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| - Both Monica and Joanne do amazing work. Joanne has been doing my aunt's hair for decades, in a range of different styles, and my aunt always looks incredible. Joanne was booked when I needed an appointment while visiting from California, so I went to Monica, who does Joanne's hair, which also looked absolutely knockout.
I was thrilled with my cut as well as the color, which had gotten badly screwed up by other stylists. They showed me color samples and consulted with someone who is apparently a color specialist (Lisa?), and absolutely nailed it better than I could have ever even described. They knew what I was after better than I did - and how to do it right. And Monica is just a doll.
Monica and Joanne are definitely 5 star material, unquestionably.
I was also amazed by the prices - *so* much less than I'm used to paying in San Francisco for both services and products.
There are several reasons I'm only giving the salon itself four stars, though.
First, the place is unbearably loud, with pounding house rock music at full blast, creating a din like I've never experienced in any other salon, because it's so loud that everyone has to shout over it - which of course makes the noise all the worse.
They also have a lot of stylists in one room, but they do not have a good enough ventilation system, so all the sprays and other chemicals in the air gave me an asthma attack quickly, which has never happened to me like that at any other good salon.
It would be a really fun space and scene if they just toned the music down some and had better air handling.
They do have a currently unused downstairs space which was blissfully quiet and odor free, but very dark. It was a lot better than sitting upstairs among all the chemicals, though, and I was OK with the darkness because we sorted out the color upstairs by the window. It would have been much more fun to be upstairs, though, because let's face it, part of the fun of a hip salon *is* being around all the other people, but my breathing comes first.
The place is also kind of a factory, and I felt kind of "processed" through - friendly, but kind of impersonal, slick and packaged, as others have mentioned. And they have their absolutely set policies, by God, which apparently neither man nor anyone else can alter. I was offered the formula for the color while I was there because I don't live there, but knew I'd lose it at that time, so I was told I could just call and get it any time.
I just did call - and they flat out refused to give it to me, saying "that's just our policy". The girl wouldn't even put the manager on the line as I requested, so I doubt he even remembered who I am, if she even mentioned my name at all.
So now I have to have my salon here make a long distance call - such an unnecessary waste of time, and a big disappointment to have them reverse what the stylist had told me and refuse to do what had already been offered to me. And I really hate to ask other people to spend money on long distance calls when it can be avoided. At least they'll give the formula to the salon, but still...
I also seriously dislike their products, which they do indeed push hard, to the point of having standard forms for filling out their recommendations. Most good salons I've gone to do have lines they sell, and I think that part of being at a good salon *is* being able to get good products there (and it's *way* more convenient), but I've never seen them *so* pushed like that. They also smell terrible.
Monica was very gracious and did not insist on anything, but it just seems weird that they pile you up with all kinds of recommendations like that without even having asked for them.
I needed products badly at that point, though, and they give a great discount for first time customers, plus they were also much less expensive than I'm used to spending even without the discount, so I gave them a try.
Everyone's hair is different, so they may be good for others, but they leave my hair harsh-feeling and limp compared to what I'm used to. They are just simply not up to the quality standards I'm used to with products like the Unite and Label M lines, though - just not even in the same league.
They did offer to let me return the products, but I thought that maybe it would be better with some more use, and again, I'd run out of what I had brought with me so I still needed *something* at that point and didn't have the time or energy to run all over town looking for what I wanted, so I did keep them.
Finally, I found out later that evening that my aunt had actually called and paid for my haircut before I ever got there as a gift, but they charged me for it anyways, and then there was a big mess trying to get it straightened out.
I'll definitely go back when I'm in town if I need a haircut because the work itself was just so good, but I'll take my own styling products, take my preventative asthma meds in advance - and wear earplugs.
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