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The Aveda Institute
Rating Details »
Category: Hair Salons [Edit]
Neighborhood: Buckhead3402 Piedmont Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 649-7119
- Nearest Transit:
-
Buckhead (North-South, Northeast-South, East-West, Proctor Creek)
- Hours:
Tue-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- By Appointment Only:
- Yes
15 reviews for The Aveda Institute
It's probably not a good thing when the student highlighting your hair tells you that she's better at cutting than she is at color. I thought it was funny and laughed. But still, let's keep that little secret to ourselves, shall we?
I do like the Aveda Institute and I've gone there for several different services, most recently highlights. I figure that if a student messes up my hair, it'll grow. And if they don't mess up my hair, and it actually looks good, then I feel like I've gotten away with murder.
When you call, you can ask for an appointment with an experienced student, someone who is going to graduate within the next two or three months. At least that way, they've had most of their training.
The Institute is run much like a regular salon. You'll notice differences in having people gathered around you sometimes, like teachers or other students, as they talk about your hair and various cutting/color techniques. And you may notice that the stations are a little more cluttered than you would find at other salons. Also, the students ask for each client to fill out a brief survey of the experience.
There are stations for checking email as you wait on color processing or in between services. There's also a retail area for buying Aveda products.
Previously, I had my eyebrows waxed at the Institute and whatever wax they used was the best I've ever had. It cleaned up nicely and didn't hurt or rip off skin like some waxes can.
First things first - if you go here, you know what you're getting into. A stylist-in-training cuts your hair with the supervision of an instructor, usually only checking in occasionally and at the end. Knowing this, i still expect a certain level of expertise from the hands of tomorrow's great stylists, especially if they are under the tutelage of esteemed Aveda.
I've now been twice, and i must say that my results have been quite consistent. Both visits have lasted well over 2 hours for a men's cut and have ended in near disaster. Fortunately, instructor Rio was there on both occasions to mend the mess, resulting in what was nearly an entire re-cut.
In short, i fear for the future of the "men's haircut."
Before booking an appointment, I'd suggest asking friends if they've been and requesting the person that satisfied their hair needs. You can be sure that someone in that place will give you a great cut or color. I think the secret is making appointments further out than day-of which is the scenario i often find myself in, and asking for a student who is popular or who has only a short time left before graduation.
The two students that have cut my hair had been there 6 months and 9 months respectively. Students spend 6 months in class before they are moved to the floor so she gets some consideration. As for the more senior student, i shudder at the thought that she was set free to rampage the earth 3 short months following the assault on my precious keratin (that's hair). My hair was so diced up i looked like Britney spears mid-meltdown.
I will say that my wife has had great success with basic color appointments (she's a blond but prefers brunette) and continues to recommend her particular student. Straight color though, no hi-lights.
Anywhoo, men's cuts at Aveda seem to be in low demand (supply?) so keep that in mind if you're a dude (or a missus who likes her hair short). They look at men's cuts like doe-eyed med students. It's a chance to learn.
Fortunately, hair regrows but a bad haircut is a tough wound to heal. Proceed with caution, fellow Yelpers.
2 Saturdays ago I went here for a 15.00 haircut and, overall, would go back again. I arrived for my appointment about 15 minutes late to find my mother at the check-in station trying to convince them that I did, in fact, have a 1:15 appointment booked. They found me in their system-the receptionist who booked me had misspelled my last name. I waited 15 minutes to be seen by Adam, an affable student who is graduating sometime in Nov. 2009. Adam was excited when I described what I wanted done to my 'do. When he called his instructor over to check in with her about my style plan, she was visibly appalled at the amount of breakage in my hair and insisted Adam do something to fix it, and informed me that the last person who cut my hair had done "a shitty job".
Admittedly, I had been brushing my hair too hard and so did have a lot of damage and a large chunk missing from my bangs. Both Adam and his instructor gave me tips on how to reverse the damage, and I'm now utilizing their suggestions in my beauty routine. Adam apologized for her bluntness and proceeded to give me a lovely shampoo-he massaged deep conditioner into my hair almost reverently. My overall haircut was not as edgy or extreme as I think I wanted-we had talked about an asymmetrical, choppy look, but my hair did look a lot healthier, it does have movement where it didn't before, and I've received two compliments from co-workers on the cut.
Overall, I was there about an hour and 20 or thirty minutes-not a horribly long time to wait for a decent and economical haircut.
This was my first visit to Aveda Institute as a customer, having brought my daughter on previous appointments. I gotta say, it was worth going cheap and I am definitely going to go cheap with them again. It was a long appointment for a cut. (96 mins) BUT, to be fair, I have more hair than a wooly mammoth and every stylist that cuts my hair takes forever because of the volume and the length of time to dry. (I often think I would gladly exchange it with someone that complains their hair is too thin)
So, it took a long time. And the stylist, Jose, was new. But to his credit, he was professional and bless his heart, he cheerfully worked through his lunch hour. And the supervisor/instructor, she was fantastic, giving him great direction for what I know was a very technical cut.
My hair, at $15 (before tip) looks great. So why four stars instead of five? They use Aveda products. Aveda products make my hair greasy about 8 hours after they go in. No idea what the reason is for this strange reaction, but I am not the only person that has experienced this....
Best bangs for your buck!
Sorry I had to... I went to the Aveda Institute when I was a poor grad student in NYC and have had mostly great luck with cut and color there. So I thought I would try the Atlanta location. Bonus the haircuts are $2 cheaper than NYC! Still at $15 for a haircut and color starting around $35, if you are brave and can handle sitting in a salon for hours - this is the place for you.
I have decided that from now on I will schedule my cut and color appointments separately so it doesn't take up my entire day. Expect at least 1.5 to 2 hours for a cut and 3 for color. Remember it is a school, but worth the time if you are looking for an inexpensive and decent (basic) haircut. They also have other very reasonable services available. And with the money you save on the cut/color you can feel less guilty about spending so much money on expensive product! I do!
I was a little skeptical about this place but my regular stylist could not get me in for a few weeks and I just needed a trim. I was not expecting to be blown away because I have long layered hair and was only getting a trim. Plus I am in the awkward phase of growing out a funky cut I got for the summer which I loved but only looks good if I spend 30 mins fixing it. The stylist, Anessa Whithead really listened to what I wanted, gave suggestions and took the time to examine my hair. She was AMAZING, my hair looks so good that when I was trying to convince my boyfriend to do something he said "I can't make a decision right now because your hair look so good and it is clouding my judgment". I highly recommend this place, sadly Anessa graduates in December and I know she will go somewhere expensive because she is that good. So my goal to save money may have backfired in the end because there is a good chance I would pay any amount work with her.
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Haircut
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Pros:
(1) Price, can't beat it
(2) They use good quality products (all Aveda)
(3) Definitely better techniques than supercuts/greatclips. For instance, they will take the time to scissor-thin my hair at an angle rather than just chomping through my locks with a thinning scissor.
(4) They're supervised, yay!
Cons:
(1) Hard to get a reservation, they book up fast. Reservationists are bad at calling back, too.
(2) So. Slow. I mean, I know they're learning... But my backside goes numb sometimes...
(3) Sometimes you don't always get what you came in for -- depends on the person.
(4) If you find someone you like, chances are they'll be graduated in ~6 months. So it can be inconsistent.
I've had both the best haircut/blow out of my life here as well as a very very mediocre haircut. But I really couldn't say no to the price, so I kept coming back until I found another stylist that was cheap and fast.
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Spa services
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I had a fantastic, relaxing facial here. The esthetician was a little too talkative (unprofessionally so), but I guess that's what you get for a student. Also great price, and I was very relaxed, so I overlooked the talking.
I had a not so great manicure -- I'd rather just go to any little hole in the wall, it would be just as good/better.
There's plenty of parking, they have internet kiosks, and provide water/coffee while you wait.
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SUMMARY
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Great budget place, you definitely get more than what you pay for but it can be inconsistent.
Haven't had a haircut there, so can't comment on the cutting skills of the students.
Unfortunately because I am a nimrod, I went there (a training institute, really?) for color-- blond bleaching, really?
I needed a white trash root tamp down on my blond locks, STAT!.
I was desperate.
I looked like a calico.
A type of calico in a beater & rocking bedroom slippers as everyday footwear.
The lovely & tearful student-child (he was a boy, bless his heart) turned my junk radioactive orange.
You know it's going to be bad when your colorist starts crying BEFORE you even see your hair to react. My man child was weeping while he shampooed out the dye. Icy fear lodged in my chesthole.
I knew I was doomed when he refused to let me see a mirror and whimpered for his teacher to come help him.
It was orange. Not a pretty "oh are you a natural redhead?" type orange, but a brassy, sizzled, triple-bleached and mangy mess.
Only go here for color if you have a one color box (brown's good) from the drug store & you place it in the hand of the person serving you.
When I was fresh out of college and living the life of a peasant, I decided to try the Aveda Institute for a $12 haircut. The institute was a couple blocks down from my office, so I scooted over to the school during my lunch break.
It took me a while to score an appointment, as the dirt-cheap service slots fill up fast. When I walked in, the lobby area was extremely crowded, but I only had to wait a few minutes for the hostess to bring me to my appointed stylist--a young, nervous-looking girl.
I requested an "invert" cut: a style with the back of the hair super-short, sloping forward toward the front, creating striking, diagonal lines. I had spent $60 on a similar haircut at Key Lime Pie but just couldn't afford to pay that much again at the time.
My stylist acted quite confident in her abilities, but after the first snip, she stood back and said, "Wait. Wait. Just a...second." I felt my stomach fall out, onto the floor, amongst scraps of unswept hair. The stylist brought over her instructor, asking if she had chopped my locks correctly. (I understand--she was a student.)
The instructor quickly clipped into the back of my hair, tresses falling around me. "That will get you started," she said to the girl.
The student took about an hour and a half to cut my hair--and it had no "invert" at all. My hair ended up remaining the same length all around, in a lifeless, flat-ironed bob.
My coworkers complimented me on the new 'do, although it wasn't at all what I wanted. But, I can't complain getting a decent haircut for so cheap, and from a stylist-in-training.
On another note, I received an excellent facial from the Aveda Institute. I don't remember much about it, as the soothing, exotic foreign woman who administered the service put me to sleep with her soft cooing and seasoned fingers on my face...
This time around, as luck would have it, I was assigned to get my haircut from a student who was graduating from the Institute that following week, and had already secured a job with Toni & Guy...and in this economic climate, finding any job is hard, so good on ya, Kristen!! And sure enough, her work was quick and self-assured, and she did a good job in making my East Asian long hair into medium length, with some long layers, and added some face-framing fringe. Quick and painless, she only asked for her instructor to come by once...and that was just cuz she needed the mandatory teacher sign-off on the cut.
Again, this place can be hit-or-miss but I've been quite lucky so far, second time around.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/12/2008
I got the $15 haircut. Definitely better than a usual $15 haircut from GreatClips, but not as good… Read more »
I have a Samsonesque relationship with my hair. It is from my hair that I derive my power to wrestle lions, seduce fair maidens, and control the procession of the equinoxes.
But I'm not about to pay $40+ for a fancy metrotastique haircut.
That's why I like Aveda. It's like one of those fancypants salons but it leaves you with enough money to eat for the rest of the month.
I was one of those guys who went to Great Oops, Hair Butchery, or one of the other chains where they put you on an assembly line and ignore your anguished cries of "No!!!." Little did I know that you could get a decent haircut for the same price at Aveda. Thank God the stuff grows back.
But I'm better now and my follicles thank me. They(the stylists) actually listen to me here and take the time to get it right. Yes, they're students, but they do a good job and are pretty well informed. They can perform all sorts of hair origami and use pesticide free pomades and salves. Not bad for about $15.
I did have a bit too much taken off last time I went, but that's on me.
This place is wonderful!!!
I love it, I know its a "hair school" and that always has bad connotations, but this place puts all those doubts to rest.
From the ability to check your email in the lobby, to the funky attitude of the people working here, I love this place. And, of course they use all aveda products, and the students make no moves without a through consultation from a teacher. I have gotten my hair cut here and also highlighted. And each time, I leave loving the results. The teachers even come around after the services to make sure that the student took care of all the important steps to a great service.
There are so many positives...let me name some of them. The young students are building their client base, so they are extra attentive, its not pretentious the way some salons can be, $35 for a half head of foils.
This review is for all you girls who need the hookup to amazing hair:
Aveda is already known for having great products (they smell great, they do what they need to do....) And if we could all afford it, we'd get our hair cut and styled by the best and most chic salons.
Unfortunately, I'm not rich... not even close. But instead of turning the scissors on myself, I go to the Aveda Institute and let them work on my hair for cheap.
I have never been disappointed, and I usually end up making friends with my stylist. I have been going there to get my hair done for years now and each time my stylist graduates I have them recommend another student.
It's worth the trip, trust me. And they give amazing scalp massages!
Aveda Institute Haiku Review
Natural products,
Chic salon, attentive staff,
A great cut: $12 bucks!
I went here after moving to Atlanta mostly because I've gone to Aveda for years, hadn't found a salon here yet, and it's cheaper. It was easy to get an appointment and the place was nice enough and easy to find. The stylists are students learning the Aveda "technique".
I went here once and that was enough. I went in for a basic trim. The stylist I had might have well worked at great clips by the way she cut my hair...it took forever and ended up MUCH shorter because she had to keep making it even. The teacher/supervisor didn't come over until the end of the cut. Overall I just wasn't very happy with the cut and haven't gone back.
I understand this is a learning environment, otherwise I would have given it a lower rating. I think your cut will vary based on the students experience...I'd just rather pay the extra to get it done right.
