)
- The student made absolutely sure that she knew what I wanted, including showing me pictures and conferring with her instructor.
- She did a good job washing my hair - gentle, right temperature water, thorough.
- It only took an hour and a half. If that sounds like a crazy long time, let me explain that the last time I was here with long hair it took two and a half hours for a TRIM. That was when it was Empire.
The Bad:
- The chairs are SO uncomfortable. Desk chairs are indeed adjustable - but they are adjusted so the student can reach my head, not so that I can sit comfortably. Desk chairs are made for sitting at a desk, not for perching with my feet off the floor. There was no foot rest. It was pretty much impossible to sit up straight, hard to cross my legs, and painful to lean back and "relax."
- The, ah, bedside manner of both student and instructor were lacking. The student did not utter a single word beyond necessary instructions, and the instructor mostly barked while she pushed my head around.
- While there were only a couple of other customers, the place was packed with students having what amounted to a slumber party, doing each other's hair and nails and gossiping - and not always on topics appropriate for the public.
- The music sounded like it came from Z104. I know, it's a matter of taste and some people will consider that a positive. But hey, it's my review.
- When I was done I had hair EVERYWHERE, and not just those tiny little bits that are so hard to control. There were whole hunks down my shirt, as if she snipped and dropped the whole mess right down my collar. Several times. There was even hair on the front of my neck, like three days' worth of stubble. I found a line of hair across the seat of my car, and my shower floor that night was downright fuzzy. Why did we bother with the cape again?
- The "style" was minimal and I left with wet hair. In January.
So, ultimately, 3 stars because I got a good cut for a good price. If you don't mind a little discomfort or inconvenience, this is a great bargain. It's better quality than Cost Cutters and the like. If you're used to fancy salons and expect comfort and professionalism along with your quality haircut, don't bother.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)