"3"^^ . "3"^^ . "2"^^ . "1"^^ . . . . "The Aveda Institute offers their services at a cheaper price in some cities and since I was able to get a better deal here in Charlotte than in NYC so I went ahead to schedule a facial here.\n\nThe Institute is located in a nice building and wasn't as crowded as what I've experienced in NYC. I guess that's the beauty of a smaller town / the suburbs. \n\nSame routine: Before you start your facial, the esthetician will ask you to choose the an oil of the 3 that you prefer... I always go for the tangerine scent. Frankly I'm not a huge fan of scented oils but that tangerine scent takes my breath away (at time I do the eucalyptus too).\n\nThen the facial begins. Overall a decent facial with Aveda products. Thing is as these are students (about to graduate from the Institute) and this place offers them real-life experience prior to starting their official career. Some things to note here:\n1) They offer a good basic facial, however if you are looking for extraction, these students may not be experts in this and may not necessarily do a clean thorough job for you. Once, a student mistook my tiny mole to be a clogged pore and proceeded to \"extract\" that, leaving me slightly scarred. Ouch.\n\n2) Since the students are not necessarily professionals, at times they will bring in their instructor for a second opinion. So it becomes a tedious process if you are one who just likes to relax and put yourself in the trust of your esthetician instead of engaging in interactive conversations\n\n3) You ALWAYS have to fill up a form prior to the start of your appointment. Erm, store the info in a database so it can be pulled up automatically in future perhaps? OK maybe the cost of maintaining the d-base may not justify this but I'm sure there has to be some sort of ROI and profit for Aveda despite the low prices.\n\nNevertheless, most students aim to please and they try to give you an overall pleasant experience. I think they may be judged too. They try very hard. However, I've since left for greener pastures."^^ . "2009-01-12T00:00:00"^^ .