Brown-Aveda Institute

I just wanted a trim and did not want to go pay $ 70 for the usual haircut. Figured I’d try out a beauty school, and found Brown-​Aveda. Upon making an appointment, I asked for a more experienced student since I have a unique hair texture, I was told all students must be toward the end of their program in order to work on human models.
I went in and was greeted by smiling faces. I was offered coffee, tea and, water. They have a beautiful store-​front. A few minutes later, I was greeted by Marcus who is just such a great, friendly guy. I told him exactly what I wanted, an instructor confirmed my requests and we started with an awesome shampoo/​head massage. My haircut was exactly what I asked for and I asked for blunt bangs as well. Leah, the instructor came over and did it herself while teaching Marcus the techniques she used to do so. I really appreciated that she wanted to ensure I would get the bangs I wanted. Marcus went on to style my hair into this sleek, shiny mane. He took his time and it came out gorgeous, I couldn’t have been happier.
Prices are really great and I was in and out in under two hours, and I have a lot of hair so the timing is just right. I plan on coming back once more to see Marcus before he graduates and will try other services in the future.

I was fully prepared to give an awesome review, trust me when I say I really wanted to love this place. The services are cheap and the students are eager to make you happy. The management on the other hand not so much. My friend and I booked a facial for Tuesday at 1:30. We get there and the receptionist informs us that they «tried to call us» to let us know they weren’t able to do them. Well this obviously was a lie we never received any calls. She informed us that there were no rooms available to do the facials and that they only do facials on Thursdays… not Tuesdays. Why was I able to book then? The receptionist was unapologetic and they were unable to give us any other services besides a shampoo. not exactly what I had in mind for my afternoon. They offered to give us a plant peel free of charge next time we booked but honestly that add on is only $ 5 more than the original facial. I won’t be back unfortunately.

I have been coming to the school for about 5 years now. All but one haircut was exactly what I asked for. You get students, so be prepared for extra time. The reason for a four star review is the one and only bad cut. I get a stacked bob, so those need to look right. Thankfully my mom was able to trim it up a little bit and fix it. I was so disgusted I didn’t even want to go back for a couple days, but that’s what you get with a learning environment. I definitely learned my lesson to make sure and doublecheck it’s what I want before I leave. $ 15 is so much better for my budget than $ 50 for a cut.

Will never never return. Had planned an afternoon of pedicures. Had a new baby with us and upon arrival informed we could not take the baby in the back with us. The web site clearly says they will not perform services on anyone under 6. There is no mention of not being able to bring an infant with you. So one of us cancels to stay in the lobby with the baby-​who is sleeping and not bothering anyone-​There is no one else in the pedicure room for the entire service. In Addition the appts were at 2pm and at 2:30pm had to ask why we have been kept waiting. Someone then appears and says nothing about the wait. Better teach some customer service skills.

If you have plenty of time on your hands and are patient this is a great place to get all the salon services at a cheap price. You honestly can not beat the 40 min relaxation massage for $ 20. The students are always excited to have clients and typically enjoy helping you achieve any look you wanted.

So three of us went for a mani/​pedi. Our pedicure was fine. All our manicures were awful, peeled and chipped within hours of service, polish never dried. The students were all very nice. After the $ 144 bill and ugly nails we called to complain. They offered us a free paraffin treatment and manicure. Took them up on it. After getting serious attitude from one of the previous students we sat down and were told that the paraffin was complimentary but we would need to pay for a new manicure! We opted for just polish. Our students Wendy and Anthony (I think) were amazing and very helpful. However the polish is still not drying all the way and denting. I understand they are students and don’t blame them but their nail products suck and for sure will not be back for a nail treatment. Five stars for all the students but the one who was a straight up B and took our dissatisfaction personally, I pity any salon she may have a future with.

Coming here is a gamble, that’s probably why they have you sign a waiver acknowledging that it is a teaching school and that you will not be serviced by a professional. They also tell you up front that a haircut could take two hours. I knew all of this and read the reviews where some had a great experience and some had chunks of their hair missing. I figured if the students are at the stage where they are practicing on people then they should have a decent idea of what they are doing. So I took the risk and went in for a cut.
Luck was not on my side.
Showed up for my 9:30am appointment and the place was hopping. I browsed the makeup and hair care displays while others arriving after me were taken back. After 20 minutes I inquired about my appointment. Apparently my student was running a little late and when she came out she kind of just stood there and stared at me while the receptionist introduced us, twice. Off to an awkward start.
Back at her station she told me about the Brown Aveda experience, products they offered, and we discussed what I wanted done; basically just a good trim/​reshaping and I even brought several pictures of myself with my hair trimmed and styled. Simple. We started things off with her having me sniff three sticks then her applying whatever one smelled the best to my scalp and attempting to give me a scalp massage. She said that she had been cutting hair for 7 months out of the year long program, but there was a lot of her looking things up on her tablet, flipping through papers, jotting down notes and quickly stepping away to ask a question or grab something. Next we went to the wash room where she shampooed my hair, put in a hydrating mask, put some oily products on my face, wrapped a warm towel around my face, awkwardly massaged my arms and hands with oily lotion, then rinsed my hair. I was in there for such a long time that my neck hurt from laying on that sink for so long.
Back at her station she gets approval from an instructor to start cutting my hair. Fast forward to almost 4pm and I’ve been at this place over SIX HOURS. At first I tried reading magazines and chatting a little, but a couple hours in my body started shutting down from sitting there so long, that I just started staring desperately at everyone and praying they could understand the «Help me!» brain signals I was sending out. All of the other students around me were on their second or third customer after taking a long lunch break. I was trying to be understanding and patient, my student was nice, but this girl had no idea what she was doing. I kept looking for a way out, but I didn’t think I could make a dash for the door without causing a scene so I stayed, and died a little inside.
When it came time for the student to step away and the reviewer to come by and discuss my experience, I had tears in my eyes. I get that this is a teaching school, and while three different instructors came by to give advice (or actually stepped in to cut my hair themselves), none of them stopped to ask me how things were going or if I was fine sitting there for over six hours. Maybe I should have stood up and complained right away, but I don’t have that kind of personality and I wanted to give this girl a chance; I kept hoping it would end up okay.
It was a pretty bad experience and my hair reflected that. The cut was choppy and uneven, there were so many products in my hair that it looked like I hadn’t washed it in two weeks and the fumes were giving me a headache. The reviewer said she had heard about what was going on (so apparently the instructors were talking about it), apologized, did not charge me, offered to have another stylist wash and style my hair and asked that I don’t let one bad experience ruin my view of their institute. I declined her offer and instead swiftly made my way out the door and headed home where I took some Ibuprofen and scrubbed my hair twice.
I can’t give this place one star because I went in knowing it was a teaching school. However, I did expect the instructors to be more hands on and observant of their students and the customers. I came in for a simple trim and it never should have have taken over six hours. Instead of focusing on selling products and the free «perks», Brown Aveda needs to focus on teaching it’s students how to master cutting hair.

I visited the institute in rocky river and had a facial and massage. Very good price! Entire treatment was supposed to last 1hr 40 min however I was finished in about 1hr 15. Treatment was good but id rather get the full time specified!

A girl in one of my college courses asked me if I wanted to come with her to be a hair model for the student keratin certification. I decided to give it a try.
Everyone was so accommodating and polite. The two girls assigned to me did a wonderful. My hair is mega wild and the keratin treatment made my hair so smooth and beautiful! I couldn’t believe it! I would highly recommend having this treatment done at Brown Aveda! The students here are great!

:-(

I highly recommend coming here! Especially if you’re on a budget. I recently came here for a cut, color and highlight. I showed the girl who did my hair a picture of what I wanted and it came out great. And everything was $ 68 out the door, which is amazing.
You must be prepared to be here for a long time but that’s because they are still in school and are taking their time. I was there for a total of 4 hours but it was worth it. They also give you a complimentary hand/​arm massage and a mini facial. That was a nice surprise! The atmosphere here is very fun and all the girls seem to be close friends which is nice. They also have a lot of products that you can buy and give you a quick run down of what they used on you.
Before moving back to Ohio, I used to go to the Paul Mitchell school in Los Angeles and they were great too. Going to a beauty school to get treatments done is a smart choice. Worth checking out!

This place is the pits. I just moved here and in trying to save money, I decided to try out this Aveda school because I have had great luck with Paul Mitchell schools in the past. The reception area is nice and zen and in line with what I have experienced in regular Aveda salons. When you get in the back, it’s like a prison salon with dirty stations, bleach stained towels, etc. It took about 5 hours to give me a partial highlight and trim my hair. The color looks good but the girl cut my hair about an inch shorter in the back than in the front and therefore the dark unhighlighted hair from underneath pokes out. When I complained, the instructor told the student that she did a good job and told me that I should have brought a picture even though I just wanted a slight trim. Now, I can’t go somewhere else to get it corrected because I don’t want it any shorter than it is, thank God for pony tails!

I love coming to the training school for my beauty and relaxation! I’ve always had great cuts. This time I visited to have them correct a horrible cut I had gotten someplace I won’t name. Not only did they correct it they rocked it! Plus I was able to fix my at home box color and added beautiful purple highlights. I can’t be thankful enough for the work they did. And of course you can’t forget the individual attention and wonderful customer service from the time you are greeted at the door to your first cup of coffee!!! Great service at an outstanding price… You can’t loose!!!
PS you get all the sane fringe benefits of a regular Aveda salon without the hefty prices!

I started going here for hair cuts and color and no matter which student did my hair it always came out amazing! Everyone is very nice and polite, it always a fun atmosphere to be in. Which got me thinking and after much thought decided I would go get my cos license from the school! The teachers are so amazing and fun, and very accommodating to your educational needs. It’s a lot of hard work and structure but it’s also a blast and I truly love what I’m learning. Not to mention you can get a haircut, full single process color, mini facial, hand and arm massage, blow out and make up retouch for just $ 55.00!

Not the place to go for a quick trim-​The service I received was extensive and thorough however I was not prepared to spend 4 hours doing so. My stylist took time to take care of minor detail and even so far to use a round brush with a blow dryer to style it. Overall this was one of the best haircuts I have had and you can’t beat the price. I will take one star away simply because the time I spent there was excessive.

This is probably the best haircut I’ve gotten since I moved to Cleveland. The salon was busy the day I went, but everyone remained friendly and professional. You get all of these great bonus treatments when you get your hair done, making it a great place to go to treat yourself and relax. Instructors check in with the stylists throughout your appointment so it’s unlikely that you will leave with a bad cut.
Meigan was my stylist and my hair turned out exactly how I wanted it. She listened to what I wanted and added her own thoughts on what would look best on me. I definitely plan on having her style my hair again. She was extremely nice and excellent at what she does.
Overall, my experience was great and I plan on going back in the future.

I met these really cool, sweet girls at the Unilocal Nauti by Nature party from the Brown Aveda Institute, so I decided to check the place out when I found myself in need of a quick split ends cleanup cut. It was a great experience and an unbelievable deal! I called on a Friday and was able to make a convenient appointment for the next day.
My haircut was with Kayleigh. The treatment included the haircut, scalp massage, mini-​facial, and arm and hand massage. I also did the add-​on nail buff and shape treatment (a mini manicure, which was perfect) with Hayley. Both of those girls were so great! They both really know what they’re doing, are super pleasant and sweet, and just generally adorable people.
My haircut is PERFECT — exactly what I wanted!
All of that pampering came out to a total of $ 20, which is insane! I did find out that tipping is not permitted at the school, which is a bummer, because the students work really hard and are doing an awesome job.

Overall, this is the nicest Aveda I’ve been to and was a really good deal for a good haircut!
I’ve been to Aveda in Columbus before and always got bad haircuts. just didn’t think it was worth it. But I’d heard this one was nice so I tried it and I’m glad I did!
So, first off: the place is really busy and loud. That’s the downside. The lobby is nice but the back area is hectic! Just prepare yourself for that.
You get a great little head rub and shoulder rub before your hair is washed. Then you get a mini facial after your wash! That is all awesome but again, only semi-​relaxing because it’s noisy and crowded in there. Not a big deal but just something to point out. The Columbus one I went to did have a very dark and peaceful room for facials /​hair washing which was nice and I sort of wish they had that here!
The important part: the haircut! I have thick and somewhat long hair and I must warn you: I WAS THERE FOR THREE HOURS. This is important to note. Usually my haircuts take maybe one hour. BUT clearly I got extra stuff (massages and facial) and the girl was a student, obviously, so I think it’s logical that it took so long. just make sure you give yourself plenty of time for the appointment!
They check the cut at several different points– before, during and after! I am very pleased with my cut for only $ 15 (insane!) and plan to go back. Everyone there was nice and it was a good experience overall, just not super convenient in some ways. 100% worth the price, though, if you ask me!

Last Saturday I got the best haircut I’ve ever had. James is the best! I have had at least 3 or 4 compliments every day for the past week on how good it looks. And I agree… it does look good. Best of all is that it’s easy to take care of with a minimum of fussing… just wash, fluff and go.
The students are very professional, and have very high standards. They listen when you tell them what you want, and are very good at showing you how to do all of those fun tricks that make your hair look good.
Thanks, Aveda Brown!

It’s a great day at Aveda every day, and today is a great day for me with an affordable haircut at the Aveda Institute!
I’ve visited Aveda institutes in the past and didn’t realize this one was right in my backyard. Some of the highlights were my awesome haircut, the scalp/​shoulder and hand/​arm massages I got and the makeup touch-​up. All of this was included in the price of the $ 15 haircut!
Today I visited for a haircut and blowout. For tips on how to schedule your own Aveda experience and how I liked mine, read on!
— Appointments: you will need to book an appointment, and make sure to call about a week in advance, especially if you want to go on a weekend.
— Arrival: upon arriving, you will be asked to sign in and fill out a release form that states that you understand the services will be performed by a student. Enjoy some comfort tea while you wait — this place even lets you have a full cup of it instead of the sample sizes some other Aveda places restrict to.
— Haircut: I described to my student exactly what I wanted in my haircut. An instructor checked it at several points along the way and I was very satisfied with the result.
If you go, keep in mind that it will take some time. My appointment today was at 9:15 and I went back around 9:30 and left the salon around 11:30. This is longer than it has taken me at other Aveda Institutes, but I didn’t mind since I had the time and was expecting it to take a bit. Still, the cut is fantastic and I enjoyed the extra pampering to boot!

If you haven’t heard about this awesome school, you have been missing out on some awesome pampering! I have been going here on and off for several years and have always been pleased with the services the students provide. My recent visit was great and I enjoyed a facial, hand/​arm massage, haircut, style and even received complimentary makeup and tips! Looking forward to my next appointment in a few weeks!

You can’t beat this place. $ 30 for a full body massage, the same for a facial. I’ve been to both locations and have had a positive experience with each. I guess I’m not the best judge b/​c I’ve never been to a «professional» place, but I image there is not much of a difference. I think it’s definitely worth it.
Never got my haircut there so I can’t vouch for that.