Reviews of Aveda Institute Toronto (Hairdressing)

Blondie Tattooed

I used to love that place , but last time i was so disappointed ????. They moved my booking (without letting me know ) to another hairdresser , which is fine if you call me before , and my blonde is yellowish-pinkish(?) when i went outside i realized it’s not blonde. I think she washedoff the toner too early... The girl was extremely nice with me , and i loved her that’s why i give 2 stars , but my hair is a disaster . At least 3 coloured now .....

Sharon Dewitt

I get the feeling I took one for the team here. Went in for a color correction. Came out with blotchy hair. Called up and got excuses from the manager which were not factual (said that because I used boxed dye 6 months ago some how that would affect my hair even though I have had salon colors fine since then and the stylist said the color lifted fast and with low bleach volume). I'm sure this place is fine for a simple blond color or a trim but do not go here for anything else. I've already found a different stylist who has dealt with the Aveda academy error before and has promised to fix me up.

Elizabeth Killeen

FABULOUS!!!! Just had wonderful partial highlights done by Karissa! She did an amazing job, very professional, I would highly recommend her! I went to the institute part upstairs, I didn't have to wait at all and Karissa even finished early. She blow dried my hair in a way I have never seen done before and the effect is wonderful. She did everything exactly how I wanted, (which is usually difficult as I am really picky and hard to please). Usually I leave a salon and either need to re wash and style my hair or adjust the styling - but this time I dare not touch it as it's PERFECT!

Emma Kidnie

I can’t recommend this salon enough. Serena is an amazing hair dresser! She took her time to understand my needs and took such care and pride in her craft. She often checked in with me to make sure everything was okay with me and that I was comfortable. Overall an amazing experience and will recommend her to anyone!! I can’t wait to see where she goes with her career. ☺️☺️

Ellen Young

Love the colour ????

Robert Campbell

It is more than a haircut, for less than a haircut. Aveda Institute’s high end hair school on King St just east of Church St is a temple of style in Toronto as black clad students practice their creative arts on human subjects. They cut hair, but not before serving complimentary hot beverages and scented scalp massages. Don’t forget the hand wash with pure plant and flower based shampoo and conditioner - while other salons use products refined from petroleum, AVEDA uses (and retails) all natural concoctions. The place is busy and exciting and it smells great. Praise be given to Lauren Fisher, the young stylist in training who really gets it. She tried so hard to take me out of the classroom and put me into a Zen state where I could enjoy a signature AVEDA experience. I chose the Blue Gel scented oil and she confidently massaged my head and neck. I don’t remember much else. Twenty minutes later she was straightening my sideburns, trimming around my ears and I was done. I had barely touched my tea. The whole trip cost me $35

Chanda Ramnath

I got a chance to be a hair model for one of the students Stephania P. For a complimentary blow dry and it was an excellent experience! Will be coming back soon to get a haircut.

Mirjam G.

Great cut for a good price and I even got a massage! My stylist, Igor, was very skilled and cared about the work he did.

Olga Perron

Got a cut from Karissa today and it is awesome!!! Great looks great people! Update: went back today and it was even better!! She chopped off my long hair and now I am rocking the sweetest shoulder length cut of all time.

Anita Windisman

Although this is a hair cutting and styling school, the front of the house offers a good selection of Aveda products on the main floor.

Jennifer Capes

I had a fantastic experience with Eunice at the Aveda Institute. I was greeted warmly, offered tea and magazines, and really enjoyed the aromatherapy head and neck massage. Eunice explained everything she was doing and was very precise and focused. My haircut is gorgeous and I will definitely visit again.

Joseline Siles

You get what you pay for. I went there a couple times to get my beleyage done and although I liked the result, I wish they had done a better job because you could clearly see my (black) roots and when I pointed it out, the girl told me that was gonna cost me extra. The staff should really acknowledge your wants and needs before doing anything to you and being clear on the price. Customer service was good, they treated me very well but I much rather spend a little more to get a better treatment.

amna e

The educators are rude. They take 5 hours to do your hair and don't even provide the service you asked for

Hasha Sasitharan

I was accommodated for a 5 hour balayage appointment on short notice! The student and teacher took their time to ensure I got the hair color I wanted to achieve! I was very impressed with the time and patience the student took to bleach and tone my hair. I've gotten compliments from everyone regarding the new hair color!

Juliana

If you don't want to read the details, just know this: if you are looking for a liable place, where you book your appointment in advance and don't have to worry about not being able to get your hair done as expected, DO NOT go to the Aveda Institute at King St! I have been a client of this saloon for about 5 years now. I've never gotten my highlights or hair cut elsewhere after my first visit there. That's how much I appreciated their services up until now... I have always made my appointments in advance as I work and have restricted hours to come in. And also I know their schedule if pretty busy. It has happen before that they call me before my appointment asking to change the time or something and I've always been flexible with it (usually my appointments are just maintenance, so it's okay for me to delay it for a week or so). This time however, I have 2 important events to attend and so I scheduled my appointment 2 moths in advance for the Saturday before my first event (best day for me). I scheduled it with the same professional I had seen for the past 3 times as I am very happy with her services (she is an educator level). One month before my appointment I received a call that, that person would be away on the day of my appointment and they were offering me to come 1 or 2 weeks after the day I had scheduled. I explained I could not postpone the date as I had some events to attend where I wanted to have my hair done before. At that time they already treated it as if it was my problem, they were fully booked for the day I needed and that's it. After some discussion they rescheduled me for the same day and time with another professional, but who was a student (not same level professional as my initial appointment). But at least that person had been referred by the educator I liked to do my hair. Not best solution but I was okay with it. For my surprise, today (2 weeks before my appointment) they called me that the person who I was (re)scheduled to see has graduated and so they needed to move me for a later day. Again I explained I did not have the flexibility to change to a later date this time and I needed the service by that day. And again, this time even worse, I was treated like it was my problem that I could not come the dates they were offering me (despite the fact I had that appointment booked 2 months in advance) and my only option was to downgrade to a lower professional level, downgrade from a full highlight to a partial, and have the highlights done at noon and hair cut at 4pm. It's like "we don't care you were careful enough to book your appointment 2 months in advance. We just can't serve you anymore as we agreed to do when we accepted your appointment". All that to say, if you are looking for a liable place, where you book your appointment in advance and don't have to worry about not being able to get your hair done as expected, DO NOT go to the Aveda Institute at King St!

Georgina

Good value, and well educated stylists: just a few issues. The pricing is very competitive and quite fair: their dyes are very good quality so they aren't as cheap as some places, but you'll absolutely save on the cut. Scalp treatment and massage is included with every cut, service consults are free, and the products are high-end. Students are good, well-skilled and very personable. Minor issues I've had are: waiting a while for my appointment with little communication (no drink offer, 'just 5 more minutes' or anything), I often leave with hair trimmings on me (they don't always brush you off well), appointments run very long (2-3hrs), for long appointments (2+ hours) you often only get 1-2 drink offers & not much to do during, and the hours aren't great (especially if you need a long appointment, you have to find a late slot at the end of the week). Every cut I've had has been good, I look forward to my first colour service.

una

I've been going to Aveda for a few years now - and really love it. However, increasingly, I find some of the team at the reception counter very rude, and would go as far as to say - rather angry in manner. I've experienced this on a number of occasions. I understand Aveda is incredibly popular - and perhaps this warrants being negligence of any level of service - or at a basis level - friendliness or common 'niceness' ..

Samar Adnan

Today I had my first visit to this school, and it was the best experience ever. Cassandra, the hairdresser student did a great job, I really liked that girl and how she was very careful to give me what I wanted. The haircut I chose was very complicated and took her a lot of attention and work, but she did it as she would do to her own hair. I got the first visit discount, which was $15, but I wish if they allow us to give some tips, I felt sorry for leaving without giving anything to that brilliant girl. Overall, thanks for your perfect services, wish you all the success.

Evan Dorion

As a former student I could go on for a bit about this place, but to summarize: a student got blatantly racist numerous times to another student and NOTHING WAS DONE.

Borim Kim

I got my hair partial highlighted. It was my second time visiting here and I definitely love getting my hair done here! I will see you in a month :) Thank you so much❤

Melissa H

Not a good place for consistent service and heaven help you if you have to deal with their online system.

Sarah Barber

Had an appointment for wash/cut/style today at the Institute. My stylist Vanessa was friendly, careful, and explained what she was doing every step of the way. She sought out help from her teacher when needed, although to me it seems like she was skilled enough to get through it on her own. I'm so happy with the cut :) I hope to see Vanessa again when I need another trim! 10/10 will style again!

Aishwariya Menon

Went in for a haircut today. I have thin straight hair that I wanted trimmed and wanted shorter layers around my face and at the crown of my head to add more volume. My stylist spent 45 minutes blow drying my hair with a paddle brush and then straightening my already straight hair. Then proceeded to move all my hair to the back and trim only the back section. When I asked if he was going to cut the rest of my hair, he looked confused. I explained again that I wanted shorter layers and didn't want all my hair to be the same length. I got a look of confusion. I had to explain myself again. He then asked if I wanted my hair to be thinned out and I said no, I already have thin hair, I want more volume. He still didn't understand. He asked his instructor to come over and I repeated what I said to the instructor. The instructor then showed my stylist what to do and started cutting layers into my hair. Once he left, the stylist assumed that the haircut was done even though he didn't put any layers at the front near my face. I now have very long pieces at the front of my face and then suddenly have shorter layers halfway through my hair. I'm really disappointed. I was really looking forward to getting my hair cut and now I'm just going to have to fix his mistakes. I also felt like he didn't want me to be there anymore because he kept telling me that he could take my robe and then I could go to the cash register. He didn't listen to what I wanted and did the opposite one should do when cutting thin,fine hair. My hair just looks flat and sad now. I want to add that I understand that these are students and their skill level might be different from one person to another, however the main issue I had with my stylist was lack of listening skills. He said okay to the things I was saying and carried on. I wish he would have asked more questions and then asked his instructor before hand. I also felt more like a burden as the appointment went on.

Zee

Used to be my favorite place but the last 3 times was not good at all, the 3 educators was so bad and they were guiding the students which lead to some of my really bad haircuts so I stopped going.

Anna Marchiotto

Great haircut by Serina!

Tiffany Cariaga

I've been to the institute and salon on many occasions to get my hair cut. I have had the pleasure of getting my haircut by students and advanced graduates and have had a good experience on each of my visits. Everyone is very helpful and accommodating. Depending on your service, prices range anywhere from $25-200. Tip: try and book your appointment in the morning as it's less busy. They also have a range of Aveda products right when you enter, everything ranging from travel size to salon size. The only suggestion I have would be for the salon and institute to try and have an online booking system on their site. Overall a great place to try out!

Robyn

Alicia did an amazing job!! She gave me exactly what I wanted plus a bonus head massage. Couldn't ask for any better at $12 ☺️☺️☺️

Luba Rusin

I've been going to Aveda for years and im a happy client of theirs. Be realistic about the fact that a student is working on your hair. So patience and a good book to read are a must have. I never have to worry that my hair will not be to my standart since the students are supported by wonderful instructors who walk them through each step. Before Covid we used to get beverages and a nice essential oil massage which made me feel super pampered. Unfortunately that isn't offered at the moment. And be ready to wear a mask throughout your time there.

Kaylee Miller

Always happy with my haircuts from the academy students :)

Julia Toppan

A friend recommended this place to me saying that they did great hair cuts, and knew how to work with very thick hair, which was very important for me. I initially wanted to go with the Educator level, but there was limited availability so I went with a student instead. I was nervous and didn't know what to expect, but I figured for $25 ($40 minus the $15 first time customer discount), it was worth a try. And I'm glad I did - the experience was awesome! Had my hair cut by Egor, who was super attentive to detail and you could tell really wanted to make sure I left happy with my hair. He did an amazing job - I absolutely love my haircut and will definitely be coming back! Great job Egor!

Emily Mackey

Last December I got partial highlights with Sean, who did an amazing and incredibly thorough job. I've never been so in love with my colour before. I've since been in twice for haircuts but with other stylists, and they always compliment how nice my hair colour is -- THAT'S how great Sean's work is. Even months after I got the colour done, professionals are complimenting it. I've been coming to Aveda Institute for two years now because their prices, customer care, and work are always great. Just be prepared for a longer than usual appointment -- but it's well worth the price and result!!

Maggie F. Keen

I went in for a simple cut. The stylist did a great job. But I did not receive the 15% off for new customers. Even though through the entire process (booking-paying) I dealt with the same person, getting the new customer form as well from him. It kind of soured the whole thing. It'll be a while before I decide to try this place again. *After response, edited to 5 stars, great customer service!*

Simon Hill

Sarah is great.

Magdalena Oroń

3 times satisfaction☺️

B M

I had a horrible experience at Aveda Toronto. I scheduled an appointment two weeks in advance with a hair dresser from the April start group as I prefer the hair dresser to have experience. However, Aveda cancelled my appointment day of and the only other slot available was with someone from the July group. I expressed my hesitation on the phone given their limited experience but was assured that everything would be fine as there would be an educator closely monitoring. I wish I had stuck with my gut as instead I am stuck with a horrible hair cut. I have medium length hair and I wanted a simple hair trim with long layers... pretty basic hair cut... The student cut short layers by accident and left a huge hole in my hair !!!!!!!! Moreover, the short layers are only on one side of my head as I stopped her before she continued any further... And when I questioned her layering she had the audacity to tell me that this was how she was taught to do layers and that if I didn't want layers I shouldn't have asked for them!!!!!!!! I was devastated, shaking, and nearly in tears. The educator was clearly shocked the student screwed up so bad but their customer service could use some improvement... She said there was nothing they could do except a) cut my hair another inch to get rid of the hideous layer/hole or b) let my hair grow out so that they could fix it in a couple months..... I could not believe that the hair appointment was not comped.... Oh, and the appointment was scheduled for 1.5 hours and took OVER 3 HOURS... TO TRIM MY HAIR. I am not sure this student had ever cut hair before. Extremely dissatisfied and enraged that Aveda lets students cut hair with such limited training... And very dissatisfied with how the ordeal was handled.

Mirka Zivanovic

The appointment booked a month in advance was cancelled by Aveda two hours before scheduled time. Saturday, not a chance to get a haircut on such short notice anywhere.

aleksandra

I went to Aveda in Toronto, as I previously had a great experience in Vancouver and the products are supposed to be gentle and not animal tested. I went asking for something simple enough (I thought)for a hair school- a blue black colour on my already dark brown hair. I was also laid back about the fact that the blue might not be very vibrant as I did not want to bleach my hair. Whatever was put on my head was very painful on the scalp (just like bleach) but I was told it will be stinging so I went with it. The student who was doing the service was very professional. In fact she was the only aspect of my experience that was great! The colour that I left with was not exactly what I wanted. It was black with a very slight hue of blue but I am not fussy so I was happy with it. However, only after a few hours I discovered that my still sore scalp was now blistering/oozing and scabbing. I have been dying my hair for over twenty years and never had this happen! So much for gentle products! After washing my hair only once, all of the blue tint is gone and I am left with just black hair that is actually very patchy and uneven (with my previous dark brown still showing). Sadly, I think that I could've had better results (and without the injured and painful scalp) from a box die instead of Aveda.

aleksandra

I went to Aveda in Toronto, as I previously had a great experience in Vancouver and the products are supposed to be gentle and not animal tested. I went asking for something simple enough (I thought)for a hair school- a blue black colour on my already dark brown hair. I was also laid back about the fact that the blue might not be very vibrant as I did not want to bleach my hair. Whatever was put on my head was very painful on the scalp (just like bleach) but I was told it will be stinging so I went with it. The student who was doing the service was very professional. In fact she was the only aspect of my experience that was great! The colour that I left with was not exactly what I wanted. It was black with a very slight hue of blue but I am not fussy so I was happy with it. However, only after a few hours I discovered that my still sore scalp was now blistering/oozing and scabbing. I have been dying my hair for over twenty years and never had this happen! So much for gentle products! After washing my hair only once, all of the blue tint is gone and I am left with just black hair that is actually very patchy and uneven (with my previous dark brown still showing). Sadly, I think that I could've had better results (and without the injured and painful scalp) from a box die instead of Aveda.

Rebecca L. Holder

Had a haircut by Natalya last week. She was very professional & friendly. I was a bit timid at first because I was shaving a portion of my hair off, but she was very patient and encouraging. She also recommended products for my hair texture. Great customer service & pricing!

Phoebe Wu

I was so happy for my first visit at Aveda! I had a student doing my haircut and I LOVE IT! She was well communicated and detailed. She understood what my expectation was and applied amazing products according to my hair condition and for the best of outcome! I will definitely visit it again.

Surbhi Arora

Very disappointed! Had to go back in for a redo because the first time was an ‘oops, lets do this again’. The only way to make the appointment work was with a level below student on a Saturday morning at 9, I reached before 9:20 (after informing that i will be 15 mins late), but that wasn’t enough. So “no-show, sorry we can’t take you in” and “no outside of office hour appointments available for the next 6 weeks but we can only cover your expense if you book in the next 2 weeks”. So I’m basically walking around with hair they screwed up, with no accommodations to cover it, also gearing up to attend a wedding with this. All of this is even though i sent an SMS that i was running 15 mins late. While the quality of hair styling didn’t bother me as much, it’s the horrible customer service that’s going to keep me away.

Payton Tenebaum

Great prices if you are willing to have a student cut your hair (they are very talented!). I also highly recommend the botanical treatment - it does wonders for dry hair!

Kimberly R

I came here for highlights by the recommendation of a friend, motivated by the fact that it was such a great value. I was surprised at the level of service by the student who greeted me at the salon. She took her time to ask me what I was looking for and discussed what formula and techniques she would be using. The instructors inspect the work along the way and are always giving tips and feedback, so I always felt assured that my color was being applied properly. The salon itself was clean and professional, and I loved the fact that it was all Aveda products. I've been getting my highlights here ever since. The only thing that you have to remind yourself is that the hair stylists are students...so the service can take longer than usual. So if you go in for a 9am appointment, ensure you clear your morning schedule. Service can be slow...so take your time and enjoy your coffee and a magazine or 2.

Vanesa Cotlar

Thanks Sherry for the awesome haircut this past Tuesday! Great first experience at the institute :)

Danielle Milligan

I've been to the Aveda institute salon many times for colour and cut. When I first began coming to the salon, I had such a great experience with everything, especially for the price you pay. Unfortunately, my recent visit was not the same. I had my hair coloured, and the colour turned out great...however, the other service differentiators that they previously used to do, were gone. I left really disappointed. I wasn't offered a massage or anything close to a scalp massage during the wash. Once again, these were the small perks that kept me coming back. I noticed other guests receiving massages, so it was really disappointing not having that level of service and treatment too. After washing out the colour, it was obvious that my appointment was running behind. Two workers (an educator and academy student) aggressively blow-dried my hair (most of it at least) and that was it. They just used their hands and didn't offer to flat iron it or anything. Luckily my hair is quite straight so it didn't look as unfinished as someone with curly or frizzy hair would be. Once again, I had many great experiences there when they offered to flat iron it wavy or do a little extra curls when blowing it out. After being rushed out, I noticed that I had a thick amount of dark hair dye around my hairline. I had to ask for them to try and clean it off. At this point since it was left on my hairline for a while, it couldn't be removed. With a wedding in 2 days, having a large strip of black hair dye around my forehead isn't ideal. I put my frustration aside and went to pay - I was still happy with the hair colour... Then I noticed I was charged an additional $15 for more colour product. I have longer hair so I understand the charge, however I've had my hair coloured numerous times there and never been charged that. It would be helpful for the stylist to mention this extra charge so there aren't any surprises when it comes time to pay. It doesn't seem like a good price to pay when it's almost $100 with tax and tip when a student is colouring your hair and there are no additional service perks to makeup for the price. Once again, the reason I left so disappointed was because I've received such great service in the past so I was expecting the same level of care. My advice would be to simply work on consistently among the staff, so every time someone leaves they have a great experience.

Laura Garzon

Awful experience. Tried to get a colour and they burned my scalp. I stopped having a bunch of services done here cause I didn’t like it at all.

Emeline Janigan

Serena/Selena (I'm sorry I forget which name it was!) did an amazing job on my haircut, super pleased with the results and her styling was great too. Will definitely be back specifically to see her!

Karen Angell

Truly shocking hair cut. He didn't even hold up the ends to see if both sides were even, and my hair was styled in a curl (despite asking for a normal blowout) which made it impossible to see the difference in sides until the next day when I washed and restyled my hair. I'm having to take more time off work to go back and get it fixed. I know you get what you pay for but this is really terrible service - the consultant I spoke with on the phone said I may even need to pay for it to get recut. I can assure you that will not be happening! They also overcharged me for a treatment I never received, and offered to put this against my next salon visit. Unlikely I will be back after I've hopefully had my hair fixed. Really the difference in length on either side is laughable. And no I didn't have the cheapest grade, my stylist was meant to have been in training for a couple of years. to then mess up essentially a trim does not instil much confidence in me for Aveda as a salon. An educator was meant to come and check the results. This did not happen! If you can afford to go somewhere else, I would.

Stephanie Starkey

I love love loveee the students here that cut my hair, they always do an amazing job.They'll talk to you every step of the way and tell you exactly what their doing. My hair is pretty long; to my belly botton and I go for regular trims every two to three months, I have never had a bad experience. These students are trained and it shows, their also always so nice and inviting. I'm never gonna go anywhere else.

Tiffany Dadula-Jardin

Got a balayage and cut with Tina, and I'm more than thrilled with results. The whole atmosphere was inviting. These are students working on your hair with the support of their teachers, but you still get the same quality work (maybe even better) as if you were visiting a stylist in a private salon, and at a fraction of the cost. Totally worth it.

OOREMEY

Great haircut, fun people and good price. Will be going again!

Lucero Bermeo

Always professional and great cuts.

Amy Sharaf

It was my first visit and I left very happy with the cut and colour. Never felt rushed and both the instructor and colourist mentioned that it would be $15 for additional product to colour my whole head and not just the roots. I wish that had been explained on the phone when I booked but I appreciated them telling me that before starting. Elizabeth and Maurice were thorough and my hair looks great! I took a star off for the check-out process. I ended up being charged $25 for "glossing" when that word was never mentioned at any time and I didn't request it. The receptionist said the colourist and instructor made a mistake and that it should have been $25 for "glossing" (I assume, in addition to the $15 I had agreed to for extra colour). She ended up just charging me the $15 I agreed to but I didn't like that -- I like to think it was an honest mistake on their part and not some weird "bait and switch" scenario. I purposely confirmed the pricing before the service so was not a fan of that addition when it should have been clear. My first-time client discount was also not applied until I asked for it, despite me noting it when I made an appointment, both the colourist and stylist were informed, and I signed the new client waiver when I checked in. Minor but worth noting. I hope to return to Aveda but will be extra clear about ensuring no additional services/charges are added without my knowledge or consent. Please ensure clear communication between staff at the counter and the stylists and colourists to avoid unpleasant confusion with clients.

Jackie Man

Good salon if you are looking for something different and like Aveda products. I find it is a hit or miss with this because not the same stylists are there. Prices are decent though.

Luna Rey

What a mess this last experience was! My requested student was changed, the instructor who did the consultation and initiated the instructions to my assigned student disappeared before my highlights were done, some other instructor (with over 20 years experience ????)took over on the decision as to how the result shade should be, and I ended up paying over $50 more for something I'm VERY UNHAPPY with. This place is not nearly what it used to be, I have been comming here for about 8 years. I would have demanded my money back if it wasn't because I was too upset, and not even an apology was extended....which to be honest, doesn't really change anything when your hair it's been messed up.

Sandra Hanze

I've been going here for maybe 4 years...and I've only gone back to "fix" something once in all that time (and when I did it was free of charged). I just got a new cut by Eunice - it was great and was very attentive. The price is great, you get a lot of attention you may not get at other salons, the only thing is you may spend some more time there...but i keep going back.

Elnaz Davoodi

unprofessional! they cannot even schedule you a correct appointment! they cancelled my appointments 2 times, on the same day I had an appointment, and apparently they said you were booked in a wrong category! I've never been there but with this experience, I'll never go there, it's a waste of time to book an appointment and schedule your calendar, and then they cancel it, and it costs as much as you go somewhere else! not recommended, don't waste your time with them! I have to add, they replied that someone will call me to make it up, but I didn't receive any call! Not surprised though!

2Ns

This is my go-to spot. Everytime I go the staff are such perfectionists and the price is amazing. I usually go from long to short and they always give me a great cut.

Heather Lynds

Went in for a cut and decided I wanted a colour as well. The staff and students were very attentive, friendly and accommodating. I plan on going back

chris estima

Got a free haircut from a student hairstylist and it was amazing. The students know their stuff!

Sadie Kromm

I have been going to Aveda (Toronto location in particular) for the last 3 years. Lately i have been irritated with their service and how unprofessional they handle situations. Because i have always spoke highly about Aveda, i recommended my mother to go visit for her bleach and tone. They cancelled her appointment not even 30 minutes before because a student called in sick late, and my mother who works very long hours got up early and left before the phone call even took place. This actually happened me to me one time when i arrived and they tried to cancel in person and gave me a poor attitude because i insisted they find someone especially because i was using a cane at the time and it was hard to get around. I know it's just hair but when they get into salons out in the workforce, they cannot be doing that and wasting people's time. They expect a given notice for your cancellation but they don't do the same for you. All my hairstylists have been great etc but now my mother has to get up early again tomorrow to try this again. Get it together. - File full name: Mercedes and Char

Marigold K

I had great hair cut experiences by student stylist before but I really had bad hair cut by an advanced student this time. I can't believe she will graduate soon and becomes a pro hair stylist. I understand that she's still a student and not mastered her skills yet but what about customer handling skill? Even though they gave me 15% discount for this disastrous outcome but I needed to grow my hair for several months to fix it.

Jamie Knight

This place is fantastic! I walked in off the street and immediately got in to see a stylist for a much needed hair cut. The gentleman was lovely, from London, and I got an excellent hair cut - and quick too! The speed was nice as I had a meeting to run to and I ended up looking fabulous - the price is good too. Thank you very much for making my day!

Ahmed

The stylist was nice up until the pointed out I didn't like how my haircut was going. She became biligerant and started to tell me that she did what I asked for, clearly you didn't do what I asked for when I'm telling you it's wrong. Maybe you can teach your students humility and respect and not try to rush me out just to catch the next client. Piss poor service.

Heather

New to Toronto area so I was looking for new salon to try. I figured a school would be a professional environment, therefore a safe bet, wrong. When I called I was told I couldnt book a cut and colour in the same day as they were booked solid for back to school time. I wasn't too upset; the colour was more important so I booked that first and was told I would be on a waitlist for my cut. When I arrived for my appointment, the woman at reception had me sign the waiver and told me to go get a robe, then sit and wait. When my stylist came to collect me and sat me down in the chair, she asked what I wanted to do for my cut. Told her "uh, nope I have colour today". She brought me back to reception to figure out the mix up. The gentleman at reception told me I am booked for a cut. I reiterated what I was told on the phone, waitlist for cut but colour was booked. He asked the best course of action with another woman at reception, then went and asked an instructor, finally I was told that there was no time today and wouldnt be able to get my colour. I decided to get the cut as I was there anyways. While washing my hair, my stylist was the FIRST person to actually apologize for the mix up, out of the 4 people I had now interacted with. I had been frustrated and flustered, after leaving work early to make the appointment, then the added drama did not relax me. It may be from working in the service industry too long, but I was astounded at the approach all staff took to the issue. The sheer lack of empathy and responsibility was astounding. As a customer, I felt I was not in the wrong, and that the error was by whomever booked the appointment- yet I was being treated as if this was my fault. I would have assumed that the first receptionist would have, at least, said something along the lines of "here for your cut?" and preempted the following 15 minutes. TL; DR: They mixed up my appointment and handled it very poorly, I had no issues with the actual quality of hair cut.

Michelle Webster

I have been a repeat client at Aveda Institute for years now. Love the products, and can't ask for a haircut at better value. Some cuts/visits have been better than others, but I can say the same for expensive salons I've been to as well. Overall I recommend going here.

Mo

Been going here for years! love the perfection and care the stylists have, plus it is very affordable. I recommend it to everyone

Erna Roest

I had a haircut today, Sabrina looked after me, and she did a super job. I am a happy camper. Thanks a lot

Harinee Ravishankar

Not sure why the reviews are low? You get what you pay for. With institute level, it's cheaper because you're taking a bit of a risk by getting your hair done by students. But with academy and above, the risk you're taking is significantly lower at a decent price. I've only had good experiences!

Jennifer Singh

Got recommended by a friend. Since I wanted a simple haircut, I tried the student level. The person I got paired with was awesome. I got a complimentary shoulder and head massage, she walked me through all the products she used on me and best of all I got a great haircut. Definitely coming back!!!!

Laura Ta

5-star service each and every time. Quality is their first priority, and every person I've seen whether it be a student or an educator has been friendly, professional, and I've loved my hair every single time. I've been going here for years, and I'll always be a client.

Sarah Taplin

The individual who cut my hair was super friendly and kind however, the cut I received was not what I originally asked for. After my cut, i knew something didn't look right and sent a picture and video to my hairdresser back home and she said the person who cut my hair did not texturize my ends. After being mortified with how terrible my hair was looking I called the salon to ask for someone to fix my hair. The receptionist was RUDE and said "theres no notes on your file so the instructor will need to call you back".... No one ever called me back so I booked an appointment at another salon to have my hair fixed. Honestly, nothing against the girl who cut my hair but terrible service in regards to having my hair fixed and not listening to my original request. It may be cheaper but NOT WORTH IT!!!!!!

Sam Fitzpatrick

THEY USE CHEAP HAIR DYE! I've been to this location three times now. Second time I went was to have my hair dyed …I asked for black and was given dark brown. Things to note: I had no reaction to the dye and was told it was ammonia free which was great. I was unhappy with my hair dye job so I call Aveda back and ask them if they can fix it. They book me for a 'colour correction' and tell me to come the following Monday. Unfortunately I can't make that appointment because it ended up conflicting and they move me to the following week after work - it was either that or look into the next month (this is important later). So I go to my appointment - First, the stylist was late taking me so I waited 15 minutes (not great when you live out of town and have a train to catch). Then she did a messy job with the dye and I had black on my cheek and neck and hair line. Immediately once the dye was put on I could smell the strongest smell of ammonia or some sort of chemical. Long story short - my scalp BURNED and entire time I spent sitting in the chair waiting for it to set my eyes and nostrils were burning. I had literal tears in my eyes. My stylist was working on another client so waited for them to return even though the whole situation was unbearable (I only had a few more mins and I was able to endure it). Also why did she not come and clean my hair line during this time or when she first finished putting the dye on? Another girl washed my hair (i'm sorry if I was rude to her - I was just so fed up at that point). When she was rinsing my hair it felt like my scalp was all prickles. She got through a shampoo and condition once and didn’t let her wash it once more because A) I was late super late for my train now (I'd been there for over an hour and a half now - considering the last time I was in and out in an hour) and B) I wasn't going to let them touch any head anymore. My favorite part was when I got to the front and asked them to confirm I was good to go. I was told: A) You were booked for a colour correction (they told me it wasn't booked as a 'redo') which has a fee (also apparently refers to people who lighten their hair) - I was standing their with black hair wondering how they could think I was there getting it lifted. Not my problem your staff don't know how to book an appointment correctly! B) You’re supposed to come in within two weeks to get hair fixed - If that is the case you should have made it a priority for me to get my hair fixed right away. Not my problem your location didn't get me in sooner. I left the studio with dye on my face, soaking hair, a burnt scalp and almost no time to make a train. How embarrassing it was to ride the train covered in dye and reeking of chemicals. By the time I arrived at my station 40 mins later, I could barely breath because of the dye, and when I got into the car my mother drove with the windows down because all she could smell was chemical. I've never had such a strong smelling dye experience such as what I had at Aveda. I was stuffed up severely and went home and showered to try and get the rest of whatever it was off of my skin. OH - on top of this my scalp actually went NUMB and I debated going to the hospital if it spread (not being over dramatic just telling it how it is!). I am very certain that Aveda does not have one line of product they use for dying hair since I had two different experiences with the dye (VERY DIFFERENT) - It's almost like they use cheap product on people who need it fixed since they are doing it for free now - if that is the case then they are terrible people for it. I cannot believe for one moment they used the same product on me. I really thought i'd like Aveda but after my experience I don't think i'll be coming back there. Also, no offence but every time I've called the front desk or dealt with the front desk they act like they are annoyed with you and it's super unwelcoming. Just the worst customer service which is why I don't even want to go back and make a formal complaint in person.

Mercedes Blanche

Thank you so much for my perfect blonde ???????????????? I highly recommend Diana ????

Laura Turban

I had a great experience there last Friday. An educator was there to give advice and follow the process so I felt very comfortable trusting them. The cut is great. I had a first time customer discount so the price was also a good incentive to try the place out. Will definitely come back if I need a haircut in Toronto in the future.

L Julius

I've come here a few times for colour & cut ~ the service is pretty good and the price is great.

Anastasia Ali

Went to get my roots touched up and the colourist did not wash out all of the dye. It was super crunchy as it air dried ( my request). When I arrived home some of my hair got wet in the sink and blackish -grey water dripped on to my sink. Rivers of blackish water formed when I showered. This colourist was 3 days from graduating AND she was downstairs where the people should know what they are doing. This DAMAGED the texture ( as one would imagine) significantly!!!!! My hair is FUBAR. Thanks for nothing.

Heather Li Sheman

Got a free haircut here for the school exam; took three hours but she did a nice job

Isbah

Cassandra did a good job!

Animesh Singh Kumawat

Visit 2: I got full highlights from Amy, an educator in training. I have dark curly hair and I wanted to go super light with a very specific pattern and placement of highlights. The stylist was really experienced and although it was a long appointment, she was patient and delivered exactly what I was looking for with minimal damage to my curl pattern! Visit 1 (8 months ago): Surpassed my expectations!! I got partial highlights done on my curly hair from Caitlyn, an advanced graduate stylist and she was so meticulous about every little detail.The end result was a perfect blend of what I was looking for and what was achievable whilst preserving integrity of the curls. The styling part towards the end wasn't the best and left my hair feeling crunchy but once I washed and styled it myself it turned out amazing.

Campbell Hawk

Violet gave me an awesome fresh cut!! Turned out fantastic! Thank you!

Dani

I've come here for two haircuts and a colour. I haven't had a bad experience, and I can always expect good service for a good price. The only thing is: if you're getting worked on by a student, the service can take quite a while - but you know this going into it.

haley f

Everytime I get a hair cut here it turns out perfectly ! Same thing with getting my hair dye, everything goes the way I want it to. I gave 4 stars because this one time I came back to finish dye my hair again and I gave my appointment sheet. This woman at the front desk looked at it and told me to sit and wait. That was okay because they usually call your name and tell you to go upstairs (for me). But she made me sit for 30-40 minutes... Im pretty sure she forgot about me. Then my hairdresser came down personally and took me with her. She was waiting for me upstairs and asked why im late but I told her what happened. That was just really unprofessional and hope that dosent happen to other customers.

Valerie Freeman

This was my third visit at the Aveda Institute this year but my first haircut there in years. I am so happy with both my cut and colour. For my colour, Mae did a great job of dyeing my roots to match my ends, No banding, just a beautiful flowing colour from root to tip. For my haircut, I had Ariel. She as so sweet and did an amazing job on my cut. It does take a long time as they are learning but I am so pleased with my results. I will definitely continue going there. Great service and a great price!

リーニッキー

Let me preface this by saying I went to the Aveda Institute in East Lansing, Michigan for five years, then went to Zele Aveda salon in Koshigaya, Japan for four years before going to this Aveda for about a year. I love Aveda and their salons. Compared to the other two, the reception is about the same, but the quality of the service is lacking. I've had my appointment shifted around and messed up several times, leaving my appointment too short to be successful. I've had the students tell me they know what my cut is when I show them photos (of me with the cut I want) and explain it, then they do something completely different. Once I even had a student try to send me home before the instructor even checked her work! My color was consistently incorrect so I started doing it on my own at home...it wasn't worth the money. After about a year of this nonsense, I got the worst haircut I've ever gotten, so I've finally given up on it and don't intend to return. It may be students, but my services would still cost $120+ and for that price, no way.

Samar Adnan

Today I had my first visit to this school, and it was the best experience ever. Cassandra, the hairdresser student did a great job, I really liked that girl and how she was very careful to give me what I wanted. The haircut I chose was very complicated and took her a lot of attention and work, but she did it as she would do to her own hair. I got the first visit discount, which was $15, but I wish if they allow us to give some tips, I felt sorry for leaving without giving anything to that brilliant girl. Overall, thanks for your perfect services, wish you all the success.

Agata W

I've taken some time to consider whether or not I wanted to write this review - but after fixing my hair, I decided I should share my most recent experience. I've been getting my hair done at the Aveda Institute for a couple of years and have always been satisfied with the results. I am completely aware that I'm saving money to have my hair done by students, and am aware of the risks associated with getting your hair cut or coloured by individuals with less experience. That being said - I had horrible highlighting done. My poor review is in response to the service I received and not the mistake by the student. I asked the student to do a full head of highlights - we agreed on a shade, looked at pictures, ran it by her educator - standard practice. Once the highlights are complete, I asked the student to defuse my naturally curly hair (if they had blow dried it I would have noticed the problem immediately), the educator glanced at me and then I left. When I arrived home and took a closer look I was absolutely mortified. Underneath the top layer of hair, around my entire head, every foil bled. I had tiger stripes all around my head. I was upset that my hair looked horrible, but more upset that the student saw my hair like this, and let me leave the salon - and that the educator didn't really look at the job she had just done. I immediately called the salon asking them to repair it - they filed a form and said someone would get back to me - 6 days with no response I finally sent an email with a photo of my hair and received a response where I was thanked repeatedly for not posting a photo online. After negotiating dates that would work (they almost had me waiting two weeks until someone would see me). I scheduled an appointment to get the highlights fixed. On my scheduled appointment the educator and the student spent a lot of time talking to me about my hair and how there really was nothing that could be done. I mentioned that I would be okay with going darker if it removed the bleeds, which they didn't agree with, so their solution was to add low lights - 13 of them. The low lights didn't improve the bleeding at all and I was told that I would just have to wait until it grew out. They asked if I wanted to have it toned (i would have to come back at another date) so I said no. I went to another salon to ask for their help - not only did they have a number of solutions to fix the bleeding - they were also mortified that someone would let their customer leave the salon with my hair and make me pay for it. She presented 3 different options, one being a root melt which we did and completely fixed my hair. If this is a learning institute, why is this salon not teaching their students how to really fix errors they make. How can one salon say there are no solutions and another offer three solutions? I support organizations that teach and provide opportunities for people to practice and perfect their craft, however my experience here was unacceptable and embarrassing. I've made note to learn where my stylists have learned how to do hair and will no longer take a risk with an Aveda student. The lack of customer service and education really showed here.

Mei W

I got my hair coloured at Aveda in the Toronto location from an Academy level student supervised by an educator. I asked for a retouch ombre because I already had a partial ombre but instead, I ended up with a highlight that looks nothing like the photo I showed. An ombre, to I thought any hair stylist, would mean dark roots to light on the bottom, but instead I got streaky highlights. What was more upsetting is when I called, the manager said I WAS DENIED for a redo because the educator said I was happy with it and it looked like the photo. The only reason I didn’t complain at the time was because it was the end of the night and I thought I should have a day to really look at it. But even after styling, I just have highlights with darker hair than the ombre I went in with. I am extremely disappointed with not just my hair, but with the type of response I received from the educator at Aveda Toronto Institute given the fact that I paid $150 and spent 3 hours for this service. DO NOT GET YOUR HAIR COLOURED AT AVEDA.

Rose Dorgan

I booked in with a cut and color with a student from the academy today (this is maybe my 4th or 5th time) and I just had to leave a review of my experience. Benjamin was absolutely fantastic. He was very professional, attentive, great company and gave a very zen'd head massage.Thank you!!

Ioana Nicolau

I recently moved from Montreal where I had been going to Aveda for more than a year there and it was absolutely wonderful. Since moving to Toronto, I tried Aveda at this location 3 times with three levels of hairstylists (institute student, academy student, and advanced graduate) and all three haircuts were disappointments. To note, I also tried the same levels at the Montreal Aveda and all the stylists were highly skilled. My last haircut I called a day after for a touch-up since it was not what I had asked for and I was told that head office would call me back to schedule an appointment but I never got a call. I don't understand why the call had to come from head office...?! All this to say that I've given up on this Aveda.

Marla Behnke

Great service, amazing staff and unbelievable prices. I have been going here for years and have not once been unhappy with the results. I believe you probably get a better haircut at The Aveda Institute than at a regular salon because the students are so attentive and the instructors incredibly knowledgeable. It might take a little longer than a regular salon, but I personally find the whole teaching component quite interesting. I always turn myself over to their capable hands, and have always been pleasantly surprised when they try something different. There is no reason for anyone to be difficult or high maintenance in this environment...It's just hair people!!! If you don't like it, it grows back! :-)

Chiagoziem Obi

Got my hair done by Eunice at Aveda Institute Toronto on the 4th of July. Had the best time, she was such a darling. Excellent service, discounted rates, fabulous hair do, totally worth the trip from Etobicoke. I’ll sure be going back.

Notes app

I used to like this place a lot. But recently it’s been a nightmare! My last visit ended with my cut being butchered, my roots being coloured the wrong colour (way too dark), waiting 50 minutes to have it washed out ... with freezing water, and a wooden brush being dropped on my face. The brush then fell on the floor, and the girl then proceeded to brush my hair with it a few more times, then just called it quits and went on her phone! I waited about 40 minutes after leaving but was still in excruciating pain and had a bump on my nose from the brush, so I called in to share the experience. They said the manager would call me back (Anna?) to “help rectify the situation”, but no one cared enough to call back. Buy the products, but save you hair. Avoid, avoid, avoid!

KS

I had my haircut done about three weeks ago. I Only asked to cut split ends. The girl understood me and was doing how I asked her. I had some layers and I explained that I want to keep them the way they are and not doing new layers. She asked her teacher (as I understood she was a teacher on ”duty”) for advise on how to cut my hair and this teacher (I don’t know her name as she didn’t introduce herself nor said simple ”hi” nor asked me what I want and if I am ”ok” with her touching my hair) just took my hair and cut it much shorter creating NEW layers in front! Honestly I was shocked as she cut a considerable amount of my hair off when Im growing the length. She may have shown she is a ”pro” to her student but to me as a customer she showed her absolute unprofessionalism!

Lisa O

I've had good cut and colour experiences here on both the institute (colour) and academy (cut and colour) levels. 4/5 stars though because I've found the front desk staff (one female in particular) can be a bit rude when trying to make appointments. I understand that there are set appointment slots, but it's natural that it'll take a bit of back and forth to figure out a mutually agreeable time.

Rashida Y.

Couldn't be more pleased on my first visit! I was a bit hesitant trying out a learning institute to go to get my haircut at, but it was nothing short of amazing! Had the pleasure of having Dee as my stylist who was very personable. Started off with a great scalp massage and she worked with her educator every step of the way to ensure she was translating my vision correctly. If you're a first-time visitor, they offer you a $15 discount, which is a great incentive! Will be back again!

Kae L

I had previously called in to ask if a student I had found on instagram was still at that institute, wanting to get my hair cut and styled by her exactly. When I stated the person's name and last name the person on the phone had trouble finding her in the booking system and told me to hold on. Moments later she was excited to had finally ""found"" my hairstylist's name that I mentioned from instagram. Once I got to the salon the following week, I wanted to confirm with the front desk if this same girl I had wanted is still at the salon, so I showed them a picture of her and her portfolio account. They both had said "She does not go here anymore she graduated a long time ago.." I was mainly disappointed in the fact that the person who booked me in the first place, did so with someone of the **same first name** knowing it was of a completely different person of whom I clearly stated I wanted and I was not familiar with their work or anything. Please be more honest with your bookings if certain hairstylists are there or not anymore, instead of having me expect something that is not even there.

Parker lily

Haircuts at this place has been pretty good, the best part is the massage they gave, prior to haircuts, it really relaxes you and the natural oils they smells amazing too.

Sharmila Sani

UPDATE: The institute asked me to reach out to them per their comment below. It has been 3 weeks since I sent them a message, and I have not received a reply. Should have known that was going to be the case. Bad customer service and not mindful of customers' schedules. I had booked an appointment using the online system over two weeks in advance. I had picked a specific stylist (Melissa) and a noon appointment so that I could fit it in during my lunch break. A few days after making the appointment, I was contacted by the salon asking if I could move my appointment to 1pm. Unfortunately, I could not as I had work commitments, but they said it was fine and they could accommodate me in Melissa's schedule at my original time. Fast forward to the day of my appointment, I arrive and sign in at the front desk. When I asked for Melissa, they said she was busy with a client and I was scheduled to see Peggy. I showed them my confirmation e-mail showing them that I was booked with Melissa which they discussed for a bit and told me that if I wanted to see Melissa I would have to come back at 3:30pm or reschedule for another day. Picking a hair stylist takes time and had I known about the change earlier it would have been fine as I would have had the time to do some research. Instead, they had a scheduling conflict and changed my appointment without my knowledge/consent, which I thought was not good customer service. Then to ask me to come back 2.5 hours after my original time...no appreciation for their clients' schedules and time at all.

Susan Johl

Thanks AGAIN Aveda!!! Egor on the main was charming proffessional and did his very best to give the look I wanted but had not been able to get at other Salons....Book this guy !!#.....heGREAT

Marlene Apollonio

I had a haircut with Serena (academic student) today and I'm super satisfied. Serena was professional, warm and gave me good pieces of advice. The supervisor was there and controlled the haircut at the beginning and at the end. Besides, Aveda products are excellent and my hair look great now. I also had a cup of tea, a massage and a 15 dollars discount as a new client. Bought also a product and received a discount of 20% on the purchase. Very satisfied!

Mindy Kim

I have had Balayage service from Aveda multiple times in past years and they turned out okay every time. But this time my hair turned out completely different from a picture I showed. I told the stylist that my hair was completely orange and they put on toner again for a few more mintues. I said it was still orange and it didn't seem to be bleached long enough and I explained that this never happened to me before. I was only told that I needed to book another appointment before them rushing for their lunch break without showing me the back of my hair in the mirror. I nearly cried when I saw the back completely chunky, uneven, patchy, misplaced bleach in different height, different shades of yellow and orange on same strands of hair. I called them to explain and I was told that the manager would call in 24 hours to book a redo appointment. No call next day. I called again and now apparently the manager Mackenzie was off for the whole week but all their other managers were busy to take my call and she told me that she didn't know when they would return my call. A couple of days later, I called back and reached a customer service at head office called Jasmin, and she told me she was going to follow up personally. I have been with this horrendous hair for a week now and still no calls from Aveda. I am truly amazed by their professionalism and customer care.

Trish _

Great, comfortable place that offers great value for decent hair cuts!

Amberly Strauss

First time: they cancelled my appointment without telling me so I showed up to no appointment. Second time: stylist cut it way too short without it being practical making it difficult for me to style and not what I wanted, her educator even acknowledging how short it was. I will never go back.

Lisa Francella-Maidment

Vanessa is incredibly talented, friendly and professional. :)

maralyne narayan

I went today and had a student named Maria cut my hair, honestly one of the best cuts I have ever had with so much potential for styling. I plan to go back to her for a colour, not at all because the price is good but 100% because she listened and also showed me what I didn't know I wanted and it worked really well; really intuitive and skilled stylist. I had to leave early or miss a ride for the long weekend and she was still able to do a fantastic job. Really sold me on the place. Thanks!

mel zeldin

Never returning which won’t be hard since they will be closing.. they have cancelled me yet again with a very poor explanation…yet again…they did not have the balls to call me, they texted instead. Lots of other choices..may not be as cheap, but the outcome of their cuts are..

Rachael Tsoi

Absolute garbage, I got my hair done here, I wanted brown and they told me it can't be done with a natural colour but they can bleach my hair and do a baylage for some brown. Hesitantly I agreed and it came out brassy yellow. I went to fix it on Monday(next possible working day) and they told me I had to have an appointment and they can't do anything for me today. I came out crying from the horrible service she received. I did get it fixed the next day but the damage was done! I am never going to come back. Not only are the students incompetent, the instructors are much worse!

Anna Ingenito-Alexiou

Jessica was amazing!!!

Jung Eugene

Got an amazing haircut by Helen today! I went in without any expectations because it is a school where people are still learning but she cut it exactly the way I envisioned it, maybe even better! can’t wait to go back for more services :)

S T

Had my hair cut by Red on Friday. It took about 2.5 hours and she did a great job! Took a lot of time to talk about my hair type and what I was looking for. She was very detailed and my hair looks great! Her teacher monitored her the whole time and made sure everything went well. Would definitely come again!

Lynn Photog

I had an Awful experience having my hair coloured by the "advanced" students here. It's been a year and one month since they stripped the dark colour out of my hair, added bleach, and eventually a lighter shade. As a result, my hair was so badly damaged and burned that it is STILL breaking off to this very day. As a matter of fact, it's actually gotten substantially shorter instead of longer throughout the past year, due to breakage. Thank you Aveda. The students with the approval of the instructor, left the bleach in my hair for much longer than they should have that it burned not only my hair but a part of my skin as well! When I got home, I noticed that they had left some copper patches on my crown which was supposed to be a single shade all around colour. I returned the following week, and instead of correcting their mistake, they recoloured my hair back to the same dark brown shade it was when I had originally walked into the salon the week before. In the end, I paid $$$ to have my hair go through hell, then back to square one to my original shade, and to now, perpetual and infinite breakage. Very disappointing.

Julie Francis

The upper floor students doing a fab job learning their trade.

Marie Buitendyk

Among the worst customer service experiences I’ve ever had. Arrived at my appointment on time, they told me I was early and would have to wait. Was then told my stylist was still on break so would need to wait longer. Finally, after nearly 30 mins, was told that my stylist was in fact no longer employed at the establishment so they would not be able to complete my appointment. They claimed they attempted to call me a week prior about the mix up but did not leave a message or try to confirm with me in any way. They were unapologetic and didn’t offer alternatives. Will not be visiting again.

Katya D'Costa

I had the most fantastic experience getting my hair cut yesterday by Dakota. She was extremely gentle and did an amazing job, giving me the exact style that I requested. The neck and shoulder massage they include is also really great and all the products smelled very invigorating and refreshing. The rates were so reasonable and the service and staff are exceptional here, I would highly recommend it :) !

Megan Högler

Hands down, best highlighting experience ever. Joey (academy) was amazing! I was very nervous coming in as I had a disaster highlighting experience a year ago but Joey really took her time and gave me perfect, natural looking blonde highlights. The service was very affordable as well. I will be back!

Lulu Minh

My experience with Aveda is like how my hair turned out: an uneven mess. 1) I had booked with a specific stylist because I like the work that I saw on her Instagram but when I arrived at my appointment they told me that I was with someone else. 2) This is the result of my "balayage." What I was expecting was blended natural look with no harsh or obvious regrowth lines. They used foil all over when in my past experience with other stylist it has always been freehand. I also specifically asked for baby lights around the crown and instead I get chunky orange bits as seen in the photos. I should mention that this student was about to graduate... 3) My hair was cut by another stylist, Igor, and he did an excellent job. 4) I have a re-do so we will see how that goes. On an unrelated service note, Aveda tuition fees run above the 10k mark yet the facilities itself looks extremely run down. The power sockets were coming off the wall at the station where I was receiving my colour. The drywall was not sanded down properly in the hair washing area. It's just bad branding. If you ever been to one of their retail salon/store it smells like a spa and looks beautiful. Can't they at least give it a fresh coat of paint?

Ash A

I went to Aveda for a hair cut early April.. I chose the institute level. I got a fantastic haircut by Meli. I was greeted with a nice cup of coffee. Meli was friendly and asked me a lot of questions about what style I prefer. I asked for her suggestions and she gave me really good advice. I like that she spent time answering my questions about how I can style my hair without making it frizzy and really made me feel comfortable. I felt she was quite knowledgeable about hair cuts and also different hair color styles. I not only enjoyed the process but also the final result. There was a lot of attention to detail and Meli was quite confident. I also like that the educator, Quincy, was around and assisting the students the entire time. I’m quite happy with the result and would definitely visit again! Thank you, Meli :)

findme_ again

I’ve been coming here for years but starting in end of 2018 it started going downhill… they replaced some of the staff and the result was not as good hairstyles, and the service went down. When I first started going there I had an amazing student stylist (2016) and she could pretty much do my hair without needing her educator much, but also the educators were amazing, as time went on after she left and moved away I never did get as good a stylist and my personal experience was not as good. I didn’t get anymore compliments on my hair … and I still went back out of loyalty I guess. I recently went to their salon on Queen and got a cut with a $70 stylist but it really wasn’t worth the money and when it grew out the cut did not work at all. I’m going to go to another place now, not Aveda.

curly girl

I went for simple hair cut and full head highlights. I had an appointment with academy level student and her name was Jamie. I showed her what kind of color I want, she said she absolutely can do it and her instructor Leslie also agreed with her. However after she finished, my hair was orange color, instead of blond highlights. Then when I was getting my hair cut, I explained to the stylist (tall with short curly orange hair) what exactly I want. She ignored me totally and gave me an awful haircut. I have curly hair so bad hair cuts are not usually noticeable, however this time you can clearly see whats wrong with my hair. She did not cut layers as I requested. I also asked her to straight my hair which she refused and said she will defuse it instead. I asked her not to since I wanna see how my hair turns up, which she again refused. After I got home, my whole family hated by orange hair. The next day I had to go to another salon and pay additional money to correct the haircut and the color. STAY AWAY FROM THIS LOCATION!

Ganishka Bakshi

Ronnie was really awesome. Best haircut I've had ever. She gave me a massage, wash and cut and style. The cut looked so beautiful and I'm so happy with it. Edit: Thank you for the call Lisa! It has now been resolved and I can't wait to come back for my next appointment!

AL

I’ve been coming here for the last 4 years for haircuts, and have almost always had an amazing experience here. The service is impeccable, and the students are lovely. They make sure that you leave pleased with the haircut. I’ve had a few bad experiences here with stylists that are too rough and careless. However, being a school, know that you’re going to get a different experience with different students. For the most part, it has been a lovely experience.

D.

Update: I was finally able to speak to the manager of the salon,and she helped out tremendously. My experience is overall much better because she was able to listen and was very understanding. The educators need to be educated. I’ve been to Aveeda multiple times over the last few years and have always been happy. As a teaching salon I understand the risk of going somewhere where students are still learning and developing their skills. However, after going to have my roots colored today I am extremely disappointed and upset how my situation was handled. I asked my colourist (an advanced student) to rinse my hair early (6 min exactly) because of the uncomfortable tingling/burning sensation I was experiencing that I had never before experienced. She cautioned me that my greys might not be covered as substantially as result. I understood this and agreed. Unfortunately not only were my greys not covered but my roots area was now shades lighter resulting in a strip of lighted hair, almost blonde against my brunette hair. After discussion with the educator I was hesitant to use permanent colour again and opted for the area to be coloured with demi-colour. At this point I just wanted my natural hair colour back not caring about my greys. This was somewhat achieved but now my front pieces were now a very dark brown compared to the rest of my hair. Hair that I previously had highlighted and made sure to specify that I didn’t want to be affected. Nope, I was told that they just took more color and it would wash out eventually. After expressing my frustration and disappointment to the educator not only did I have to pay full price but I was told they wouldn't charge me for the extra demi-dye that was used to rectify the mistake. So not only did I have to pay full price for hair that is now many different shades, I’ll have to re-highlight my front pieces in addition to whatever work will need to be done in the future to rectify the errors made today and my greys were not covered. I empathize with the students as its a learning experience however I went to Aveeda trusting that the educators will help the students with whatever issues might come up. That was not the case. The educator was very laissez-fair about the situation and was very set that all of this was my fault because my scalp was burning and I opted to wash it out 6 min early. I’m extremely disappointed and upset. Mistakes are made and that’s fine but to punish the client and make up all sorts of excuses and contradictory reasons as to why this happened is not right. Essentially today I paid for my roots not to be covered, to have extra damage done to my hair and to have many different shades added to my hair. If this is what Aveeda is teaching their students, I'm very concerned.

Kat M

It is rare that someone gets my color the way I want it and Cleo nailed it!!!! She's also extremely kind and considerate. The entire service was a pleasure!! My first time there and it wont be my last. Thank you!

Maggy Godard

I got a haircut on July 22nd with an academy level hair stylist. This was my first visit to the salon. I chose academy level because supposedly "Academy Level Students are supervised throughout their service by an educator". No body came to check on the progress anytime throughout the cut. I want to be clear, I know that the hair stylist is still learning and she was very pleasant, however I figured that with supervision it would be okay. I did not get the cut I asked for, which could have been avoided if one of the teachers had any interest in their students. I called the Aveda call centre the following Monday July 24th to ask that my haircut be fixed. I was told that it could take 2 days to hear from the salon which was fine. I didn't hear any thing back. I called back on Friday July 28th, didn't hear anything. Called back again on Monday July 31st, still nothing! My complaint is not toward the student hair dresser, but towards the educators and salon management/customer service. Would love a refund on my service!

jessica escandor

First time ever going there and first time ever doing bayalage on my hair and let me just say Fabio is amazing!!!!! If you ever want to do balayage on your hair he is definitely the guy to go to from my experience. Very friendly staff and a very happy client here :)

Genevieve Lutsch

Extremely disappointed with the service I received today. I came in for a colour consultation last week and was booked in for a colour correction appointment. Upon arriving today, I was told by my stylist that she didn't have time to perform the service I had booked. She said there was time for highlights but not for the full-head colour correction- which I very clearly stated that I wanted in my consultation. As I've received before, I had prepared for a long appointment by clearing up my schedule, yet the salon had not been prepared. Both for my consultation and for today's non-appointment, I commuted for over 2 hours. I also lost money from booking off work today when it turns out I could have worked. The entire point of coming in for a consultation is to assess the service required from the institute, yet after doing this I was still incorrectly booked and told to reschedule (something that is not easy for me to do considering my work schedule). Not only was this ordeal itself a major inconvenience, but the way it was handled by staff was highly unprofessional. Rather than apologize and immediately attempt to remedy the situation, my stylist simply said 'Ya we don't have time for that today, we close at 4. You can try to reschedule at the front desk." Would not recommend this Institute to anyone. Disorganized and unprofessional service.

Kaly Jackson

Alex was warm, friendly and funny. She kept my coffee cup full, gave me a great massage, and most importantly of course, an excellent cut.

JD

I loved my experience at the hair institute. The students were so friendly and sweet, and very focused and attentive on their work. They check in often with the their educator. I never felt afraid that something was going to go wrong. They definitely know what they're doing. It was incredible value too. A cut and colour for my chin length hair cost $82- that's unheard of esp from a high-end salon with such a amazing and high-quality products. I will definitely be back. Thank you, Shona and Logan!

Sara A

Got a wash and style appointment with a student but I ended up with an educator. I have soo much hair but he was very friendly and patient with the mess of my hair. $30 was amazing for this, since I only do this one time a year ! Thanks for the amazing service.

Elizabeth-Elisheva M.

........in either event Aveda has excellent hair products, especially their damaged hair treatments. I got highlights a while ago and the results was excellent!!, that's a matter if you get a good student and a good Educator to do your hair. In my case, I got a Good student and a good Educator back then. I am a recent graduate of hairdresser school and I wish I could pursue my advance Education in Aveda.

L Des

I have been going to this spot for years and always come away feeling so pleased with my service. I have had numerous students taking care of me over the years and have found their attitude and effort consistently stellar. It should be remembered that they are students, so on the rare occasion when something hasn't been exactly as I wanted, having it corrected was absolutely no problem--but that has rarely ever happened and been really minor. Prices are unbeatable, and you feel your patronage is valued and that you are in good hands. I just love this place, the staff, and above all the students!!!!

Nicky Nock

I was at the institute today. I came back a second time after receiving an AMAZING experience and colour from Rae back in March. She is so friendly and ensures I am truly happy with everything. I'll be back again for sure!

Kate L

I booked an appointment to have my lighter hair dyed darker. My first impression was that the front desk staff were very rude, but that impression extended to almost all of the staff I dealt with during my appointment. I was given two different explanations of what was going to be done with my hair, but my colourist checked in often with her educator so I wasn't worried at that point. I noticed throughout my appointment how other guests were treated (tea, shoulder massages, full conversations with their stylist about what they wanted and continued into “how was your day”) I received none of that. I asked for a glass of water and it was brought later only to be put far out of my reach so I didn’t even get to drink it. My hair was coloured a shade darker than I wanted and you could still see the old Color through parts of it, when I pointed that out I was told to “trust the process...” in the most condescending tone I think I have ever heard. The educator used the same tone when reviewing the results and “discussing” my concerns. It’s clear where the poor customer service and communication is being learned from. I was told a manager would call me to schedule a correction. That was three weeks ago and I haven’t heard from anyone at all. I fully understand the “you get what you pay for” but I was a minimum expecting some basic customer service and care.

Josephine Osajuyigbe

I was able to get an appointment for a wash and blow dry last minute. I got in a bit late, but was still accepted which I appreciate. Eunice was amazing as always. This is my second visit with her and certainly not my last. She’s so detailed and very gentle. If you ever want to get your hair (Afro texture especially) book with Eunice. Highly recommended. Great job!! Josephine

Nuzhat Ahmed

Gave me botched highlights, left me with orange/yellow/brownish hair that felt dry from all the washing they did, and then when I went back two days later to fix the terrible colour they left me with.. they gave me black hair (after I asked for a warm brown AND showed them pictures). When I compained that it was too dark, they told me to go home and wash it a few times... this wasn’t my job to do and made my hair more dry. Save your money, these people are extremely incompetent at their jobs. The instructors try to justify their students lack of skills by blaming you for being unclear in your requests, (no matter how descriptive you are and even when provided clear pictures). My hair has never felt so unhealthy and terrible looking.

Uzair Hanif

Place was alright, alot of students working there. Overall they try to give a good experience but couple of reasons for my 2 stars. Their website said promo offer with which i was suppose to pay $11 but instead they charged me $21. It would had been okay if they would had given me $21 haircut. I was really impressed with their products and routine but they do not know how to cut men’s hair. I was on the seat for. 1hour because my barbar had so much trouble cutting hair and asking her supervisor to help out. She also messed up alit so her supervisor had to come fix it for her but after a day when their product left their affect i did not like my uneven hair cut.

Angela Chung

I love going here because I feel like I learn something new every time. The students genuinely want to give the best cut with the knowledge they have. I've gone here several times and some cuts are better than others, but it's hit or miss with non-educational salons anyway. Super happy with my latest haircut with student and educator, Gilbert! Thanks!

MJ Couling

I've held off on reviewing Aveda for a long time, because I hate to leave bad reviews and I have had some good experiences. But now, after multiple very bad dye jobs, my mind is made up. I visited Aveda on and off for about 5 years. Since the get go I've found it very inconsistent but convinced myself it was worth the savings. The issue hasn't been the students, they're great, but the system and educators. Hair cuts have usually been fine (I have very thin fine hair, which takes a normal hairstylist 30-45 mins to cut, Aveda students take 2.5-3 hours; so plan accordingly), the dyes are another story. I have gone back three times (always lured back by the prices!) and it's always a mess. The first time, I wanted to go pastel purple (like on the pic below). They dyed me platinum blonde so that my hair would be light enough, but then dyed me grape! It never even faded to remotely the right shade. Then I went in for all-over platinum blonde with natural dimension - they gave me highlights with a super stark, weird, straight-across, dark root. Then last summer I wanted to go bright copper red. I even booked with an educator in training. I walked out with light brown ends (and still paid $100). I knew it was going to be a disaster from the get go. The stylist started halfway down my head and didn't even attempt to lighten my medium brown hair, which meant it was impossible to get the colour I wanted. When she finished the first attempt I reshowed her the reference pics and she retoned my hair - which again, obviously, didn't get it anywhere near the colour I went in for. She ended up calling over a more senior stylist who said I couldn't get the colour shown in my pics without bleach. Obviously!! So why didn't they lighten my hair before colouring?? Each of these times I followed Aveda procedure and went in for a colour consult with ref photos and booked the service they told me too. Each time I walk away convinced that educators don't listen, don't care, and can only do brown/dark blonde highlights, unless you're being used for pics (I see awesome colours on their social media all the time so I know they have the tools). This is already a very long post so see pics, incl ref photos, below for evidence. I'm fairly easygoing about my hair, I just want to have fun, but going to Aveda has been frustrating and a waste of money. Just go with a box or pay full price elsewhere. I feel bad for the students because they're following instructions and often being told opposing directions. When I went purple, Justin was told 4 different things by 3 different instructors and he clearly felt very uncomfortable for us both.

Angela Iazzolino

Wonderful experience! Love my hair❤️

Mary-Ann Geisel

These Students do a great Job! I got a super colour and am going back for more.

That Vegan Girl Sadie

(Mercedes) I have been going to Aveda every time i need a root touch up and tone and i can honestly say Darlene, ( i believe that is how her name is spelt, she's an educator) gave not just the exact colour i have been wanting but also the best experience. i told her that i am recovering from a concussion and she was super gentle and felt comfortable throughout...Her personality is easy to vibe with and have conversation. I will DEFINITELY be booking her again.

T A

I booked and appt one month in advance requesting a half head balayage, this is a highlighting technique mostly done by hand to achieve a more natural looking colour. This is a salon that trains its staff to work in the high end Civello locations should easily understand the request!!! During my consult I explained that I did not like my base color, if they could do a lowlight base as well as a hightlight. This seemed to be a big ask for them which in the past it has never been a big issue to request the colorist mixes a lowlight and a highlight. I showed them many clear as day pintrest photos of the look I wanted to achieve! They told me that what I was asking for woud require 2 separate visits!! In the end the stylist who was Academy level/ as well as Supervisor should have listened to what I wanted and executed just that!! I ended up with generic cheap looking bleached highlights branching out of my scalp with 3 lowlights!! Lots of pushback and attitude from the colorist-terrible experience!! The only redeeming thing about this experience is that management have offered a re-do. Have really low standards when you go there to avoid dissapointment!!

Sarah D

I really like this place. It's cute, clean and the staff are great at styling and cutting hair for a great price. Cannot get enough of their blowouts.

Jennifer J

I've had two hair colour appointments with Benjamin at the institute and was so happy with the results and Ben was great!

Elicia

I had my colour done today by Eunice, a student at the Institute and I love it! She was very detail-oriented (like me) so I appreciated the time she took to make sure everything was perfect, including a special technique to avoid any colour staining my skin afterwards, which I have experienced in the past. No pesky stains this time. Thanks, Eunice :). I always feel at home here and pampered with the complimentary coffee and tea and hand massage with the Aveda hand lotion. I love my colour and got my first compliment on it shortly after I walked out of the salon. It’s hard to get an appointment if you’re a last-minute person like me, so I booked my next appointment with Eunice before I left. Highly recommended!