Aveda Institute Portland

325 NW 13th Ave, Portland, OR 97209, USA

Address:	325 NW 13th Ave, Portland, OR 97209, USA
Phone:	+1 503-294-6000
Site:	avedapdx.com
Rating:	3.2
Working:	9AM–6PM 9AM–9PM 9AM–9PM 9AM–9PM 9AM–6PM 9AM–6PM Closed

Location

Photos 72

Reviews 4

Ami Miller

I went into Aveda for a hair color and highlights. Most of why I was so unhappy has to do with the student that was doing my hair specifically. First of all I wanted a red/copper color for all over and Carmel highlights. My hair is now super dark (nearly black) with like platinum blonde highlights. The student that had been assigned to me was a mess. She had a very fluttery personality, she was literally everywhere and she had no sense of time. She would walk off to get another bowl of hair dye and come back 10-15 minutes later. At one point she left me alone, my head was super heavy (I have long hair) weighed down with dye, for 45 minutes – I timed it. My neck hurt so bad. It was ridiculous. The entire appointment took a little over four hours and by the time we were done she had my hair dye on her face, arms, dress and her own hair! She complained about how messy her makeup was getting often. She even managed to whack my head a few times with the spray nozzle during the two rinse cycles (not to mention she used extremely hot water!) and then again with the blow dryer during the end. At one point one of the instructors assigned her a helper. The first helper, “helper A” (before he got an appointment of his own) was very good. He knew what he was doing. The next helper, “helper B” we’ll call her, was also very good. When helper B’s appointment showed up and sat down next to the station I was at she let her know that she’d be starting out with “our neck and shoulder massage.” Okay, hold on. “our” massage? Aveda’s massage? Okay... where was my pre-hair neck and shoulder massage? I ended up paying $155 for the double process on hair that is nearly black when I wanted a copper color and I got crappy service. I was dehydrated and super hungry not to mention in pain. After the appointment I got dinner and went home and slept. For all the time I was there the lady doing my hair refused to talk to me unless it was about her modeling career, whereas helper A and B were able to make friendly conversation. When I tried to get my main lady to chat with me she would say one or two words and then stop or talk about modeling or her makeup. The sad part is the two students that assisted my main hair dresser will probably be graduating and if I did decide to go back to Aveda in Vancouver they wouldnt be there. (Good for them to graduate though...) I will not be going back. For $160 dollars I will go somewhere/anywhere else.

Jianna Lieberman

I recently went to Aveda for a haircut. I was going to get color as well, but thought it best not to have color done by students after seeing horror stories online. The cut and service was quite mediocre. The student I got (I think named Alex?) was completely lifeless. I tried to engage her in conversation a few times, getting one word answers back. Her hand massage was so gentle I couldnt feel it at all, and I dont typically like hard massages. Same when washing my hair - it was like she was petting my hair, not scrubbing it. I asked for a layered cut, with the shortest layer at my chin, but I dont think she knew was a layered haircut should look like. She basically feathered the ends, and left all my "layers" long. I had recently cut my own bangs, and asked her to fix them, but she said they looked great and left them alone. (They did NOT look good - I got them fixed at a professional salon). Then she styled my hair straight without asking how Id like it done (and I hate my hair straight.) Now, I hadnt been expecting a perfect cut, since this is a school, but by the end I was kind of looking forward to giving a "critique" of my stylists performance to the instructor. But the questions she asked were COMPLETE BS. She only asked if Alex had talked to me about the Aveda products, if shed given me a hand massage, if I would recommend her to friends and family, and if I would be scheduling another appointment today. She did not ask if I liked my hair!! She did not ask if I was happy with the service, or if Alex had been friendly. Clearly, the only thing they care about is selling Aveda products and scheduling more appointments - NOT training stylists to care about what their customers think. You can clearly get straight As by being the pushiest salesman, even if all your clients leave miserable. Honestly, I left there feeling very concerned about the stylists that would be graduating from there. And when I got home, I re-cut my hair myself. I know Aveda is cheap, but itll end up more expensive when you have to go to a real salon to fix what they messed up. Dont bother.

Anonymous User

The customer service complaints are, unfortunately, accurate. Ive been going to the Aveda Institute for a while and have always been pleasantly surprised by their services. Ive received good haircuts (with Seniors), good colors, good wax, facials, pedicures. I have had repeated trouble with the scheduling system. Once I made an appointment in person because I was in the area. Not sure how they screwed that one up, but they did. I asked for a cut and color and they only had me down for the cut-no big deal, I rescheduled. Another time, the girl I requested was available, but for some reason they scheduled me with someone else. She turned out to be okay, so no big deal. Today I went in for a spa service. After waiting a while to be called back, I inquired with the staff and she told me the student who was performing my service called in sick. She said they were trying to find a replacement, but that my other service (an hour and a half away) was still scheduled, and although they couldnt move it up, I could still go to that. I asked why they couldnt have called to tell me this information before I came down there and waited. She said they didnt really know until the person didnt show up. I know its a school, but come on! We are all busy and most of us have better things we could do with an hour and a half than "wait." If they had given some concession, which they probably cant do b/c its a school, people would be a lot more satisfied when they screw up. I was offered a "blow out" in place of my spa service, which I declined. Id rather spend more money at a real salon than go through this irritation again. Get it together Aveda. You have a lot of potential and some talented students. Scheduling and customer service needs a makeover.

Anonymous User

The service was great, I was greeted promptly and professionally when I entered the store, where I signed a waiver saying if I was unhappy or if anything needed to be fixed afterward I would be charged accordingly (for those of you complaining that you had to pay to get it fixed, you should not have been surprised for the charge as long as you read what you are signing). I was nervous to go here after there were so many poor reviews, but the student who did my perm was very knowledgeable. We discussed what I wanted, what I liked/didnt like about past perms, and what she thought was best. Then her instructor came over to verify what we were going to be doing. Toni told me what she would be doing step by step, so I was in the loop and she knew what she was doing. She re-checked the instructions before putting the chemicals on (I greatly appreciate her double checking things to be on the safe side, you cant expect each student to know every little thing about every process). She was very professional, and talkative, kept me company through the long process (which is long anywhere that you go). All in all I had a great experience, my perm turned out better than it did when I got it from a professional salon! To the rest of you, if you are picky about your hair, make sure you discuss with them exactly what you want/expect from them. I got my perm for 30 dollars, along with hand and shoulder massages, and a touch up of makeup before I was on my way again. It was a great experience, I recommend it to those looking to save quite a bit of money on hair services! The only real con is that there is no convenient parking for the salon.