Timothy John Salon and Spa

I took my toddler son here for a haircut. I went in the middle of the day on a weekday hoping it wouldn’t be too busy in case my son was loud during the haircut, but surprisingly the salon was really busy even at that time (not crowded, but just full). They do accommodate children’s haircuts, with a booster seat and lollipop, etc, and pricing was very reasonabble. But personally I think this is not the place to bring a very young child if they are loud (as mine is), since they will disturb other guests (as I found out the hard way with my kid screaming during his haircut). The woman who cut his hair was extremely sweet and got us through it quickly though, and the haircut she gave him looked great despite him moving around so much. Everyone from the receptionist to the stylist was extremely nice.
It’s my mistake for not realizing this was a more adult-​focused relaxing atmosphere. I won’t be bringing my son back here anytime soon, but I thought the salon looked great and will probably return here to try out a haircut or wax for myself.

I have been going to Timothy John for about a year now. First for haircuts, now for waxing. Every time I have been has been very enjoyable. I was extremely nervous about getting a bikini wax and Shelly was AMAZING! I can’t recommend her enough — especially for first timers. The salon itself is very clean and has a great atmosphere and I find the pricing to be very reasonable.

Just today I gave Timothy John a try again despite getting the worst haircut ever years ago by Tim himself. I had another bad haircut in February 2014, not at Timothy John, but at Fuad’s. It had been over a year since I had my hair cut because the stylist at Fuad’s didn’t listen to me regarding the length. I asked for a one-​length cut at just above my shoulders and he gave me a one length cut just below my ears.
I figured what have I got to lose? I’ve been getting bad haircuts since I’ve lived in the C-​U and the one good stylist I had in Champaign moved to Chicago a few years ago.
I really needed a haircut so I decided to give Timothy John a try again only this time I was booked with Tina and she did a great job! She gave me a lovely one length cut just above my shoulders, which is exactly what I wanted. She styled it very nicely. It was smooth and bouncy. I think it’s hard to rate an entire salon because obviously it depends on the individual stylist you get, and they are not all going to be good. If they aren’t going to listen and you’re stuck growing a haircut for a year or more then they’re not a good stylist! I would rate Tina 5 stars! She knows how to cut and style hair and she listens! I finally found a good stylist in Urbana-​Champaign! Unfortunately, we’ll be moving by the end of this summer. Highly recommend Tina at Timothy John.

I went there to get a color and cut for the holidays. Only to find out that they are running 20+ mins behind schedule. I couldn’t wait that much longer because I care for my elderly mother-​in-​law and she can’t be left alone for long periods of time.
This inability to be on time is so upsetting because this was my only «personal time» for the whole week. I wanted to be, and deserve to be pampered. I wanted nice hair for the holidays.
But all because someone can’t stay on schedule I don’t get that luxury. I couldn’t reschedule because family is coming to my house for the holidays.
This was my ONLY time to get my hair done.
Very disappointing. They didn’t even offer a solution or some sort of compensation.
I’ll never go there again.

I’m very particular about waxers doing a good job so I was iffy to try a new place, but I was pleasantly surprised. The salon itself was nice and clean and I really liked my waxer. She did a great job, was very quick, and I got a full leg wax and a brazilian for about $ 100 including tip. Great service at a great price, I think I’ve found my Champaign waxing salon!

I go here to see Shelly for waxing and she is fantastic! It’s a comfortable environment and best of all I’m in and out in 15 minutes. One thing I really love about Timothy John is that it is really easy to get an appointment, not only in the same week that you are calling, but most of the time within the same day! They’ve got a scheduling system that also texts you the day before your appointment to confirm it, which is pretty nice.

«Eek! Methinks not.» Judging by all of the other positive reviews that first led me here, I would say that my bad experience was related strictly to the employee with whom I had an appointment. (I believe her name was Molly). I am not a picky person (I don’t usually give a fig about my hair), and hate confrontation, but I wish that I had stood up for myself and walked away before she started cutting. I’ll describe my experience below, but suffice to say, if you want to go to this salon, get advice from other patrons about who the skilled employees are. They need some quality control on their employees. If someone seems out of it, run before they can put scissors to your head!
I was a walk-​in and so waited before they could fit me in, which was fine – they gave me an ipad to collect photos of what I had in mind. I amassed quite a few – but the odd thing was though I tried to walk her through what I wanted, she didn’t seem to listen and whisked the ipad away without even a glance. OK, FIRST warning. Then, as she was washing my hair, she was incredibly rough – my understanding is that Aveda training is supposed to make this a relaxing, even pleasant experience? Then, without testing the water, she streamed scalding hot water onto my scalp – I actually screamed – it hurt and scared the pants off me. She said «Ow, that burned my hand. I’m sorry.» Ummm… OK, SECOND warning.
It continued to devolve from there – she began to cut after forcing my hair into a center part, even though I told her I part to the side. I sounded like a micro-​manager, I’m sure, but then she seemed surprised when she dried it, parted it where my natural part is, and had a FULLY asymmetrical haircut. She then proceeded to keep cutting at the side that was already shorter, even though I was quickly losing inches that I had wanted to keep. It was really alarming. I stopped her and said, I don’t think you are listening to me – the two sides are asymmetrical, I’m not worried about that one side being uneven, cut the other side to match that side. She responded «I’m trying to make this side perfect before I even them out.»…all the while, I am losing length.
OK…another employee picked up on my distress and came over and showed her how things had «gotten off balance». She then used some pretty basic technique to lighten up the clumsy layers that Molly had slashed into my hair. I am so thankful that she interceded – I was about to tear up, and I was tempted to just run before she could keep «fixing» the one side… I could go on, but this was just a very bizarre, negative experience. I have told this story and people are shocked that I still had to pay for this haircut. Props to the second employee for coming in and rescuing me, but I will not be returning to this establishment, until they have more quality control of all their employees.

I recently moved away from Urbana, and I really miss getting my hair cut by Katie G. She does a great job, and I wish I could bring her with me to Chicago. She does a wonderful job cutting layers and fitting your haircut to your face shape. I really felt like she listened to me and took my hair texture and face into account when cutting my hair.

A good, solid salon Friendly and competent staff, and in a nice neighborhood in Urbana. It’s not especially edgy or the trendiest place in the world, but no complaints.

The stylist (Tina) and makeup artist (Shelly) that did all the hair and makeup for my wedding were fantastic. Extremely courteous and talented beyond the norm. The salon also communicated with their staff well and managed to open on a day they were normally closed, to ensure we would be ready for the event. Prices are a bit more than I’m used to, but going here was definitely worth it and ensured everyone was happy with the results.
My hair is thick and curly — just about every stylist I’ve been to has been baffled on how to straighten it properly. Tina definitely did without any trouble at all. I also had a partial idea of how I wanted the style, and she came up with the rest to make it come out great. I will go here again next time I’m in town.
I’ve never had makeup done before, but Shelly did a great job of making it clean, subtle, and great overall. Thanks!

I absolutely love this salon! The simple fact that it has been booming for 30+ years lets you know how they clearly understand their clients and what they want. I have gone to Katie G for colors and cuts as well as Emma when I can’t get into her and they are great. Katie does such a good job of knowing exactly what I want and is super personable. I’ve also had esthetics services here which are fabulous! Love the Aveda product line and will be a loyal customer for years to come!!!

Update: I called back the next morning and got in with Katie B. She did an excellent job communicating and was able to mostly fix the previous disaster. She had a deft touch and got the color correction and styling done in less than 90min. I will be back for Katie B.
I called and asked for an experienced stylist for a full foil as I don’t have time to do touch-​ups and fixes. I ended up with a girl that had only started last week, but was assured by the receptionist that she knew what she was doing with color. The stylist was nice enough, but obviously didn’t listen to a word I said. I gave her a color range and said I wanted to stay between those two shades but mostly lighter and I had a very tender scalp. Not only did she pull out my hair, when I specifically asked her not to comb my hair wet — she argued with me. She ripped my hair out during the shampoo process — while apologizing — and took over 2.5hrs to get my hair to the semi-​damp stage (not dry and no style). As I was running late I didn’t have time to look it over carefully until after work. Now that I have been able to see it dry and in the light, it is terrible! Its red with 3 highlights stuck on each side of my head, bleed marks, and most of the streaks start an inch+ away from my scalp!!! (Btw my natural color hair is honey blonde, not red!) The receptionists didn’t ask if I was satisfied, just took my money and asked if I wanted to leave a tip. I called back tonight and left a message asking for someone to call me back tomorrow. We shall see. $ 80 totally down the toilet.

I just moved to this area for school and needed to find a salon. I chose Timothy John because of all of the great reviews and was incredibly disappointed.
When I first walked in, it looked more like a daycare than a salon. There were little kids running around and screaming everywhere. When I think «salon,» I think of a relaxing atmosphere, not this place. So… this was my first impression. Whatever, I was willing to deal with it for a good haircut.
For $ 36 I got to have my hair DESTROYED!
I am a woman with shorter hair and I usually go for a more funky, asymmetrical cut. When I sat down in the chair I asked for a trim on top and shorter on the sides. The girl who did my hair did a «jack-​ass» on the side of my head. (For those of you that have seen the movie Jack-​Ass, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about here.) I just about lost it! I calmly told the girl «I’m not sure if you misunderstood what I was asking for, but I don’t want ALL of my hair cut off.» For some idiotic reason, I let her finish. Needless to say, my head looked like a soup-​sandwich (hot sh! tty mess) by the time she finished. I told the lady at the reception desk that it was the worst haircut I’ve ever had in my life… true.
I immediately made an appointment at H20, where I was able to be seen a half hour later. Anna was able to fix my hair and blend the spot the other girl hacked into.
I have had short hair most of my life and I’ve never really understood why women with long hair sometimes get so emotional, and sometimes cry, when they get their hair cut. I understand that feeling perfectly today.
Long story short, I should have just gone to H2O. It actually ended up being cheaper anyway and the salon itself was WAY nicer, along with the staff.

Although its a bit off the way from the normal UIUC area, it’s a really good place with a reasonably priced haircut ($ 24), but if you go to their website there is a $ 5 off coupon for first time customers. I’m easy to please when it comes to haircuts, but I was pleased nonetheless.

I originally started coming here to see Shelly for waxing. She made me feel so comfortable and she’s quick too! I had also always wanted red hair and had tried a few times myself and never liked it. I didn’t have an appointment but I didn’t even have to wait one minute and they had me in a chair. The first time it was done it was not bad but was not the color I had wanted but that didn’t discourage me the next time I went back I saw a new person, Tina, and simply tried to explain better what I had wanted and what I didn’t like about the last time. This time was a lot better but still not quite right but knowing red hair can be tricky I stuck with Tina and tried again and now its perfect! Tina has been doing my hair for 2 years now and I still get complements on the color daily! She also gave me the exact cut and style I wanted from a photo which has NEVER worked for me anywhere else.
Whenever I call to make an appointment they are able to get me in the next day or the day after. Price wise I have not ventured to many salons but from asking friends what they pay it seems average not expensive but I do know it is the best price for a full leg waxing (aside from the nail salon that I use to go to that did it in a closet, which was the same price and but without English!).

I’ve had no issues with this salon. They are very professional and listen to what you want. I’m a pretty open person so I tend to give the stylist a general direction and also listen to what they think (they are the professionals). I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on cuts that I’ve had done here. Overall, I have a good experience when I go here. I park along the street when I go here; it’s fairly easy to find parking from my experience so far.
Update: I’ve gone a second time and the haircuts for our children was not very good and we ended up having the hair redone at another location. I’m told that the stylist that I had when I went before (in review above) is no longer there so maybe that explains it.

I am writing this review for Shelly, the esthetician. I have worked with Shelly for about 5 years now. Even though I don’t live in Urbana, every time I visit I get my eyebrows done. I have tried many places in Chicago and been very unhappy with the results. She really really listens, and does a great job! She did my brows for my wedding, and she is the only person that I trust. She is also GREAT at bikini waxes too! I definitely recommend her! She is the BEST there is!

Laura has been my new hairdresser since I moved to the area last year — I was truly surprised to see a bad review about her. She is very sweet and she’s very good company. She also does a great job on my hair. I have A LOT of hair, and as she’s cutting it, she goes through and double checks a lot of her work to make sure it is perfect. I have never been anything less than IN LOVE with everything she has done with my hair. She is a great conversationalist. I am hair stupid, so she also takes the time as she’s styling it at the end to explain to me thoroughly how to do everything and show me step by step so I can recreate the look at home easily.
I love going to get my haircut there. I don’t dye my hair, but these people are all professionals. If I do decide to go a different color, I would have no problem trusting Laura to do it. She is a sweetheart.
I have only had my hair done there. I have never had my nails or make up done there, but the next time I have the money to get my nails done, I will definitely go to Timothy John. Also, even if I call the day of, they’ve always been able an appointment. Yesterday, I called at 1PM because I had a surprise day off, and they had me in by 3:30.

This review is for Shelly the esthetician at Timothy John’s. I met Shelly for a makeup trial for my wedding day. She was professional and very friendly and I immediately knew she was listening to my needs and my concerns. I have had makeup done a lot — formals and such, and I usually don’t like the way people do it for me — I often think maybe the asian eyes have something to do with it. But anyway, we worked through some looks and when I wasn’t completely in love with a certain color of eyeshadow or how light or heavy it was put on, she did not take offense and modified everything just perfectly. She wrote everything down on paper so I knew she was going to be well prepared for wedding day.
Zoom forward to several weeks later, wedding day — she was willing to accomodate all my bridesmaids starting from early on the in the morning. Everyone came out looking great and when I got there, it was so helpful to see she was prepared and she was there to calm me down and make sure I hit the aisle looking my best.
I loved my makeup and even today when I look at my wedding pictures I am so glad I met Shelly!
Oh and I saw her for eyebrow waxing before the wedding — she’s awesome at that as well!

I got my hair cut a few days ago here, by Melissa. It was the best cut I’ve ever had. I have very fine long hair, and she cut it dry, which made a big difference. I’ve been to another «fancy» salon in CU, which was very unprofessional and overpriced. I liked that I wasn’t pushed to buy a bunch of product, either. Will be returning to get highlights.