2 /5 Anna Kroitzsch: On December 23, 2023, I visited Luxe Beauty Studio for the second time. The first visit in August was for hair highlights with another stylist, and this time I came for highlight touch-ups with Christy as my master.
I gave two stars because:
I appreciate the final result; the stylist skillfully blended the color with previously highlighted strands, and my hair looks good.
The master was eager to fix their mistakes in the process and responded well to my feedback. She verified the desired hair length and if I liked the work, and I think it deserves recognition.
Now onto why I didnt add three stars and why I dont want to return:
After booking the appointment earlier in the day, I received an SMS message from the stylist around 11 pm on Saturday night asking if I can move the appointment to Tuesday. I think it was quite late for messaging to the client. I responded because I could not do Tuesday, but wanted to make sure I get any appointment. I received no response back, and I was nervous. I followed the next day, and the stylist responded she is booked on Monday, so we agreed Id come on Saturday. I think as a client I dont have to chase the stylist to reschedule an appointment.
I came to the salon on time and was seated right away. We discussed what I wanted, and after a bit of wait, the stylist got to working on my highlights. She was on the phone all the time during the process, talking and messaging, making me feel neglected as a client.
The next hour and a half I spent sitting in my chair waiting for the dye to develop while the master was servicing another client. The first time I did full head highlights in the same salon, it took me an hour and a half. This time I allocated two hours for the procedure because I also wanted my hair trimmed, and the booking app said the overall time would be 2 hours. I ended up spending over 3 hours in the salon because I was waiting for my master to finish servicing another client before getting back to me. Its normal that masters double book their time to earn more and make sure they make money if one client does not show up. However, I think this should be handled better; they could offer me tea or water and could communicate how long the wait will be.
The master was handling my hair roughly. She was painfully scratching my head skin during shampooing with nails. I have long hair that has to be brushed starting from ends, but the master was brushing from the roots, which created knots. The master would pull sharply on the knots not holding onto the hair, which was painful and damaging to the hair. I requested her to not use nails while shampooing and to start brushing from the ends, and she adjusted, which I really appreciate.
After washing off the dye, I sat back in my chair and was cold since the master didnt put a towel on my hair. She got on her phone with someone and left me sitting and freezing for a bit. I felt neglected once more. Then the master returned and took a brush from the table she used for another client. I checked if the brush was properly sanitized, and she said it was clean. Then she left again and brought a new brush and hair clips and said those were clean.
When drying, the master was putting very hot air straight to my head skin, which was super burning, so I requested her to keep the dryer further away from my head. Also, at the point when the master started drying with a brush, I checked if she put heat protection on my hair, and she said she would do it later after I estimate if I like the color. I noted that shes already using heat on my hair, and she agreed to put heat protection in. I appreciate that she was taking my feedback and acting upon it.
I paid $175 for the highlight touch-up and a hair trim, a good price for Fremont. Despite liking the result, I chose not to tip due to feeling neglected and uncomfortable. The service industry should prioritize client satisfaction, and there were a lot of areas for improvement in communication and client ethics. I hope this detailed feedback contributes to enhancing the salon service.
