Envy Salon

I saw Becky last week at her new location, Envy Salon, and I couldn’t be more excited about this new location — I love historic Ellicott City and Envy fits right in. The salon is in an historical row home, and is a very charming and cozy place, yet it is also classy and upscale. Upon entering, I was immediately welcomed into a warm, delightful room. As others have mentioned, the shampoo room has a huge window offering lots of natural light and an awesome view (even in the dead of winter) — and of course they have Becky! She was able to match my color perfectly. I started seeing Becky about 16(?) years ago after I asked a friend who did her hair, so I was not surprised, but definitely pleased.
Parking is free and ample in the giant lot nearby (the one I always use in Ellicott City).
Of note, I finally convinced my husband to see Becky about a year ago and when his mom saw him, she said his hair looked the best she’d ever seen it (and she isn’t one to dole out empty compliments).

I highly recommend Jen at Envy Salon! She always knows exactly what to do to make my hair look fantastic. She’s detail oriented and truly wants to make sure I’m happy with my hair color and style. I enjoy the historic feel at Envy and the shampoo room has a beautiful view of the woods.

Great location, Maria did an awesome job on my hair (color and highlights), head massage during shampoo was great, and young lady at reception desk was very friendly. Warm and inviting atmosphere in an awesome historical house.

Fun location, cute place, fancy fireplace, and Jen is fucking awesome. My friend (who has an adorable pixie haircut and has been seeing Jen for years) recommended her and I’m so happy she did! Jen gave me some sweet bangs and taught me how to style my hair correctly.
Spend your afternoon getting your hairs did and then treat yourself to some chocolate goodness from Sweet Cascades down the street.

I have been going to Envy for the past 5 – 6 years and have but nothing but pleased with the results. I will admit though, that I’m not terribly picky regarding my haircuts and have never gone in expecting a complex style. I’ve had Maria cut, color, and highlight my hair over the years and she has always done a beautiful job. If it weren’t so costly to get my hair colored/​highlighted/​cut, I would go more frequently! Alas, that’s typical among salons in this area. not much I can do about that. The staff has always been friendly and inviting when I am waiting to be seen. I’ll definitely continue to go back for haircuts!

I came over to Envy because they are a Bumble and Bumble salon, and my last salon just felt really pretentious. I’ve been seeing Maria for the past few years for my haircuts, and I just can’t trust anyone else. She always makes me feel comfortable and has amazing customer service. She actually remembers me and what’s going on in my life. Even better, she’s a fantastic hairstylist. I just moved to Boston, but I’m back in Maryland enough that I’ll probably just keep going back to Envy.
A few tips: Wear flats to navigate the stairs. They are VERY steep and curl tightly. You can charge your service to a card, but tips are cash or checks only.

I found Envy through Unilocal,and chose it based on what men had said. After years in the military, and wanting something other than an extremely short haircut, I found myself wanting to show some of my hair’s natural character with something a little longer. Obviously the chop-​shops in shopping centers cannot be trusted to do so while also making it professional, sexy, and manageable.
I just had my second haircut at Envy yesterday, and this time had Leeza, who is apparently also the manager. Just as I had removed my coat and sat down with my red wine, I was whisked up to have my hair shampooed. I enjoy the shampoo room, as it has a nice view up the wooded hillside through a large window. Leeza came in and asked what I wanted, and I explained rather simply that I was open to anything, but that many girls had been imploring me to grow out my hair a little and let the waves show. After a bit more detail, she went to prepare while another girl did the shampoo.
Once in the cutting chair, Leeza was very communicative and responsive to my goals for my new style, and she recommended some things we could try. She was gentle, skilled, and friendly, but also unafraid of giving me the guidance I wanted or asking for clarifications. The experience itself was really nice, and in the end, I walked out with a haircut I enjoy and a new hair product that makes it a lot easier for me to make myself look good in the morning.

I hadn’t been letting anyone cut my hair for years after a few short bang instances. But, I my mom had her hair cut at Envy Salon and suggested that I try them out. I finally went and ended up being really happy with the whole experience. I had an appt with Jen and told her my horror stories from other salons. She seemed to understand and I was pleased to have a more professional version of what I had been giving myself. The next time I went I asked her what she thought I should do, and she suggest side swept bangs and a little layering to my hair. I have always been afraid of my large forehead but was still looking like a teenager with straight bangs. The new ones definitely looked more mature. She explained how to dry them at home. I was doing it wrong and didn’t even know it and showed be how to tease the crown of my hair for more volume. I really appreciate that someone took the time to explain all of these tips they get from experience. I had just been air drying for years. She was very nice and everyone working there seemed to be happy. I’m definitely going to stick with her though because I haven’t been disappointed yet, and received a lot of complements after letting her call the shots. There is a spiral stair case that you should know about before coming though.

I’ve been hesitant to even leave a review, much less a bad one but continue to be so disappointed with how my hair turned out I can’t keep quiet any longer!
I am on the hunt for a new salon so I bought a groupon to check this place out. It is in historic Ellicott City which is a place I love to visit and the prices here are pretty moderate. The first bad experience was when I called to make my appointment and the lady tried to rush me off the phone. No big deal, she set me up with an appointment with Jen for that same weekend. It’s easy to get an appointment there, even on weekends.
The day of I was running late (this is the day it snowed in October and traffic was crazy) so I called to let them know. Again, the lady that answered sounded frantic and rushed me off the phone for some reason. I arrived and met with Jen. She seemed friendly enough. I explained to her what I had in mind and briefly showed her a couple of pictures. I mentioned that I did not want it so short that I could not still put it back in a ponytail. She seemed to understand what I wanted and what would work with my thick, straight hair. She even mentioned one thing that she did not recommend doing because my hair is so thick. She then washed my hair and then started cutting my hair.
We exchanged small talk and the cut ended up taking a while. The cut was a somewhat drastic change, from very long hair to a sleek, short look, with some angling in the front. (But this is a style/​cut I have had in the past with great results.) It seemed like she knew what she was doing and I thought wow, she is sure spending a long time to perfect this look. She then blew-​dry and styled my hair which also took a while. I should have known that this was more so a sign of lack of experience and skill than perfectionism.
The cut ended up being very different than what I had wanted and explained. Too short to put back in a ponytail and a ton of layers! Not sleek or cute. I did not ask for layers! A more experienced stylist would have known with my thick hair that the major layers she put in would look horrible and fluffy. Now my hair is various lengths and will take forever to grow back. It does not suit me at all. Once the meticulous styling she did was washed out and I could inspect my hair at home, I can see this is one of the worst cuts of my life from an inexperienced stylist.
Unfortunately, the search for a new salon continues. I would not personally recommend the stylist I saw but maybe other stylists here are better. But I will avoid coming back here all together because such a bad cut coupled with a rude receptionist don’t leave me with much hope that it will be better next time. (And maybe this is what I get for leaving my long-​time and amazing stylist at Hairport in Sterling…)

After trying to get an appointment at Alchemy because of the price and saying they were booked 3 weeks in advance, I called Envy. The reviews are pretty good and I love the environment of Old Town Ellicott City. They were able to get me an appointment for the next evening which I was expecting from the Unilocal reviews, but it was still an awesome surprise!
I’m more of a Unilocal reader than a reviewer but since this place does not have to many reviews, I figured I should share my experience. My appointment was at 6p.m. with Beth. I live in Burtonsville, so I left around 5:20 to make the drive up 29 in rush hour, yay! Surprisingly, given my perpetual lateness, I not only made it to Old Town EC in time but found parking and made the 2 minute walk to the salon as well. Tip: there is a parking lot on the left a few houses before the actual salon… MAKE SURE TO TURN INTO THAT ENTRANCE! If you make the mistake of not turning in there, you’ll have to drive through the town a little bit to get into the other entrance… or find street parking *eek!* which is horrible on a Friday right after work (I never knew so many families flocked to Old Town right after work.)
Okay so enough of my rambling, I walked into the salon and was immediately greeted and offered a drink. As other posters have said, the reception area and the products are downstairs while the actual salon portion and shampoo area are upstairs. I read all the reviews on here so I knew what to expect in terms of the feel of the salon and because I’m really into charming old rowhomes, the uneven steps out front (and later the steps up to the salon area) did not bother me. Actually, I loved how authentic everything was, it really added to the feel of the place. Anyways, so I sat down on a couch and waited for Beth to come get me, which only took like 2 minutes.
Once we got upstairs, she took me to her chair and asked what I wanted to do. I usually am not super picky about my hair, other than leaving it long (it falls to the middle of my back), I usually let someone do what they think will look good with my face. Because this was my first time at a new salon though I brought a couple reference pictures. Beth totally understood the look I was going for and altered it a little bit to better fit my face. Although the wash chair was not all that comfortable for my neck (what place actually has a comfortable wash chair, seriously, I’d love to know because I’ve never encountered one,) the mini massage that came with the shampoo was great. Beth asked a couple questions about my hair and if I do regular upkeep. I asked her if there was anything I can do with my knots, to which she answered with an honest no (other than just brushing.) She started on my haircut and we chatted a bit. I’m a really friendly person but I’m not always really talkative when getting my hair done or a pedicure so I was happy that we could chat a bit without over doing it. The goal is talkative without being awkward or forced and they nailed it.
The whole thing (shampoo, cut, and blow-​dry) took an hour which is about the usual time for me and my ultra thick and tangled hair. I was really impressed with the cut and blow-​dry. The cut achieved the look I was going for and the blow-​dry along with whatever product Beth used really brought out the sun kissed highlights in my hair. Not to mention, my hair was so soft and shiny (without looking oily.) I’ve had none of the usual problems I have with knots (which seems to just happen with my hair hourly) last night or this morning. Beth remembered what I said about not doing much upkeep with my hair and did not push any products on me at all. I’m planning on getting color soon so I asked Beth about it. Her response really sealed the deal about how great I think this salon is — she told me that she did not think color (specifically highlights or a drastic change) would not be the best idea for me because I don’t come in for maintenance often. Most salons would do whatever it took to get you to buy the most expensive package they have, but Beth was actually looking past that and thinking about what would really be best in my situation. I love that! Actually after going to this salon, I might change my routine and start coming in for more hair care soon!
The haircut was only $ 45! I wasn’t even charged a long hair charge which I usually get charged at least $ 10 extra for. The haircuts I had been getting in the past were must cheaper at around $ 25 – 30 (I knew the stylist personally) but $ 45 in this area is a steal. I would definitely recommend this place — hell make a night out of it, Old Town EC is a fun place. And I’ll be back.

Getting to a chair there is a hair-​raising experience unto itself. First you have to play Frogger on Columbia Turnpike if you park in the municipal parking lot. (I suggest taking the time to walk down to the light and then back up but I was running late as usual). The front steps are wonky and there is a low-​spiky iron fence around the stairs. I feared one wrong step and I would be impaled. The staircase leading to the second floor where the stylists are is not for the faint of heart or those with bad backs or knees. It is a narrow twisty steep climb. If my size five feet don’t fit the tread then you know it is a small stair.
I had my hair cut by Leeza. Not my best haircut. The area of my hair I expressed was a problem she said, «sometimes its just best to leave those areas alone.» And she did. I said my hair was sitting at a strange length and I wanted to leave in long so it would sit past my shoulders. She cut my front so I now can’t pull it up into a ponytail. We did not communicate well, apparently.
The staff are all friendly and inviting.

I’ll start out with the good news. I went to a stylist at Envy three times in a 1 ½ year period for the best highlights that I’ve ever had. My hair is naturally blond but it’s extremely ashy so I like highlights to balance and warm my color. The stylist (I won’t name her bc I really do like her) took her time and the color looked almost natural.
Envy is in an old rowhouse in historic Ellicott City. It has quirky, funky feel to it with original hardwood flooring and exposed brick. They sell products and cool, girly girl gifts on the first floor adjacent to the reception desk and waiting area. The stylists and shampoo area are located on the second floor. Everyone is kind of bohemian. Definitely not your sleek, modern salon. However, the equipment, shampoo bowls and hair stations all appeared up-​to-​date. I especially liked the pretty view of the trees from the panoramic window in the shampoo area. Extremely soothing and relaxing.
Now, the bad. I am black and I need my hair blow-​dried with heavy heat and a barrel brush to get all the curls straight. I have about 5 different textures in my chemical-​free hair. The stylist I went to is biracial, yet she could not straighten my hair correctly. The partial highlight price includes a cut. Instead of discounting me, she said I could return after I got my hair done at a Dominican salon for her to do the cut. She also said I needed to inform them when booking my appt of the extra time needed to blow my hair out if I elected to have her do it.
That was fine initially. However, I forgot to tell them when making my appt for my last visit I wanted her to blow and flat iron it out due to some time constraints. I, of course, forgot because it had been months since I last went to Envy. I think it’s a little ridiculous that a customer should inform them they need extra time. Why not ask me about my hair when booking the appt? Or make a note in my file in their computer? Pretty sure it’s because no minorities (never saw any when I was there) frequent that shop so they just assumed I only needed the standard two hours.
She blew my hair out but it was a half– straightened mess. I went back the next day for her to flat iron it (my birthday). I had some product in my hair from slicking it back the night before. She took forever to flat iron it BONE STRAIGHT. Not how I wear it but I was determined to get the entire value of what I paid. It wasn’t until I got into my car that I smelled a horrible, burning smell. I picked up my daughter from school and she asked what is that smell as soon as she got in the car. I was ticked because I realized she probably had singed my hair due to the products I had in it before she flat ironed it. I called her and she assured me that wasn’t the case. But when I washed my hair, it definitely felt different and looked less curly in some spots.
I won’t go back because I don’t like being treated like I’m a burden and take up too much time when I am a paying customer. Now, I can see why some ethnicities refuse to visit salons that are not owned by their ethnic group. It sucks when you are treated like a nuisance because you have a different texture of hair that requires a professional who knows how to style that type of hair, and a salon doesn’t have a stylist who can do a good job. Feel sorry for people who put up with a substandard service because they don’t know where else to go.

Update: I no longer go to envy because my favorite stylist left, but I can still say that this is a very solid salon and worth trying out.

Great Cut. Great Location. Great Experience. This shop has personality and style without coming off as pretentious. I was able to get a same day appointment within 2 hours of my call. My stylist, Laura Beth, did an amazing job bringing my overgrown helmet of hair back into manageable style. Very satisfied with the entire experience — even though I spent a little more than normal — it was worth it for the quality — I’ll definitely be back next month.

Love my cut, good price. Cute place.
Parking tip: Coming down Old Frederick, turn left onto Main and you’ll immediately see the lot on your left.

I was so excited to try this salon, but I think it was one of those things that we just didn’t «click.» I had the first appointment at 10AM. When I arrived the place seemed really cool and the staff was friendly. However, the woman who was supposed to do my hair, whose name I won’t mention, was 15 minutes late. Ok, well I can understand we all run late sometimes. The receptionist apologized and said she would be in shortly. When she finally did arrive she came over I explained that I wanted auburn red color and we proceeded upstairs. After everything was done, I ended up with hot roots which looked pink. She did try to correct it with lowlites, and it looked fine when it was done. However, after four days my hair was about five different colors and several people asked what was wrong with my hair. I have since gone to another salon to get it corrected. To put it bluntly I think the skills of the stylist I saw were amateur as far as color is concerned. Although I did hear another stylist mention that the color line they were using was new. So that may have also contributed to the problem.
This review is not intended to be malicious. I watched the other stylists doing hair and all the results came out great. So, I think probably 95% of the time people get what they want and are very happy. This place didn’t end up working out for me and that is too bad. Based on my experience I would say that if you have complex color, go to another salon.

I visited envy for a lip and brow wax. Great prices for facial waxing. I only waited 2 minutes to be seen, Melinda was personable (but not too aggressively friendly, you know what I mean), the treatment went quickly, and I was pleased with the results. Thanks guys!
Parking is available in a lot 2 minutes away if you dont want to attempt street parallel.

OK — the salon sporting the sign featuring a corseted sorta-​goth-​girl mascot might seem like the last place where a guy’d wanna go for a haircut. My wife talked me into going there a couple of years ago, and I haven’t gone anywhere else for haircut since.
Sure, the estrogen level’s through the roof, and you’ll stick out like a sore thumb. But you’ll get a heck of a cut — much better than the chop job that you’re used to from the local clip joint. It’s a funky little space with some character, and you’ll be treated to the offer of a hot or cold drink with your service, get a scalp massage with your shampoo, and get to hang out with the hip crowd for a little while.
Men’s cuts run about $ 30, and you too will get to feel like a pretty princess.