- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Jackson Ruiz Salon Spa
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- By Appointment Only:
- Yes
Sponsored Result
You Might Also Consider
John Girard Salon
- 4 reviews
- Neighborhood:
- Downtown
"John MacDonald (owner of John Girard) is a genius. I have been with him through 4 different salons, and I'm so glad his dream of opening…" read more »
16 reviews for Jackson Ruiz Salon Spa
Had another great experience with Steve @ Jackson Ruiz Salon. He does a great job cutting and styling my hair, takes direction well, and he remembers your hair from the previous visit which enables him to become more efficient and quick - - that's good stuff. None of that stagnate type of thinking here, Steve's proactive and on top of his game.
All male haircuts include a wash + shampoo, cut, style, then rinse, then a great hand massage. All my experiences with Jackson Ruiz and Steve have been great, and I highly recommend their services. If you're downtown and need a trim, look Steve up at Jackson Ruiz Salon and give him a shot.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
8/17/2009
When it comes to Jackson Ruiz, I know you're going to get a great haircut no matter what. The staff… Read more »
I only went there once a few years ago. I was new to Austin and somewhat late because I got lost. They seemed angry even though I called ahead and told them what was going on.
I got there and waited twenty minutes. The woman who washed my hair was nice enough. It's just not very memorable at this point.
What was very memorable, however, was the way my stylist treated me. It was like I was a child who had no idea what I wanted and she was my mother and it was her duty to inform me that the hair cut I wanted was wrong. I can understand making suggestions and being honest about how the cut will look on me, but she was just rude. "I am NOT going to give you that hair cut," she said. Instead, she just gave me a bob that I really didn't enjoy at all.
Overpriced for a bob and a rude stylist.
"How in the world could Jackson Ruiz get a one star review?!" you ask.
It's a shame really. A year ago I would have given it five stars just like everyone else on this page. But I had a bad enough experience that I went looking for someplace online to rant about it and share my review. Here's the story.
I'm one of those people that never likes to complain. So much so that I'll actually apologize to a waiter if I have to send my plate back because they got my order wrong. Like it was my fault or something.
But since having my first child, I've been slowly turning over a new leaf with this bull-shit approach to life as I'd like to set a better example for my daughter on speaking up when things aren't right and not worrying about being so damn polite all the time.
Prior to getting pregnant with my baby I was highlighting my brown hair with a bit of blonde. It took me six months after her birth to attempt to start keeping it up again and I quickly figured out that I couldn't stay on top of it and needed to get back to my natural plain jane brown so it wouldn't matter if four months went by in between salon appointments.
Went to JR, explained what I needed/wanted, emphasizing that I wanted my natural, hippie chic, brown hair back. When the color correction was done I looked like a Wanna-be Goth Teenager with black-ass Elvira hair. I'm pushing 40 and Goth is the last look I'm after at this point in my life!! I was shocked, but lamely remained polite as I exited the salon.
The next day I called to see what could be done b/c I really just couldn't bare looking the way I did. I had to call three times and leave three messages over the course of five days before the stylist got back to me. And no one else that answered the phone was remotely helpful. When the colorist finally called me back, she said there was really nothing that could be done without ruining my hair and she suggested coming in and buying their Aveda Detoxification Shampoo and giving my hair a few months to fade. They weren't even going to offer to GIVE me this shampoo!
I stupidly agreed to this and basically wore a hat for the next 2 months because I hated my hair so much.
Well - the recommended two months go by. My hair is still heinously too dark. But before I could get up the nerve to go complain again - I discover that I'm pregnant again. And for the next 6 weeks I'm intensely ill with morning sickness and can barely get out of bed.
OK -- so now I'm finally in the 2nd trimester, out of the feeling terribly sick weeds. It's been four months since my Elvira Color Job at Jackson Ruiz and it's still too dark. While sick in bed I was debating ever going back. But I decide I should give them the opportunity to correct it and I go in to request they grat a highlight job.
The original colorist is no longer there and so I was told they needed to check with the owner about doing this. I had to call back to chase down the answer -- which was shockingly, NO.
I've been a loyal patron for five years. My husband has been loyal for 10. But we're both business owners ourselves and hold the philosophy that if a customer is unsatisfied with your service for any reason -- you correct it. A happy customer may tell a few friends about you, but an unhappy customer will tell everyone they know.
And that's where I'm at right now. Based on my experience - we're done with Jackson Ruiz and moving on. I'm considering Pink from now on for color and I've found an absolutely WONDERFUL stylist at the Peacock's Tail salon on South Lamar named Eric. Fantastic. Can't say enough good things about him. Best hair cut I've ever had and 1/2 the price of the top stylists at JR.
Thanks for listening
My biggest pet peeve when it comes to salons is not having one stylist work on me the whole way through. I had one lady to color my hair, another to wash it and a third to dry it. It seemed like my stylist was pretty advanced so I guess when you get to a certain level of expertise you get to employ minions to do the peasant's work for you. After getting the color put in she sent me over to the waiting area to let it sit for thirty minutes. I thought I would be coming back to her chair afterwards to be finished but as I was reading she came over and dumped my bag next to me and let me know that I forgot to take it with me.
Other than that irritation, the salon is very comfortable and clean. I've never had to wait on a late-running stylist and I do like that they use only Aveda products. The free hand massage is comfortable, though it varies on quality depending on who you happen to get. Prices for full highlights range from $110 to $150 in my experience and they offer extensive color correction and repair treatments too. Haircuts are a bit pricey starting around $80 so I usually can only afford to do either color or cut at one time.
Location is very convenient for me and their hours are quite extensive so that helps me fit in an appointment when I'm working full time and going to school.
I have been going to Jackson Ruiz for over four years now. Jennifer does my color and I am always getting compliments on her work. Jessica does my cut and she is amazing as well!!
They offer coffee, water and wine for patrons. There are also complimentary hand massages. What else do you want?!
Totally agree with all Elisheba's comments! This is a no-tipping salon, which eliminates all that weirdness on your way out the door. But what I really love about JR is that everyone is NICE. Hard to find that in a semi-upscale salon anywhere. Oh, and did I mention the aromatherapy shampoo/massage? Ooogie-boogie...
I love this salon. I have been going here for 3 years and have been through at least 4 or 5 different stylists, some stylists left to go other places, and with others the personalities just did not mesh, but I always continue to go to this salon. And I think the reason is that I always feel like a princess when I walk in the door. The receptionist gentlemen (gay and straight) and lady are always very friendly and I have a drink waiting for me when I come out of the dressing room. The place always seems to be very clean.
My favorite part has to be though that they are a no-tipping salon. I hate having to worry about tip. It makes my life so much easier when they just include it in the price.
I have been going to Jackson Ruiz for over 6 years. I started going back when they had a manicure pedicure service. What always appealed to me was a sense of relaxation and style without the pretentiousness.
My long time stylist recently left and I was offered another stylist of similar capabilities. The day before my appointment, I received a call to reschedule, and then ended up with a late night appointment the following day. My 45 min. appt. consisted of 15 minutes of waiting and 30 minutes to wash, cut, dry and style. I also had to ask for a mirror to see the back of the haircut as she had already begun furiously sweeping up in preparation of her next appt. I never had a haircut where the stylist did not offer you a mirror or say how do you like it or something. She just stopped cutting and said to go ahead and change. Very bizarre experience. I could have been a walk-in at Supercuts and been happier with the cost. Unfortunately it was neither relaxing nor enjoyable.
It pains me to give only 3 stars, as I am a fan of Jackson Ruiz, but I will think twice about recommending my particular stylist.
If you need to get waxed, go here. They don't accept gratuity, so the price is not too bad, but still in the upper-limits of what I am willing to pay. Nonetheless, it's worth every penny. You really don't want to mess around when it comes to this type of service :) Ask for Joanne, she's a pro.
How did this salon get 1-star reviews is puzzling me. After reading several reviews and talked to some good Yelpers I made my fist appointment with JR and let them pick whoever to cut my hair. They assigned me to Francesca but she was sick on the day of my appointment so they had to reschedule me. And because of that, I received a complimentary haircut and I was assigned to Jessica, who is absolutely fabulous.
She was professional, knowledgable, sweet & friendly! She asked me to talk about my own hair and gave me a haircut that fits my lifestyle (well, I told her I am not willing to spare 20 minutes on mirror every morning for hair regimen). Jessica also showed me basic tips on how to upkeep my hair. The haircut was FREE, so was the gratuity. They refused to take any! I think they charge $55 for haircut, which is around the same price as other places if you include tips. Did I tell you that I even received a hand massage while my hair was getting cut? How awesome is that?
Environment wise, the salon is upscale and trendy and it is definitely giving you the confidence that you will walk out of there looking chic and fabulous.
I love my haircut and have already scheduled my next appointment with Jessica.
Let me start off by saying that I'm not from Austin so I had to thoroughly read through numerous reviews on many different salons in Austin before I even considered booking an appt with Jack Ruiz. I was a bit scared of what was going to go down because I've honestly never had a salon experience so this was my first and I must say it was pretty sweet! Also it had been a year and a half since my last cut so I was looking to get something other than a Sports Clip cut.
I called last Tuesday 7/29/08 around 4pm and was expecting to have an appt on Tuesday however to my surprise they had an opening at 9:00 pm so I said what the heck and booked it. I showed at 8:45 and was greeted by a very nice guy who gave me a tour and offered me complimentary wine, as well as the option for assorted coffees, warm tea, and bottled water. Once my small tour was over I sat anxiously in the waiting room for my stylist.
My stylist was about 15 mins late which I did not mind. She sat me down and thoroughly asked me several questions as to what kind of style I was looking for......we then proceeded to the wash area where it was nicely dim for relaxation. The stylist massaged my head and also gave me a mini facial as she called it. From there she took me back to the chair where she promised me she wouldn't rush my cut just because it was late and after closing time by now. SHE KEPT HER WORD!!!! She got started on my cut around 10:30 and I was out the door at 11:30 an hour and a half after closing. Needless to say I am extremely happy with my cut!! Oh and the hand massage was a nice lil extra. I can't say all the stylists are as good as the one I had however this stylist has set the bar extremely high for this establishment! If you want to know her name just message me :-) Oh and you can check my cut out in my photos.
I've only gone for Brazilians, but I must say they do a great waxing job. I have to take away stars though for how much they charge--even if they don't accept tip or offer you a "discount" for coming back within three weeks. I wouldn't go there again unless they offered a substantial discount. It's a shame b/c they're good at what they do.
For being a so called upper crust salon the customer service was really poor. I went in for eyebrow wax, color and cut. First one of my eyebrows was nearly waxed off and the girl said she didn't see what the problem was. Next my colorist handed me off to someone else to finish b/c it was her time to leave for the day. Unbelievable. The color was alright but definitely not worth the price. And last was the cut. My stylist was so taken with herself she barely noticed me in the chair. She couldn't stop talking about her newly shorn hair and fussing with it in the mirror. The cut...nothing really changed. She brought up the length, but all else was the same. TERRIBLE customer service. I have no problem paying the high prices when the service is impeccable. I felt so robbed and annoyed.
Wendy is one of the best colorists in town. I cannot count how many people I have recommended to her who have also had fabulous experiences with her. She is friendly and fast and professional.
If you are willing to pay the price for the haircut, which is around $80 or so, then I would definitely go here. It has a bit of an air to it - like it is somehow better than everyone around. I walked in with a tshirt and jeans on and felt like people were looking down on me. Anna cut my hair and the actual style was great. She did a good job listening to what I had to say about what I wanted done and executing it. The scalp massage while getting shampooed was wonderful, as was the hand massage while getting my hair dried. It was late at night, 9:15, when I had my appointment and there were several times that I could tell Anna just wanted to leave and wasn't really listening to me (this being after I told her what I wanted done with my hair). All in all, for the purpose of relaxing and getting a hair cut, this was a great place - as for customer service and attentiveness, not so much. As mentioned in another review, there are no tips which makes things a lot easier and less of a hassle.
Between my friend and I we have gone about 6-7 times now, each time we had mediocre haircuts or disastrous coloring. We always end up going there because of the convenient location to our place of work. We also heard this was the best salon in town (it is also the most expensive) and we love Aveda. We tried a different person each time hoping to get the right person. The last time was so bad. It's not that we get a bad experience because we're bad clients - we have never complained or acted up, even in the face of disaster. They try to make amends by offering us free cuts or free massages - but that doesn't make up for poor skills. We just suffer, pay the high rates, and leave, blaming ourselves. Well, we're not going any more. We're just suckers and we finally admit it. Maybe the original owners Jackson and Ruiz were good hairstylists, but we cannot say the same for the staff. Avoid. Austin must have better hair salons than this, for the high prices.
