Hair In The Tropics

I used hair in the tropics for my wedding the weekend of 10/15/11 and they were wonderful!! We had the whole place to ourselves and the girls were so friendly and welcoming! But the best part was how beautiful everyone's hair turned out! Some of us showed up knowing exactly what we wanted, others needed suggestions. Either way, everyone looked great and my hair lasted all night throughout my wedding (even in the rain and humidity). Special thanks to Ginger who really did a great job on my head!! Brides, this is where you need to get your hair done if you are getting married in the Keys!! more

I am sharing this story so that other brides will not experience the aggravation and misery my sister did. None of us are Key Largo natives. Most of us are not even Florida residents. We booked Hair in the Tropics on the strength of their website, showing many gorgeous options for up-do?s, their welcoming acceptance of our reservation, and the photos on their website showing a whole bridal party happily enjoying the salon?s services. The photos are a lie. We booked the bride, three bridesmaids, and the mothers of the bride and groom for appointments the day of the wedding. We told the salon the wedding was to begin promptly at 6:30 PM. They knew this in advance. When we arrived, we all explained our envisioned hair styles to the 5 or 6 staff members working that day. Everything was looking great! The salon owner was going to take charge of the bride, her staff was employed in setting our hair in rollers or washing it, depending on the desired style. Then the OTHER wedding party arrived. A bride, bridesmaids, mother of the bride, flower girls? I wondered how the salon would handle the extra work needed for this many styles. This problem was compounded by the fact that out of the staff of 6, only 2 of the technicians were able to create the fancy hairstyles we all wanted, and which the website promoted. To make matters worse, our wedding party was set aside while the other party was worked on. My sister?s mother in law had her hair washed, then was made to sit with wet hair for 45 minutes before being styled. NO ONE bothered to address our concerns about timing, NO ONE offered to provide us with a takeout menu, or directions to where we could get some iced tea or water or champagne, something to make the day special and our wait less arduous. We were IGNORED for the most part for hours. Despite our arriving first, every single member of the other bridal party had departed with completed hair styles before more than 2 of us were done. When it was my turn to sit in a chair, the stylist told me she couldn?t do the simple French twist I had asked for several hours earlier, and that I would have to wait even longer for the owner to do my hair. At that point I told her to do whatever she wanted to my hair. We were so behind schedule at this point, I would have settled for a pony tail. As soon as they were finished, my mom and sisters rushed back to the hotel and promised to send someone back to pick up the groom?s mother and me, as we were both still not done and way behind schedule. Once my sister, the bride, left the salon, things went from bad to insanity. The owner, Shea, began to berate my now-absent sister. She mocked her hair, she mocked the hairstyle she had chosen, she mocked her tiara, she mocked her concerns about being late to her own wedding. I cannot describe the utter CONTEMPT shown by the salon owner towards my sister, the bride, her customer. After having used up all my patience not to start screaming at this d more

HORRID, RUINED DAY DO NOT GET YOUR WEDDING HAIR DONE HERE. I booked this appointment months in advance. I made it for Me (the bride) my mom, my mom in law, and my 3 sisters/bridesmaids. I was assured on the phone that they would close the salon for us and we were to bring pictures of what we wanted for our styles. There was a comprehensive form as well detailing the hair texture and desired style of the heads they were to style. All of this was done in advance. We arrived. They quickly got to work on most of the girls with rollers. That is where it all went bad. . . Another bridal party walked in and it was as if me, my sisters, and mom(s) disappeared. We were literally set aside for hours. No one even communicated why. My mother in law was made to sit with wet hair for 45 minutes. ""Shay"" the owner is the most rude, unprofessional, disconnected and flat out mean person I have ever encountered personally and professionally. I was on a schedule and had paid contractors WAITING for me at the hotel, not to mention a schedule to adhere to and Guests that spent thousands to come to my destination wedding. When I expressed to her my concern, I said, I am a punctual person, I have videographers and photographers waiting for me as well as guests . . Her response: ""It doesn't start til you get there anyway . ."" Seriously???? I am NOT a person who has ever made anyone wait especially as dollars and minutes are going to waste with my media vendors, She acted with no urgency and as a result my ENTIRE wedding was thrown off schedule. I was unable to do several of my planned events because of HER, Shay wouldn't allow ONE staff member to literally TOUCH a bobby pin without her permission. Each minion had to ask her permission before they did anything. So what looked like a staff of 5 turned into a staff of one . . ""Shay."" She was rude to her staff, controlling and it was obvious they were all fearful of her. On top of that she couldn't work on one head at a time . . she would do something to my hair, walk away and be gone for fifteen minutes, come back for one minute then leave again distracted by the OTHER wedding party they booked. I was incensed! As for the hair . . I came in with a picture of what I wanted, envisioned for my one day that a bride gets. ""Shay"" decided that it wasn't right, said she couldn't do it and SCOLDED me for not coming in for a consultation. When I booked NO ONE told me to do that. Its my first and only wedding, how was I supposed to know? As my hair didn't come out how I wanted it , she reminded me that it was my fault for not coming in for consultation. I brought in a picture as instructed. Why did I even bother? Shay basically did what she wanted. She chose a style and started to do it, I asked her to do my hair in the other direction where I ALWAYS wear it and she said NO. that it wasn't going to look right in that direction. Throughout her appointment (because it didn't feel like mine) she insulted the texture of my hair, how my 'side burns' look, she insulted my tiara and THREE TIMES her and her staff got my NAME wrong. I didn't feel at ALL special in that salon, I didn't feel average. I felt as if they disliked me! The style was wrong for my hair texture, the humidity that day and it looked, like a sideways french braid that anyone could have done. My hair fell about half way through the ceremony and I could not be more sad. When I look at the pictures, I cry. when I think of how my family and I were treated I want to vomit. more

My first experience at Hair in the Tropics was a fabulous one! I can't wait to go back. The decor is relaxing and inviting but with an edge. I enjoyed a glass of champagne as my hair was being cut by the marvelous sylist Tammy, does it get any better?! They only use the best products and I just can't wait to have my make-up done! Cheers to Hair in the Tropics! more

This is a beautiful salon and there is no place like it in the Keys. The owners, Shea and Joe are wonderful people. I will not let anyone else touch my hair!! They believe in staying on top of the newest trends and fashions. They use the highest quality products!! We reconmend this salon to all our top clients!! Pros: TOP QUALITYSERVICE AND PRODUCTS, OUTSTANDING STYLIST!!! more

After many weeks of searching, we found the diamond! This salon in Key Largo called Hair in the Tropics was beyond our expectations. What wedding up-dos! They used fresh flowers and my hair looked amazing and tropical. Shea, the owner, fulfilled my expectations and I could not have asked for a better turnout. Thanks Shea and staff, you rock! more

This Place is Fantastic!\r They change name and Owners, now, is called Hair in the Tropics.\r Shea is The best stylist I've found so far in The Keys!!\r Great Haircut, & Hi lites! Very talented, from Miami, you can tell right away when you enter in this Nice Salon.\r Prices are great for the results I got.\r I highly recommend this Salon, and Shea!.\r What a great Place we have now in the keys!!!! I am so so Happy! Pros: Top of the line Products, Lots of Parking, great Location more