Douglas J Aveda Institute

I've had good experiences at Douglas J., but today...well, not so much. I have long brown hair, no layers, and I'm growing my bangs out. I'm 14, so I had my dad call to get me an appointment. I decided to get 2 inches cut off to get rid of my ""dead ends"" that had been bugging me lately. My dad and I just made it on time for my 3:30pm appointment today, when we waited about 5-10 minutes for my student stylist to come and get me. They were kind enough again, as usual, to offer my dad and I a coffee or tea, in which I got tea (it tasted pretty good.) They treat you nicely there, and the service is good. My stylist was different. My student I was paired with was Alexis L., who introduced herself as Lexi. She seemed like a fairly nice girl, but for some odd reason, she seemed to be quite rude to me. Many times she regarded on the length of my hair (which is a couple good inches below my middle back), and was even rude, or rather snotty, about the way I part my hair considering I’m growing my bangs out. Off course, she gave me the “Aveda Product Rundown”, where she told me all the products she was using on my hair about 5 times. The teacher, or instructor of Lexi came over during that time, in which she asked me as few questions, one of them being of I made my appointments. I responded saying my dad did, also adding in the fact I AM 14, therefore hoping they would get the point I am unable to buy all of their expensive products I don’t really need. Luckily, she did. Her judgment of 2 inches was COMPLETELY OFF, showing me, thank God, with her fingers how much she would take off. Her idea was about 4 inches, and I politely showed her I didn’t want that much and I ended up only wanting an inch (which was really 2 inches). When washing my hair, I felt that she was very rough with it sometimes, and seemed like she didn’t give a damn. She had me stand up so she could cut my hair, as my stylist last time did. (Last time, I had a very nice man cut my hair, perfect, no questions asked, and blow dried it all really nicely. I appreciated the fact he was very nice to me and cared about making my hair look lovely.) Worst of all, when it was time to blow dry my hair, 2 STYLISTS did it. Okay, I’m aware my hair is long and thick, but DO I REALLY NEED 2 STYLISTS TO BLOW DRY MY HAIR WHEN I DO THE DAMN THING MYSELF AT HOME? They were nice to each other, but were also rude to me. They said my hair was very pretty and such, which I said “Thank you” happily, but when blow drying it, my stylist Lexi made another bitchy remark on my parting of my hair saying, “This is how she parts her hair.” The hell? IT’S MY HAIR, I’LL PART IT ANY DAMN WAY I WANT. When they were done, my hair wasn’t even fully dry in the back. And it was uneven, which Lexi said it was because I had more hair on one side than the other. Yeah, sure. Whatever. In the end, she told me to have a good weekend, and she even had the nerve to give me her card. Like I’ll want her service again with that attitude. In the end, I am satisfied with my hair cut now that the split and “dead ends” are gone. Douglas J. is a nice place to get your hair cut, but sometimes the stylist can be simply rude or really nice. You never know. more

This is seriously the BEST DEAL in town. You just have to find the right girl/guy. You can ask the receptionist to give you a student who is usually booked or someone with more experience if you are scared to have a newbie work on your hair. HOWEVER their school is amazing and teaches their students really well and they practice on real people before they let them out on the floor. The girl I was paired with did a fantastic job highlighting and low lighting my hair. I was paying almost THREE TIMES as much money to get my hair done at a ""professional"" salon. When this girl did it, my hair turned out FIVE TIMES better than the other salon and for a fraction of the cost. I recently got a haircut by her as well and it turned out GREAT! I won't go anywhere else. She's also fun and outgoing and great to talk to. I HIGHLY recommend asking your friends who go there or people you know who have had good experiences there or even the receptionist who they recommend. It is worth your time and your dollar! Pros: Best Value in Town & Really Friendly Service Cons: Some are just learning but you can ask for someone more exp. more

If your seeking a salon, DO NOT walk into Douglas J. Yes, you will hear that this is ""the greatest"" place to go....but that is far from the truth. If you enjoy getting services in a ""sweat shop"" atmoshphere then this may be the place for you. I ended up waiting 20 minutes to have my service completed only to find out that they schedule appointments every 45 minutes. I realized at that point that I am only a number to Douglas J. I truly feel sorry for the employees and can only imagine what they must deal with to work there. My time and money is worth more than that. The worst part is that when you hate your service the manager treats you as if you 5 years old. Services are expensive at this corporation and completely not worth it. Although most corporations are too big and rarely do you get good service. I truly found the manager, Karen of the East Lansing Exchange to be very unprofessional. You could tell that she had never held any responsibility like that. From talking with Karen I realized that they are so willing to keep you as a client that they will stoop to any level. Karen was very cold umprofessional and caught off guard when approached. I absolutly will NEVER go back to any location and would advise you to support the many other small salons who are being pushed out by Douglas J. When I have voiced my opinion (which I do a lot) I have heard an overwhelmingly large amount who agree with me. Save your time and money and go somewhere else. Douglas J is NOT WORTH IT. Pros: Absolutly none.. Cons: Everytthing about the place is a con more

Douglas J does not care about its students. Do not contribute any more money to those crooks! My friend had a brain tumor and they are making her pay them 7,000 more dollars on top of the $15000 shes already paid to come back. Its a scam. And the weavers dont care about any ones well being. They just care about money. more

Douglas J Aveda Institute in East Lansing offers a wonderful alternative to the ""Express"" Salons. For the same amount of money, you receive a free hair wash and conditioning, a scalp massage and a great haircut. The student and supervisor discuss your desired style and cut before, during and after your service. All this in an upbeat, classy salon (coffee and water are also complimentary) for ONLY $15.00 with no tips allowed. The salon offers several great products but they are on the expensive side. They always make a recommendation, but I've never felt pressured to buy. I love it and my 11-year old daughter feels like a star in this salon because of the pampering.\r \r My only suggestion to the salon students is to keep personal conversations to a minimum amongst themselves. Although some may find it entertaining to hear the latest gossip, older guests may be a bit put off by it. \r \r Overall, I give Douglas J Aveda Institute FOUR stars. You can't beat the service, the cut, or the pampering. Pros: Great Service, Cut and Pampering at a Great Price. Cons: Parking is tough anywhere in downtown East Lansing, this is no exception. more

People always recommend Douglas J as the place to get your haircut... but I'd rather spend the little extra $ for a quality cut. Everytime I go there, its always something different. The service is terrible, sometimes you'll make an appointment show up & they cancel when you get there b/c a student didn't show. The students are obviously learning, that's understood, but the instructors, some are TERRIBLE!!! Depending on who you get as the student's instructor is how you'll like your hair. For an AVEDA institute (a high quality) name you'd expect great, fun, trendy cuts... some of the instructors don't quite get that. And I've yet to meet a friendly instructor... they all seem rude & get angry if you say something EXCEPT Jordan.... he is awesome. Exactly what you expect from Aveda. But if you don't get one of Jordan's students beware... the students have a hard time with different types of hair & although they all have really cute, trendy cuts, they can't seem to give you the same type. Not sure what's up. Just pay the extra & get a good cut from a good salon.... Pros: cheap, easy to get an appt, Jordan Cons: mean instructors, unreliable service more