Chameleon Haircolor Cafe & Spa

Stephanie did my color today, and it’s gorgeous. At first, I thought it might have been too subtle, but once I looked a little more closely, I could see what an amazing job she’d done. It’s incredibly natural, a very «me only better» look.

I have been going to Chameleon for 3 years but will not be returning after 3 botched hair colors. I went in for a «balayage» hair color, finished 4 hours later. Walked out mortified with a greenish tint to my hair. Come to find out the colorist had not done this procedure before. I was the guinea pig. I called two days later and they got me right in to do a «Malibu» treatment, which is basically a glaze to remove the mess the first colorist had made. At this point my hair is dry and brittle after two treatments in 72 hours that they had to cut off 3 inches. My hair was awful. I gave them one more shot only because I didn’t want to pay another $ 300.00 and have to start over elsewhere. They offered to fix it once again with highlights/​balayage and they suckered me into it with their sales pitches by offering me hair treatments to take home and a free boars hair round hairbrush and no charge for the haircut. Once again, it was bad. I was getting negative but honest comments when I asked others «how is my hair «. In retrospect, what should have happened was they reimbursed me regardless of any outcome. I chose not to address them again with my concerns and total disappointment or to try and get my well deserved money back. I will go elsewhere to get it fixed. It’s an unfortunate situation but I’ve learned a lot.

I’ve been going to Chameleon now for over three years. It was my first Unilocal review.ahh. nostalgia. A lot has changed with Chameleon over the years. They are only in North Haven now and have closed the New Haven location. They have lost some stellar employees due to moves. They also no longer do services like facials, however they have maintained the same level of service and professionalism. My colorist/​hairstylist recently moved out of state and recommended Meredith as the best fit for my needs. I was impressed with her understanding right away with what I was looking for. I tend to be that annoying girl who says I want something different, but have a hard time painting a clear picture. I’ve also used them for waxing services and was pleased with the results. They also do Brazilian blowouts, but wait for the specials advertised to get a reasonable price on the service. I’ve never had my nails done here but they do offer the service. They also offer packages on select services you get regularly to save some money (you can pre purchase in series of 5 for a discounted price). Not a huge fan of the bumble products but I do love the Oribe products. Still love Chameleon and hope they are in business for a long time.

Ask for the right people here, get spectacular services.
Joy is a goddess of hair artistry and a warm and loving human being. I’ve hated my hair my whole life until she came into it. Now I get compliments from strangers, feel beautiful, and my short cuts magically last up to 8 weeks. She collaborates with the color team to make sure the cut and color work well together.
Stephanie is 100% committed to getting you the color you dream of. I’ve challenged her with requests like, «Make me look like a comic book superhero with black hair that has an intense blue tint when the light shines on it.» That one took two re-​dos before it came out right, and I LOVE it. The re-​dos required bleaching and an additional visit that we hadn’t anticipated at first, and she didn’t charge me for it. Stephanie works with me to figure out color solutions that don’t cost an arm and a leg, and she’s always mellow and positive.
My mom goes to Trinity and Stephsnie for cuts and colors, and her hair has never looked better. She’s in her 60s, and Stephanie transforms her gray hair into many shades of natural-​looking browns and auburns.
The employees generally work really well together as a team, under Stan’s stellar leadership, and their turnover among cutters and colorists is very low. Beth at the front desk is wonderful, however some people in the other auxiliary roles don’t have the same authentic friendliness and dedication to customer service. But those people are eventually replaced. Spray tans are great; nails, waxing, and makeup are hit and miss. If you’re a regular client, don’t miss out on their 6-​for-​5 deals for most services when you pay for the package upfront. Besides saving money, it improves the already pleasurable experience (glass of wine or coffee, hand massage, aromatherapy…) even more pleasant when the services feel like they’re free :)
By the way, they don’t push this – or anything else – but their $ 30 or $ 40 Simply Smooth treatment is a great alternative to a $$$ Brazilian Blowout. Gets rid of the frizz for a month.

Chameleons is the best hair salon in Connecticut Great service beautiful atmosphere friendly staff they do a great job every time Stephanie does my hair color Joy and Wayne have both cut my hair and Trinity does my waxing they all do a great job The owners of the salon go out of their way to make sure that everybody satisfied

The hair stylists actually listen! I’ve had my hair cut by 3 different people since going here (moved locations, stylists left), but I haven’t been disappointed. My hair looks and feels great immediately after the cut and also grows out great. I love that they use Bumble & Bumble products here.
Plus, the parking lot makes travelling here very easy.

I LOVE going to see Emily. She always makes me feel and look amazing. I think her creativity with cut and color is outstanding. I wouldn’t go anywhere else !!

Wayne has been cutting my hair for some time now. I appreciate the efforts the staff puts in place to ensure a high level of customer service. They are always very accommodating if I have to move my appointment. Everyone is very friendly.

A good friend of mine gets her hair cut here and recommended the salon to me. I had booked an appointment but a week later cancelled. Here’s why:
1– When I entered the salon, the two associates at the front desk ignored me for several minutes. Not even a hello. They carried on a conversation about a phonecall and then talked badly about their boss for a moment. I figured, ok, I have had demanding bosses, maybe its an off day. I’m going to still book an appointment.
2– The female associate began assisting me. I explained that my neighbor recommended the salon, asked to have my hair cut with the same stylist. She began working on her computer and then talking with a stylist. I waited, hoping to book my appointment. Several minutes passed and it would seem she had moved onto another task. At this point the male associate asked me if I needed help. I explained my situation. He actually began helping me, so I thought… ok…maybe this will be alright. Maybe its just a busy day here. He gave me a few choices in December. I opted for a slot after the holidays, booked my appointment, thanked him for his help and left.
3– A few days went by, and I realized I would prefer a different appointment. I called on a Monday, left a message asking if it would be possible to move my appointment. I assume the salon is closed Mondays, as it was 4:30pm. I never got a call back, though. That friday I called the salon to cancel my appointment. You can only make so many excuses for a salon’s lack of regard for customer service and I don’t even want to get my hair cut at a place that doesn’t value me as a customer.
4– And last, but not least, when the gal on the phone asked if I wanted to reschedule, I explained that I had left a message Monday and no one had bothered to get back to me all week, so no thank you. She didn’t even apologize! Just an, «ok, bye». I guess this must be how they typically treat new clients. I guess I expect better.
I think I made the right choice. I feel that no one at this salon cares about my business, so I will go get my hair cut and colored somewhere else. Do yourself a favor and find a salon that WANTS and APPRECIATES your business. My time at the salon is intended to be a pampering event… and if this is what I went through just to make an appointment, I don’t think they care about new customers.
********************UPDATE********************
The owner, Stan, contacted me regarding this review about a month after I posted it. He must have found the cancelled appointment and put 2 and 2 together. In any case, we had a long discussion about the poor service I received, and he spoke very sincerely about how his employees had behaved. He planned on having a meeting with them to discuss things, and maybe make some changes. He also invited me back to the salon for another try.
I was reluctant at first, but I’m glad I went back. Employees were polite and attentive. Emily, my stylist, took excellent care of me and I was very pleased with my experience. I was also happy to see that they were carrying jewelry and other items as well, but hair products weren’t pushed on me as some salons typically do. I picked up a gorgeous cuff bracelet while there, too.
Nice customer service save, Stan. Keep up the good work. Your salon is one of the only ones in my area that I enjoy going to. It’s a cozy salon that has a lot to offer those who don’t want to drive into New Haven.

Going to Chameleon is always a fantastic treat! Ashley is a spectacular stylist and really understands my big, crazy hair. Her cuts are spectacular — so good that I can just let it air dry and my hair behaves and looks good, but when I style it, spectacular! No one can beat her blow-​out, though — I feel like a movie star when I come out of the salon. :) I always feel pampered when I am there, and I’ve never had anything less than the best. There is plenty of parking and they are right off either highway, so it is super easy to get there.

I will never be returning to Chameleon. I received one of the worst haircuts of my life but it was the even worse follow-​up with the Salon that really sealed the deal for this place.
I have been going to Chameleon for over a year now and until recently it was an okay place to get a haircut. However, after my appointment two weeks ago I will never be returning. To put it bluntly, my hair stylist did an awful job… really this is one of the worst hair cuts in my life. On top of that, the salon was congested, I sat around with wet hair for twenty minutes waiting on a colorist, and then the colorist was inept.
Mistakes happen, stylists get creative and do what they want with no regard for the customer’s wants, I get that, but taking responsibility for those mistakes and trying to make them right is what matters to me.
The owner called me later that same day to apologize and try to reschedule an appointment. I’m a graduate student and I work part time, so finding time in my schedule, even on the weekends, isn’t always easy. Instead of trying to accommodate my schedule, I was bullied into taking an 8 AM appointment on the following Saturday to get my hair re-​cut. They couldn’t schedule the colorist at that time so I was going to have to make a second appointment to meet with her separately… because that’s convenient.
I ended up having to cancel the 8 AM appointment. They called back with random times I could meet with the stylist but none of them fit in my schedule. I called back to make a new appointment and haven’t heard from them since… so I guess I’m not getting that haircut after all.
Short story — A lack luster effort to make good on a bad cut is good enough for them which is why I won’t be going back.

Awful. I read all of the prior 5-​star reviews here and decided to try this place. I will never come back! Not sure why my experience is so different from the other reviewers but I just have to put something out here so that other people are aware and can decide for themselves.
I usually go to a different salon but I have been so busy lately and did not want to drive all the way to Middletown. I needed to refresh my look and after reading the nice reviews decided to try this place… I regret it and regret the time wasted and don’t like the result.
First, the colorist never even tried to be nice and friendly. I am NOT the kind of person who can’t stop talking or wants to tell about all her problems to her hairdresser… but I DO expect some kind of small talk and gesture of friendliness! In this case, complete silence. No attempt at making any kind of conversation at all!
Second, instead of feeling relaxed, I felt like I was in hell! She never even asked me if the water temperature was okay. (It was cold.) So I asked to make it warmER… she made it hot. Very rough — when she was washing my hair and brushing through it, it felt like she was trying to pull my hair out! I had to ask her to change the water temperature and (oh god!) be gentle!
Third, the highlights were not done well. There was some bleeding, the highlights were not evenly distributed. I thought maybe I don’t understand something (I am not a professional colorist so maybe. you know?). So I went to another salon for a consultation and they told me the same thing. They said to go back and ask the salon to re-​do it, but after all of that I had to go through and PAY for, I could not even handle the thought of that!
Awful customer service, awful result. I absolutely hated my experience and will never-​ever come back to this place. I wish someone could reimburse me for this hellish experience.

I just went to the salon for the first time. (I’ve had the same hair dresser for over ten years so this was a big step for me) I was extremely nervous, but boy did my hair come out amazing! The colorist I had, (Emily), did such an amazing job making sure I was getting the exact color that I wanted. I also got my hair trimmed and it looks and feels so much better. I am so happy that I went here! This will be my salon from now on. The prices are a bit high. We’re talking $ 45 – 50 a hair cut and all I got was a trim! But it is so beyond worth it! Everyone there is extremely genuine and makes sure that you’re well taken care of!

I would recommend this salon to anyone who wants the best for their hair. I had never been to Chameleon until today and it was the best experience I have yet to have in a hair salon. Emily was my hair stylist and she transformed my pony tail into runway hair. I was very impressed with the time she took to put in my angles and to make sure every layer looked natural. I also got a my color done. Being that it is summer most people tend to go lighter, well I wanted to go darker and exotic. Emily showed me the colors I had options with explained what each color would do and then agreed with my choice. When she washed out my hair I was in shock, it was everything I wanted and could never find in a box. With my new cut and gorgeous color I feel great an cant wait to tell everyone where I got my hair done. The price may be a tad bit higher than other places but I do not think you could possibly find a nicer stylist (who kept up a good conversation) who is equally talented around here.

I honestly love this place. I’ve been going for 3 years and I always have a great experience. I’ve had highlights, cuts, and even a few perms when I was into that look. Each time everyone was friendly, worked hard, and my hair looked amazing. I come here from NYC because the cuts are so great. Ashley is an amazing stylist and always listens to what I want and doesn’t push produce or other things on you like most salons in the city do. The rewards program is also nice. Try this place!

Ive been a client at Chameleon Café & Spa for about 3 years, and every time I always have such a wonderful experience! Meridith is absolutely amazing, along with so many others that I wouldn’t have enough time to list them all ! They listen to what you want, give their suggestions, but DON’T push anything on you, and take their time! They always give 100%, with their work, no matter what service it is! I recently had Stephanie, and she Rocked the «Glaze» in my hair. the color looked awesome! I received so many compliments!, I am so grateful there is a salon with such INTEGRITY!!!

Today I had my first hair cut at Chameleon and couldn’t wait to get on here and Unilocal about it! My appointment was with Betty, who I highly recommend. I have pin straight thick hair, which does not look good layered (despite the numerous times I have told hair stylists this its almost like they don’t believe me). Betty asked me what I was looking for, she asked very detailed questions to make sure she gave me EXACTLY what I was looking for, I can’t tell you how many questions she asked, and the end result… YES exactly what I wanted! Finally! I went from long hair to a nice short angled towards the front short cut. I waited a couple days to post this so I could update on the ease of styling… I was nervous that it would be one of those experiences where you look incredible walking out of the salon but you can never seem to recreate the look… turns out another plus, she did such a good time, its a quick easy style, I bought the Bumble and Bumble styling lotion which I have to say works wonders, a quick blow dry and pass through with the flat iron and it looks BETTER than when I left the salon. I am sure all of the stylists at Chameleon are just as talented, but I can def. attest to Betty’s sweet attitude and awesome styling abilities. I live in New Haven but the plus side to the North Haven location… PARKING!!!