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Aveda Institute Columbus-Gateway
Categories: Beauty and Spas Hair Salons Beauty and Spas Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Shopping Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Beauty and Spas Nail Salons Hair Salons, Cosmetics & Beauty Supply, Nail Salons [Edit]
1581 N High StColumbus, OH 43201
Neighborhood: University District
(614) 291-2421
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 9 am - 9 pm
Sat 9 am - 7:30 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- By Appointment Only:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
$75 for $100 Deal
Max S. said: "My girlfriend and I just got our haircuts this week..what an amazing experience!!!!!!..Jacob is a true master at his craft and he did an awesome job…" read more »
12 reviews for Aveda Institute Columbus-Gateway
12 reviews in English
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Review from Cheryl H.
12/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
I had my hair done here recently...
TOTALLY different vibe from the Neil Aveda location.
While the Neil Aveda struck me as "yeah we're still students but we're trying to pretend we're a spa" vibe (which I may or may not have articulated in my previous reviews of that local), the High St. spot was crammed with as many possible students as they could possibly fit into one room. It was... awkward.
Don't get me wrong, I still got a fab cut and color for SIXTY BUCKS equipped with their mystical lay-down washing beds, and had an awesome stylist (and the girl next to her who insisted on assisting in straightening my hair, claiming it was "like a barbie dolls" - false!)
My summary is just that... yes, rad place to go for a budget-friendly cut and color. But if you can... go to the Neil location. -
Review from Stephanie B.
Scotch Plains, NJ
8/2/2011
This place sucks. They start off by telling you all of the free services they'll give you-- a facial, which left my skin oily for the rest of the day, a crappy massage and a hair cleansing with Aveda's products... which did not leave professional results on my hair, unfortunately.
The girl who cut my hair said she had years of experience. However, she used too much of Aveda's oily products on my hair, failed at a simple cut (side bangs and long layers) and blow-dried my hair with a paddle brush (wtf?).
I finally got out of there after an hour and a half. I went straight home, took a shower and put my hair in a pony tail.
I guess you get what you pay for. -
Review from Cara H.
Dublin, OH
1/30/2011
I wish I could give the Aveda Institute less than a star, but alas, I cannot.
Let me start by saying that when you go to the Aveda Institute, you are very likely to GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
I went in for a routine partial highlight. I have dark blonde / light brown hair to begin with, and I have never had an issue with a simple highlight.
So as to minimize your reading time of my review and hopefully maximize the amount of people who read this before considering going to the institute, here are my issues in list form:
1. It took FOUR F*****G HOURS for something that usually takes 45 mins.
2. My hair is now dark and brassy with a lovely greenish tint.
3. There are splotches of color randomly throughout my hair against my scalp. The stylist tried to fix them, but obviously didn't succeed...
4. The woman behind me got a hack job haircut that her stylist kept trying to fix, but to no avail. She looked like she was going to cry.
5. The students are supposed to be under the supervision of an instructor, but they are not. My stylist kept asking the other students around her for advice. They all just kept saying "Um, yeah I don't know..."
Don't waste your time or money on these idiots. I asked my stylist if it was hard to get in because when you hear Aveda, you think quality (or at least I used to). She said, "Um, not really. I mean, they didn't really ask us anything on our application." So it seems that any moron off the street can just sign up and start cluelessly doing hair. Even for $35 it is NOT worth the risk of them destroying your hair.
Think long and hard about what you are willing to risk before you make an appointment at the Aveda Institute. -
Review from Janis L.
Columbus, OH
3/10/2012
I went in for a simple highlight to brighten and lighten my hair. It was a disaster. The girl was new and received little to no instruction from her educator. I ended up with brown hair and when I said so to both women the educator told me that it was the product she used in my hair that only made it appear to be darker! I have been to the Aveeda institute in Cincinnati and only had great experiences. I was stunned at the treatment I received at the Columbus Aveeda and would never go back.
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Review from barb s.
11/17/2010 4 Check-ins Here
First of all, this is a school where future coif masters hone their craft. These are students with varying levels of skill. This is not Nurtur, Phia or Lennonheads. Adjust your expectations accordingly.
I come here to have my I'm-not-really-this-blonde roots done. I don't have my hair cut here, I go to one of the above for that. I'll tell you what though, these kids work HARD. They work with their instructors closely and take their time to do the best they can for the client. You get the royal treatment here. A mini facial, hand and arm massage, water or tea. When you factor in the olfactory treat of Aveda products and at a fraction of the price of retail salons, you have an automatic win-win
I am very light blonde and my initial highlights were done at Aveda and when I got my hair cut at Phia, my stylist asked who did my color and when I said an Aveda student, she asked me to tell the student to go see Phia when she graduates, the color was beautiful! So now I maintain my roots there.
Although it can be hit or miss, (the last time they did them, my roots didn't lighten enough) it is a good value. If they make a mistake of something isn't right they will do it over until it is right.
Again, know what you want before you go, pack your patience as it will take longer than usual as these are students. If you are worried about things being perfect then go to one of the above mentioned salons. This can be a wonderful experience, you get the service you want and pampering at a fraction of the cost. You can beat that with a stick!
You can also get all of your products there including makeup. I use the mineral makeup and it rivals my old Lancome mineral makeup. At the Neil avenue school you can find all of Aveda essential oils. Parking at the 2 hour meters or the parking garage across the street. -
Review from Toine R.
Gahanna, OH
5/11/2011
So I normally review consumable establishment but every now and again I come across a place that needs to have a shout out given and the Aveda Institute is one if those places because they provide services at which aren't priced too terribly high and the services are !!! The staff and students also seem to like the school and company. All pluses.
Service was friendly, students knowledgeable and for my $26 pedi I walk out the door knowing my tip went to a great cause and the polish I just had applied! Yay! The only down side it it's in campus and we all know what parking is like there but again for $26, I'm willing to walk. -
Review from Vika J.
Columbus, OH
11/7/2011
Thermal style can't go wrong but u definitely don't wanna color ur hair here,Im aquatinted with the hair styling n coloring,been around the world attending fashion show and I can tell you they can't even figure out ur hair color level.mine was 9 but the instructor "tara" took it as 8 and missed certain crucial processes during the coloring and messed my hair up!n when she realized shes screwed she left n never come back, leaving the student running around asking for other instructors help...now I gotta fix it in other salon!god knows how much I care about my hair,people can see me at least 3times/wk in salons and just cuz I was a friend of the student I gave aveda a shot to screwed my precious hair up...
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Review from Karen L.
Columbus, OH
2/6/2010
Had a mani/pedi here the other day - worst experience of my life. I know they are students and they are trying.... but they were terribly disorganized (lots of getting up and down and rummaging around for products), not very skilled, didn't do a good job with the massage, and did the worst polish application ever. I had to take the file from the girl and file my own nails! She didn't seem to see that each nail was horribly misshapen. They offered me a free parafin dip.... that was scented Vanilla!?! At Aveda!?! Really? I stank of Tahitian Breeze the rest of the day.
I would much rather spend 60 dollars at a real Aveda salon then ever go back to the chaos of the student experience ever again. Yuck. -
Review from Susan R.
10/11/2010
I've held this review for a long time...
I got married 11 months ago. Because I was under an extreme budget, I made appointments for myself and some of the gals at the Aveda Institute the morning of the wedding. Although I recognized that they were students, they were supposed to be supervised; when it comes to beauty stuff, I'm really pretty simple in my needs. I have really nice hair that is naturally curly, so I don't need a whole lot of styling, but I wanted something a little special for my wedding day.
When I called, I told them that I was the bride, and made appointments for my mom, my friend, and my grandmother. When we arrived, the welcome was very nice; we had to wait a short while, but we were served tea in the interim. I got a few quiet moments to spend with my mom and grandma that morning, before all the madness, so I didn't so much mind waiting.
I was the last person to be called to the chair. My hair was a mess; I'd just rolled out of bed, so it needed washing (I wanted the full treatment that day!). The hair-washing and free mini-facial that I was offered was nice.
The girl that was my student stylist ended up being probably the slowest and least-experienced girl that they had--certainly she wasn't nearly as confident in her abilities as the stylists that my family got. Maybe she was nervous because I was the bride, I have no idea--but she took forever curling my hair, and when it was finished, it looked terrible. I looked like a grown-up Shirley Temple. But I didn't have time for them to fix it because it took her hours to curl my hair--even in big curls.
My makeup took longer than it should have, and I ended up with horrible color choices. The supervisor was even helping, and together, they managed to put shades of light blue around my eyes--I have green eyes, pinkish undertones, and blue is really not my color--and a horrible dark lip color after I said I wanted a light one. She kept pointing to darker colors and saying, "What about those?" What part of "light" was hard to understand? By that time, I needed to go (like an hour before), so I nodded and smiled with whatever color choices they made so I could get the hell out of there.
The upsides: they did give me a little bit of "touch-up" lip color (which I took to be polite and then trashed because I rubbed off the lip color when I got home) in case my color faded before the ceremony. It was inexpensive. My mom looked super cute.
Now, I don't so much blame the girl because she obviously was doing to the best of her ability and she was still a student. But she was either having a REALLY off day, or the supervisor paired me up with the least experienced stylist that they had; if it was the latter, I can only say, thanks, supervisors--thanks for calling that shot the morning of my wedding when I specified when I called that I was the bride. Because if her performance for the day was on par with her performance on other days, you really could have paired her with someone else who didn't need as much attention. My bridesmaid needed just a simple style, she would have been a much better fit for my stylist.
My mom and everyone else came out looking cute, so I won't say that this is a bad place to go before a wedding--but I do urge you to make sure you talk to the supervisors and make sure you have the most experienced student on-staff that day, or you might end up with a hot mess on your head and face. I actually had to go home and touch up my makeup with my own products to make it look not-terrible. I couldn't do much with my hair; unfortunately, it was locked into place the whole day. And I'm still mad about the whole experience.
Edit: I did allot for quite a lot of time at the salon; as one poster noted, they do work at a slower pace. What ended up happening was that she curled ALL of my hair, which I couldn't see because I was at an odd angle and the sun was glaring right through those big glass windows in the front. I just wanted a few curls to go with my natural ones, so I'm not sure how that ended up turning into Shirley Temple ringlets all over my head. So while I wasn't expecting her to be a speed demon, I wish that she had wheeled me around so I could see what she was doing more clearly before she curled ALL of my hair (and before I spent three hours in the chair!). -
Review from Nicole B.
Dublin, OH
6/9/2010
When my favorite stylist over at Lennonheads (Polaris) moved to Chicago (Kayla, come back!!) I was devastated. I had my hair cut by another stylist and it wasn't the same. So, I knew no matter what I'd do it wouldn't live up to the miracles my hair had once seen.
When I needed a trim on my newly short do' I figured I'd head over to the Aveda Institute. I've read of their insanely great pricing ($19 for a cut? WAHOO) and all I really needed was a trim. Sounded like a good plan.
My advice- get there or call and make an appointment EARLY! The spots do fill up fast. It might seem a little busy or chaotic in there, but let me tell you it is a well oiled machine in there.
Now, the Institute is NOT for people who are obsessed with their hair being perfect. Why? Because your hair is being cut by STUDENTS and while they have teachers and supervisors to help, a mistake might happen. Hence, the waiver at the beginning. But, the do try to correct ALL mistakes, if they should happen.
When I had my hair cut, I had a great mini back/shoulder/neck massage and a fabulous shampoo (you get to lay on a table, totally awesome experience IMHO). My cut was apparently more complicated than I realized (I have an angled bob) and it was interesting to hear/see/watch the teacher and student analyze my cut.
My only issue I had with my cut, and it honestly isn't their fault, is that my hair is SO thick that they had to thin it out....and in the process they cut a piece near the crown of my head a wee bit too short...and now a cowlick makes it stick out if I don't flat-iron it down. Oh well, its not like THEY knew (heck, I didn't know!) I had a cowlick there that would do that! My theory is, it will grow back!
My hair did look great though. However, make sure to schedule more time than usual for your cut because it takes much longer than in a salon. I was there for about 3 hours total. But, you get EXCELLENT service! -
Review from Stephanie B.
2/5/2009 1 photo
I love, love, love Aveda! It is about the only place I'll go to get my hair cut in Columbus. That being said, I never want anything too complicated, so Aveda's not bad for someone like me. My hair's pretty simple - just really long and wavy and I'm usually only coming in here for a trim once every couple of months.
Aveda is a chain of salons, but also a school for students to learn to be a stylist. This particular location is part of the school. Most of the stylists here are working as part of their training, and thus are still learning. So if you're super picky and need something complicated, perhaps it's best to steer clear of the institute. There are other Aveda salons with certified stylists. But the plus side to coming here is that it's dirt cheap! And the service you get is really good. I only ever come here for a simple haircut, which is only $19. And you're not allowed to tip your stylist here. Since they are "in school," they can't accept them. You can, if you wish, donate to their "Tip for a Cause" program, in lieu of a tip, but I'm not sure what cause that is. So less than $20 for a haircut is great.
But it's also more than just a haircut! You get a whole variety of treatments here when you come in. You'll be treated to a small cup of tea while you wait for your stylist, and when they arrive they will offer you a facial. This consists of a short facial massage, some relaxing lotions and a warm towel placed over your face. It's so nice. They will also offer you a neck and shoulder massage, which you'll have to kneel in a massage chair for. Also pretty nice, but the facial is my favorite. When you're laying down for the facial they will also shampoo your hair. This is all complimentary! So don't worry about washing your hair before. The shampoos and conditioners they use smell so good - I love the way my hair smells after I leave here. It's so great because making an appointment for a haircut gets you all that I mentioned. They are all pretty quick services, but it's still really nice, so you're all relaxed when it's time for your haircut.
I should mention that if you make an appointment (no walk-ins!) be prepared for this to take all afternoon. The stylists here aren't confident yet so they are very slow. You'll be surprised how long they take to do a simple trim. But it's nice to know that they are concentrating and taking their time. I would expect to be here no less than 3 hours. True story: Once I came here for a haircut before an OSU football game. I was supposed to meet my friends at BW3's around the time the game started. I got to Aveda 2 hours before the game started and assumed I had plenty of time. Wrong. I didn't get out of there until halftime. So yeah, it takes a while. Clear your schedule.
The stylists are all really nice and I always have a fun time talking to them. I've never had the same stylist twice because there are so many people in this school and their training only lasts so long so there's a lot of rotation. This location is at the South Campus Gateway - it has moved from its original location on Neil. It's much bigger!
How it works is after your hair is washed, they'll take you to their station and put a cape thing on you to catch the falling hair. It all depends on what you want and how the stylist works. Sometimes they'll cut your hair wet, but I've had some that prefer to dry it first. Either way, you'll be sitting here for a while. But the nice thing is that they aren't allowed to let you leave with wet hair. So whenever they are done cutting your hair, they'll dry it for you and my stylists have always offered to style it for me. This means that they'll just usually bust out the straightener and leave it all smooth and sleek for me. Since the cuts I want are always simple, I've never had any problems here. Sometimes I want them to cut my bangs at an angle and that takes them a while to figure out, but it always looks good in the end. And you don't get charged for the drying and styling, so really, $19 gets you the complete package. You can't beat that!
Once the student stylist gets finished with cutting your hair, they have to go and get one of their supervisors, who will then look at your haircut and ask you if it's what you wanted. They might make a few adjustments, and then they will sign off on a sheet so the student can get credit for the haircut. This is your chance to have a professional stylist's touch if needed, so speak up if you aren't happy with anything. I've never had to have anything fixed - the students do a great (albeit slow) job here.
And then you're done! Your student stylist will take you over to the front counter where you can pay your $19, or more if you dyed your hair or anything like that. No tips! And then you're good to go, but there's also displays of all kinds of Aveda products for your hair, nails and face if you should want to buy them. They are expensive but also really nice. I like the Madder Root line for red hair, of course! -
Review from Meg G.
Columbus, OH
4/3/2010
I have had great experiences at Aveda Institute, but let me make a very clear disclaimer here: IT IS NOT FOR EVERONE.
Aveda Institute is, infact, a school. So, the stylists here are students and your haircut, coloring or what-have-you is considered part of their learning experience. Of course, there are great instructors there to guide the students.......and potentially fix any unfortunate hair styles, sloppy manicures or purple hair (when a customer didn't quite request that color).
So, if you're incredibly particular about your hair, do NOT go here. But, if you're a little more willing to take a risk, you should definitely try it out because the odds are in your favor that you'll walk out with a great style at a very reasonable price.
I will say that I've been going here on and off for the past 6 years. (Has it been that long? I'm getting old.) Yes, I remember the days when the Institute was still located on Neil Ave., before it moved into the much more hip and spacious location across from the Gateway on High Street. If you're curious, you should go check it out. This location has large windows across the front of it, so you can peer right in and decide whether or not you like what you see. (Tip: Park in the Gateway Parking Garage- should be $1.)
I happen to be more or less laid back in terms of my hair. I'm one of those people (I've yet to figure out if I'm hair stylists dream-come-true or worst nightmare) that say "I was thinking this, but do whatever you want with it." I'm lucky enough to have poker straight hair. Of course, I've always longed for curly hair (The grass is always greener, right?), but I hear from all of my curly haired friends that finding a hair dresser that can cut their curly locks to their liking is much more of a daunting task than for us straight haired folk. Also, I admit that I usually go in there for more or less of a trim (not so scary) or a partial highlight (you can't mess that up too badly). Although, I have had my hair cut from past my shoulders to chin length once there. And another time, I hade the underneath of my hair colored a deep red (I'm a blonde, so this was dangerous territory). And every single time, including the more adventurous instances, I've been pleased.
So, IF you qualify as one of the more laid back people in the beauty maintenance department and are considering checking it out, here are a few closing remarks:
1. Make sure you take into account that the services here will take somewhat longer than if you were getting the same service at a professional salon. Some of the students (not all) work at a slow pace.
2. When you get your hair washed, you get the option of a facial or a back massage. Both are AWESOME, not to mention complimentary.
3. You don't tip. Although, sometimes, in lieu of a tip, you can make a donation to their monthly-sponsored charity. Very cool.
4. Prices are reasonable. Obviously, cheaper than a normal salon.
