Douglas J Aveda Institute

1^st time there was a weird experience. No offense to the student but she really struggled. Very sweet but needed more practice.
2^nd time was Amazing!!! Michelle Herrara was wonderful. She was paying attention, checking if the style of cut is what I meant, and instead of just telling her instructor she was done– she told her instructor she felt something was missing and asked for advice. She learned a couple tricks with deceiving thick hair like mine. I could tell she liked what she was doing and wanted to excel. Probably ended up being one of the top 5 favorite haircuts I’ve had.
Overall it’s a hit or miss type of place. Try shooting for groupons and deals so you get extra botanicals and stuff.

A friend recommended this place to me and I thought I’d check it out. I was very pleased. The students were very professional. Since it was my first time, I was given a tour. It’s a very neat old building that has been converted and was very clean and nice.
My hair cut and blow dry was only $ 16 and you can’t tip. I hate parking downtown so I was a bit concerned about that but there is a parking garage right across the street so that was convenient and it only cost me $ 5.
NOTE: It will take longer than an average haircut so plan accordingly. I have medium length hair and I was there for an hour and 40 min.

Oh nooo they totally botched my hair! (see pic of my «swoop»).
I used to like it here and knew it would be a hit or miss since it is a school, but I’ve had FAR too many misses now. So I am done. Farewell Aveda and hello Sin Republic. It’s definitely true you get what you pay for.
p. s. I wasn’t even going to write this review, but the instructor was mean and defensive and she made me feel terrible. Student was nice and I could forgive her, but for the instructor to be so insincere to a customer that’s not very nice and definitely not the «Aveda» way. The late night front desk girl was just as unfriendly ugh what an awful 2.5 hours getting a hair cut :(
Sad and disappointed and just hope my hair grows back to form asap like a chia pet

I love the Douglas J! I have come for various services including cut/​color/​mani/​pedi everything. The prices are great, and tipping is not allowed so that also keeps the price down.
Additionally, it’s just hair. If a student gives a bad cut, it will grow out, it is how they learn. I know what I am signing up for going in. I have had an unintentionally asymmetrical haircut and wonky color. The school has always gone above and beyond to correct the situation. But… I did have to wear a lot of baseball caps for a few weeks. It is OK, how else can the students learn? It’s just hair, it will grow back.
Mani/​Pedi time here is like a spa, I have never had a disappointing experience here. The only mildly problematic hing is that each pedicure is one color only. I am fond of multi color toenails.
I recommend the Douglas J for routine cuts and hair maintenance. Just be aware that these people are learning. Be kind, especially when you get to be a «learning experience» for them.

Aveda has great availability during the week — I was able to call at 12:55 and get a haircut appointment for 1:30. Then my stylist took me back at 1:20.
I showed her a picture of my last cut and asked her to trim it a bit longer, but to stay above shoulder length. She did a nice job throwing in some layers and trimming a few inches. Her teacher ended up evening up the right side, which was longer than the left — but that’s why it’s a teaching salon.
The appointment took an hour and a half for a very basic trim, which was longer than I’d counted on. But I left with a fresh cut!
Pros: availability, teachers overseeing the work done, students may be slow but it’s because they are being meticulous, affordable prices
Cons: plan for a cut to take longer, my hair was not as short as I wanted it (I told the teacher, she offered to have it fixed, but I declined because I was out of time and I was happy with the new length)

Just got my hair done by Courtney, who was so so nice! I felt like she was being a little bit timid to chop my hair because I wanted a lot off of some layers. She had an experienced instructor named Lacie who came and showed Courtney some different techniques to give me the style I wanted.
Lacie cut most of my hair and cut it exactly the way I wanted it! It’s not that Courtney did a bad job, she’s still a learning student so it was nice that and instructor came to me.
The only thing that upsets me is that I told the student that I had just recently gotten my ear (Cartilage) pierced. She was okay about working around my ear to avoid hitting it, but still there were times where she would accidentally bump it pretty hard which was not a fun feeling.
Long story short, I came out ad Aveda with a fabulous new haircut, but no earring! My new earring got ripped out during the haircut and I’m pretty upset about that.
I recommend going to Aveda salon even if you are a bit nervous or anxious because of the wonderful services I received, from the kind ladies at the reception desk to my stylist. I just wish this incident didn’t happen, otherwise I’d give it 5 stars.

I’ve come here several times over the years for services, including color, cut, nails, and massage. I recommend sticking with a basic haircut or one color process. I wouldn’t recommend you try anything new or fancy– stick with that you know.
The students working on you are just that-​students. They are still learning and their work during your appointment will be checked several times by a teacher. If you know what you want, be really clear in describing it because the teacher can direct them in what to do, if needed.
Also, because they are students and some of them are young, you may have a situation or two during a visit that isn’t the most professional. Example: when I had my nails done here once the students gabbed on and on about a bar they went to the night before and how tired and hung over they all were.
But on the plus side, this is an Aveda salon school so you still get their wonderfully smelling, all natural products and the heavenly scalp massage during your visit!!! Ahhhhhh!

had the worst student pedicure i have ever had! didn’t even remove dead skin or trim my toenails. the girl told my friend her nails were dry and they were not! her pedi smeared all over her shoes! overpriced ($ 37!-what!) and horrible experience. bad news

First of all, you need to keep in mind that this is a school, not a regular salon. That being said, your service will probably take a lot longer, so plan accordingly. If you’re a nut about having perfect hair, then maybe you shouldn’t risk going to a senior student for a haircut. I’m pretty crazy about my hair, so I usually skip this service, but the nail services are a great deal. First of all, you get to pick out whatever color OPI nail polish you want, and you get to keep it (that’s worth about $ 9 right there). Second of all, all of the Douglas J locations have «no tipping» policies, so you’re also saving money by not having to tip. Because the students are learning how to provide great services AND keep a clean salon, you know that your tootsies are in good hands. There are so many «cheap» options for pedicures around town, but you get what you pay for and might end up with a fungus or worse. Not worth it in my opinion! Anyway, the only thing that may be slightly inconvenient is downtown parking, but if you’re already downtown, then this is probably not a big deal. Also, all services are checked by instructors, so if you’re not 100% satisfied with something, just let him/​her know and it will be corrected. Seems like a good deal to me! Oh, and who doesn’t love Aveda?

I have been going to Douglas J Aveda Institutes for years now. I have never once gotten a disastrous haircut. I primarily just go for cuts but have also had a manicure, which honestly I felt was overpriced, even including a bottle of polish. There are, however, major things to be aware of or keep in mind before you decide to go to Douglas J instead of a regular salon.
I have rarely been in for a haircut (just a haircut, no color, no major style change) and been out in less than 1.5 hours. Usually it is around 1.5−2 hours, but this location is less busy than the Royal Oak location and tends to be around the lower end for me. That is the norm, plan for it. I have learned to expect this, which lowers my irritation at the slow pace of the cut. I do, however, hate when my appointment begins very late! That has only happened maybe twice, though.
It’s a $ 16 haircut (no tipping allowed) performed by students. It won’t be perfect, but there are instructors to correct. If you are unhappy with what your stylist is doing, by god just say something. The student won’t learn if they think you’re happy when you’re not. I have had socially awkward students and just plain stupid people (getting a brush stuck in my fine, straight hair? Really?) but overall good experiences with motivated and friendly people.
I do recommend asking questions when booking if you are not sure about what you are getting. I have had snafus with making a reservation and not getting what I wanted. Double check that the service you want is what you’re truly going to get.
Overall, I recommend it. I would personally not do a major style change there, but that’s just me. It’s a great way to save money on a trim while using amazing Aveda products. Just plan on it taking a long time (at the very least double what it takes at your salon), don’t be afraid to vocalize if you are unsatisfied, and remember that they are students and you get what you pay for. Oh, and try the complimentary tea!

I’ve been twice now, and I would keep coming back. Actually, if the last girl who cut my hair had her own booth in a salon somewhere, I would go to her all the time. She was attentive, took my advice well, gave me a great cut, and gave me honest advice when I asked her if I should make a certain change to my hairstyle.
My first experience was not as good, but still very worth the price. She just got a little carried away with the layers, but if I had been more vocal I could have stopped that. I told the second girl what had happened the first time and she took it into account.
The price is great, and there is a no-​tipping policy, which feels a little weird but saves me a few bucks. Plus the staff are very nice and attentive, like all Aveda salons I’ve ever been to.
Overall, go into it knowing that you are taking a chance, but if you’re strapped for cash and still want a decent haircut, I would wholeheartedly recommend this place over any budget hair salon.

I have been going to Douglas J for a little under 3 years now and for the most part I have been satisfied. I usually get an all over color and cut and go there mostly because I like the actual hair color product, I am not too picky about my haircut, and I am a student so I like it a little cheaper. You can also make an appointment the day of for really any time so it is really convenient. But my last few experiences have been pretty bad. I have had to go in with scissors to fix my cut when I realized that the front pieces on one side were a good inch longer than the other. But still, that is no big deal, easy fix. The last color I got took no less than 2 ½ hours just to put on, it was rediculous. That is only one color, no accents. It was on so long in some areas that some layers are probably 4 shades darker than my roots. It has happened before where the hair color is really inconsistent and I let them know and they try but don’t fix it. I really usually don’t complain about things wrong with a hair cut or color, but when i pay $ 70 for a cut and color, I would like the hair to be within a few shades. I really don’t ask for a lot, one color and a trim, but it is never right. Also they will blowdry your hair after but never even run a straightener through it. I always leave with my hair not finished and have to go home to fix it so I have an idea of what the style actually looks like.

Yay! I’m a fan is an apt description of how I feel after getting my hair cut and colored and a pedicure here today.
I love my cut & color — today was the 3^rd stylist I showed the same picture to of what I wanted and this is the only time out of 3 that I feel like my hair looks like the picture! The color is perfect too, just the color I wanted.
I was with my sister & she wanted to get a pedicure so I went along for the ride even though I wasn’t as into it as she was. Overall it was a good experience and the fact that they wanted you to feel comfortable was pretty obvious. All of the girls who worked on both me & my sister today were super nice and we are both very happy with our experiences.
I love Aveda products so spending some $$ to get that amount free on future hair services was pretty easy! :)
I can’t wait to go back & try the elemental nature facial!
My 6 year old nephew said my hair was beautiful & my sister said it is the best cut I have ever had and I have felt pretty all day so all in all, two thumbs up from me!

I had a fine experience here, but I’m rather easy going in my hair cuts. I don’t do color and I pretty much want a basic cut. The girls are very nice.
After reading the filtered review from a girl who went to school there a lot of stuff made more sense, and I think you should think twice about going here for your wedding up-​do!
I have several friends who went with me and at different times because we were offered a free service and everyone was quite happy with their hair cuts and color. It did take a bit of time, but there was a lot to watch while my hair was being cut so I never felt bored. Also, it was free.
I sometimes don’t understand the lack of common sense when someone goes to a beauty school and expects it to be like a 5 star salon. I must say I was a little surprised the girl who cut my hair was about to graduate in a few weeks, the instructor had to do my bangs and put in a few more layers. I would expect someone who could soon go out on their own to be more advanced, maybe real life experience is what makes a stylist so good.
I did buy the shampoo and conditioner on my first visit because it smells lovely, and although it was crazy expensive, I never would have bought it if I wasn’t offered free future services for the same amount. So now I will go back for a pedicure and get to keep a $ 10 bottle of nail polish.
I can’t imagine complaining so much about a pedicure like the other reviews do, so I hope it’s not as bad as they have led me to believe it might be. I could always repaint on my own in the end.
I look forward to going back, if I have a bad experience I will definitely update this review!

Going into this, I guess I should have realized that this is a school with students providing the services, so I shouldn’t have expected too much… but the prices would make you think otherwise.
Starting from the beginning… girls at the reception desk were very nice, attentive and offered me water, tea, or coffee right away. I actually came in carrying a coffee and she asked if she could warm it up for me. I thought that was exceptionally nice.
I was here with a wedding party group, and all (6) of us started on time… we were getting manicures and pedicures. $ 25 and $ 35, respectively. I was given a hot neck wrap right away, that was wonderful. And the girl doing my nails was SO NICE, as was the supervisor in the room.
However, the girl doing my nails said she was only 3 months away from graduating, and she did a pretty poor job on my manicure. Yes, I have short nails, but even I could have done a better job with my left hand than she did. And yes, you get the bottle of polish you select, but you almost HAVE to given the ridiculous price (salon prices for that quality?! never again) AND because you have to touch up your nails yourself. I think mine only lasted a day before they started to chip.
And they are no longer use OPI but an off-​brand «Vegan» polish called Sparitual (I’ve never heard of it) and the color selection was very poor.
I also did not like how there were students sitting next to me during my manicure giving each other manicures and gossiping about other girls who worked there. It ruined the relaxing environment and made me glad they weren’t the ones doing my mani.
My pedicure was much better and definitely «salon quality,» though the polish was still a little rough. The chairs are comfy and it was very relaxing pedicure.
My last «Eh» about the whole experience was that my 2 services alone took 2 ½ HOURS! I’m not kidding… my appointment started at 10:30 and I didn’t leave there until 1pm… and there was no wait for a pedicure chair after my manicure and I didn’t wait around for the other girls to be done… it was 2 ½ hours for just a mani and pedi.
Would I go back here again? ONLY if they lowered the prices (the place might not be as nice but I can get a much better mani/​pedi for $ 25 total somewhere else) and if they made it known how long it was going to take…

The first few times I visited Douglas J I thought it was pretty decent. After my last couple of visits though, my thoughts have changed. yes, they are students, and I get that, but I have never had a simple trim haircut take so laughably long to complete. Every hair is so carefully cut, it takes forever, even for a simple blow out. My last appointment was for a facial and a manicure. The facial is mainly a foot and scalp massage with a cleanser, exfoliate and mask applied to your face — no extractions are done like at a real salon, yet it costs nearly fifty dollars. I threw in a manicure too only because I needed to use the full value of my Groupon and like the other reviewer, it was so horrible I couldn’t believe it! There was polish everywhere and air bubbles, the nails weren’t trimmed to match length, they were just jaggedly filed, it was pretty shocking. The instructor did point out one of the mistakes, but didn’t make her re-​do it. My girl student was really friendly, but I wasn’t paying for kindness. And because of the slowness of the work, I ended up getting a 30 dollar parking ticket for going over 2 hours, so any value was negated there. Not a place to plan your next beauty ritual, that’s for sure. Aveda products do not work very well, and the parking is horrid down there. Pros: Cool old building though, nice atmosphere and no tipping allowed.

I’ve gone to some pretty low-​rent cosmetology schools in other areas and walked out with great results — for just a few bucks. So, if I got a great $ 8 manicure in a dumpy strip-​mall cosmetology school, you’d think a $ 24 manicure from an upscale-​looking joint downtown would be pro level, right? Wrong.
The manicure I got at Douglas J. was quite literally the worst manicure I’ve ever had in my life. I am including the paint jobs I have gotten from 10 year old girls while babysitting in this tally. Ok, you might be thinking, «they’re students — cut them some slack.» That’s the worst part — I can’t even blame the student since the instructor’s method of dealing with the mess was to look at my hands — color smudged all over, cotton strands in the wet polish, and pieces of fingernail that hadn’t been filed into any discernible shape other than «sharp» — and ask me while the student sat there looking at me, «Did her work meet your expectations?» Ummmm… how about if YOU set the expectations instead of awkwardly forcing clients into it? (I’ll also point out that the student was super nice, as was everyone at the front desk. If these rating were for personality, they’d get 5 stars. But…) It should have been pretty clear to the instructor that the manicure would not meet anyone’s expectations. I would be funny and say «This manicure would only meet the expectations of Ray Charles or David Patterson,» but did I mention that in addition to looking like crap, my nails were also filed to be brutally sharp?
I can’t comment on the skill level of every student, and I’m sure many people there do a great job. My rating is based less on the incompetence of the student, and more on the instructor not even trying to point the student in the right direction, while charging practically salon prices for the «service» after forcing the client to critique the student’s work. For $ 24 I probably could have gone to a «real» salon. The only upside was that they let you keep the bottle of polish — which was more of a necessity than a bonus, since I had to do my own touch ups in the car before going to work.

I came here with the wedding party that I was in to get our hair done for the wedding. I understand that these are students and they are learning so I’m not going to be judging too harshly. I also absolutely hate Aveda products and think they work for crap, but that would be if I were to review Aveda’s products so I’ll stay away from that too.
Four of us got our hair done. The bride called ahead of time and asked that we have four hair dressers that were almost close to graduating because we needed our hair done quickly. We also were on a budget which is why the bride chose to make our appointments with the institute and not a real salon. We got there at 9 and we all left by 11:30. It took a little longer than we had hoped, but that’s okay, we expected students to take longer.
My hair did not hold any longer than an hour after getting it done. The Aveda products are just inferior (in my opinion) and even their strongest hair spray didn’t hold any of my curls. By the end of the ceremony a couple of the curls by my face went flat. Hopefully her photographer can photoshop them curly again!
This is a great place to get an updo if you’re on a budget, but if you want something that will last an entire day go to a real salon.

Douglas J is a hair school, so it has its ups and downs.
Ups: its cheap! $ 16 for a cut, you can get appointments cause there are so many people cutting, they will recut it for free if you don’t like it
Downs: it takes forever cause students have to check in with their teachers, you might have to get it recut since it really depends on the level of the student you get, who wants to get their hair recut at a place that did a bad job in the first place