Stuart Laurence Salon

I asked for a 2-3 inch trim and I got 6 inches off. When I complained to Christina (my hairdresser), she said it was what I wanted and 'You're a new woman now!'. On top of that, the ""trim"" is SLANTED AND UNEVEN. When I told the manager and owner they said there was nothing they could do to 'make me happy', & that 'one bad haircut won't ruin our rep.' I was crying the whole time and they didn't offer compensation or apology for their mistake, they even chuckled when I asked them what they would do in my situation and what they would be willing to do to fix the situation. I apologized for my anger and tears at the salon the next day, after Michael called me at 8:30 in the morning telling me that I was dishonest about the review I posted on their site. When the owner, Michael Varnadore, was finally offering me an appointment [by the way they say their policy is to redo a haircut within 48 hours] to fix the terrible work that Christina did to my hair (after I emailed him the picture for proof). I said thank you and didn't mention his rude and condescending behavior from his previous phone call, and we set it up an appointment. After he confirmed a time he said there was one condition that I had to be comfortable with before going in, which is to not say anything about what happened last time. Not only does it have to come up in order to explained to the hairdresser what happened, I told him that I was owed an apology. Then he interrupted aggressively and loudly stated that if at the time of the appointment I spoke about what happened the last time I was there, then they ""WOULD USE PHSYCIAL FORCE"" to get me out. I was stunned and scared about going in. I'm 130 lbs, not muscular and 5 ft 3 in, so I'm not a scary person. I told him that sounded like a threat, and I felt threatened. Then he tried to rephrase it to sound less like a threat. So I said, that sounds less like a threat, thank you. During that sentence he interrupted me saying he was done with me and hung up. He canceled the appointment. These people pride themselves on being professionals, but he seems to care absolutely nothing about his customers (including listening to them) or quality of hair style that come out of his salon-I'm willing to show you a picture of what they did. The head of Stuart Laurence wouldn't apologize for the mistake they made or for the rude and painful comments made to me, he also didn't apologize for threatening me. Choose for yourselves whether or not to support the people and a place who would do this to a customer. more

I am new to Charleston and had to find a new stylist after my relocation. I was SUPER apprehensive about purchasing the Groupon and trying out Stuart Laurence after reading some of the reviews, but the deal was too good to pass up and I work nearby so I figured I'd give it a shot. Jackie was my stylist and was EXCELLENT! She was attentive, we went over everything at the beginning of my appointment and she was very friendly. \r \r I had a cut and full highlight with two shades of blonde to maintain some natural look to the color and it turned out perfectly. I had also put off getting my hair done for longer than usual so my regular cut/style was definitely grown out. I showed her an old photo and she did a fabulous job with the cut. I noticed that several people were annoyed about how much hair they lost on a cut, but I feel like that happens with any stylist, even my old stylist who took care of me from 4th grade to now 28 yrs old. Jackie made sure to check with me multiple times on length before she took the scissors to my hair. She even checked with me before putting me under a dryer to see if she could feed my meter. \r \r I also was greeted by a friendly front desk person and met the owner whom I found to be very friendly and funny. The other staff seemed welcoming, social and smiley. I believe if you go in with an open mind you will not be disappointed. While it is expensive, if you can afford the regular price it is well worth it. Glad I found a new hair home! more

I read the recent reviews for this business on the morning of my first appointment, and I was a little concerned. But my experience was very different - it was actually very, very good.\r I realize that, while most of us are eager to be heard when we feel a business has ripped us off or not performed as promised, we are not always as eager to sing their praises when we like what we got. So I want to take this opportunity to say that I could not have had a better experience with a salon. My stylist, Ashley, was knowledgeable, confident, and friendly. She asked all the right questions and listened to my answers. When I asked her opinion, she gave it freely, but pushed nothing on me. The person at the front desk was very friendly and accommodating. Beyond all that, I got great color/highlights, as well as a great cut and style. What more could I have asked for? I'll be back, Stuart Laurence Salon. You did a great job for me today! more

STAY AWAY ! This place is ridiculous! They completely ripped me off! I moved to Charleston from NYC and I paid over 100 for a haircut. This is totally ridiculous ! more

I finally found a way to tell people (warn) them about Stuart Laurence Salon. I've read many of the other reviews now, and I now realize that the problem was not me at all...I had THE worst experience ever at this place. The guy at the front desk is so RUDE. I don't care how cheap their ""deals"" are, I would never return to this place because of how poorly I was treated - not only by their ""receptionist,"" but by the owners, who would never return my calls or emails - I even wrote a note to the two stylists who had worked on my hair, thanking them for their great hair service, and trying to get through to someone who would at least acknowledge me - but I never heard from any of them. This $19 ""deal"" is no deal. Buyer beware. more

I arrived for my make-up appointment on the morning of my son's wedding and was told that they didn't have an appointment for me and they could not work me into their schedule. No apologies...no offers to help me book elsewhere...no help at all. They actually made me feel like it was my fault! This appointment had been booked months in advance. I meet many wonderful and friendly people while I was in Charleston but I definitely got the cold shoulder at this salon. The only recommendation I can make is..... book your appointments elsewhere more

They are shockingly RUDE!!!! I emailed and my email was not returned. The stylist NEVER responded to me. If I did this to customers in my line of business I would be without a job. They charged me an uheard of amount for color. $270 for ONLY color. I was sure it was a mistake. I've asked everyone I know if they have ever paid that for any hair service. No one has - I was ripped off BIG TIME. DON'T WALK INTO this rude, expensive place...you will be sorry. MichaelV and Butch work at the salon. I see they have given five stars. That is ridiculous. So, in essence - they have to give themselves positive ratings. more

RUDE when asked to fix service! I have been there several times and most of the time was happy, until one time I was unhappy and when I brought this up, I was immediately made to feel like it was MY FAULT for being unhappy! I was hung up on twice once while I was in tears because I just wanted them to fix their mistakes. Then the phone automatically went to voice mail during business hours. Brian the ""manager"" is extremely RUDE and not helpful and your stylist will not be able to give you suggestions because ""it's not their hair"". Wish my hair was not ruined by these people and I wish they cared that they ruined it! more

DONT GO HERE if you are blonde wanting to go back to your natural. They made every mistake in the book. I was bleach blonde with grown out dark ash blonde roots (like SO many of us) and wanting to tint to more natural. I specifically said I used to be red and it took me forever to get rid of it, and specifically said I did not want brown. They put me with the new girl who relayed my request across the room to another stylist who looked at my hair from ACROSS the room, and mixed the color. I don't know what got lost in translation, but something did. They filled my bleach blonde in with a red, which later I was told by an expert that this is for brown and they should have filled with a dark blonde. Then they dyed it all with a permanent warm brown instead of the cool tone demi-permanent I requested. My virgin roots that I had patiently grown out turned auburn. The color was okay just no where near what I wanted, so I thought I would just go home and let it wash out during the summer and then grow it out again. But after going home I realized how red it was, and after one wash I realized it would wash out to a light auburn.... right back where I started a year ago!!! I've never gone back to a salon, in fact I was so embarrassed and didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings that I said it was good and went home. But for $150 I just couldn't ""live"" with it so I went back. They told me to tone the red out they had to go darker (which would be almost a BLACK) and it would be impossible to go lighter. I insisted on lightening and then tone with cool, but I SHOULD have just gone home at that point. They put me back at the sink and processed my hair numerous times but wouldn't let me see what they were doing or what it looked like at any stage. They did a bleach cap and then must have put on a violet that was way to dark for bleached hair (you have to use a lighter level for pourous hair!!!) The result was a nappy, nasty dark brown with neon purple roots. At one point the girl used shampoo instead of conditioner and dried it like that!! After even more processing I didn't even want them to dry it... I ran home!! That night I overnight shipped Vanish hair color remover (NO DAMAGE) and it removed all of the color. My hair was an inoffensive, consistent strawberry blonde (which is the result from bleaching virgin hair... no dye left on hair at all.) It was ten times lighter, which they said was impossible to do and looks way better than they left it. I am deep conditioning the heck out of it... and maybe after 4 months of growing out my roots I will be back to where I started before I even stepped foot in there. I have had bleach blonde with roots and asked for a tint back in salons in Boston and Pittsburgh and they have matched it BEAUTIFULLY with no problem (and it didn't take upwards of 3 HOURS), with signs everywhere boasting ""master colorists"" it seems like they took a 1 year beauty course where they teach you how to dye blonde to brown and THATS IT. It seems like most salons in Charleston only know how to do blonde highlights. I would never go here again and neither will any of my friends after seeing what they did to my hair. more

Melissa performed magic! When I left the salon after my first visit, I felt like I had a ""pot of gold"" on my head. I have difficult, unruly hair and Melissa made recommendations for color and cut...voila! Melissa is delightful, professional and has the confidence all stylist should have. See the magic yourself, give it a go! more

After moving to Charleston from NYC, I launched my search for a new salon and stylist. I read the reviews online and decided to make an appointment for a cut with Katherine. I could not have been happier with my hair cut or overall salon experience. Katherine is warm and friendly and very easy to speak with. She is also very good at cutting and styling willful, wavy/curly hair. I highly recommend her. more

My wife just went in for a hair highlight. First, it took 4 HOURS to do it. Second, they completely ruined her hair when they trimmed it. They were completely unable to style her hair without her telling exactly what she wanted. That being so, whats the point of going to a salon?? After having her cry in my arms, I called back and they had the nerve to blame the whole thing on her. They said she was unable to communicate and admitted that they rely on the person to tell them what to do (not able to conceptually style). They made no effort or offer to fix her hair or refund her money. DO NOT GO HERE!!! Pros: Nothing Cons: Really bad haircut, really really bad service more

I had the worst haircut at this salon. Do NOT let Amanda touch your hair. Her gimp leg must affect her ability to cut symmetrically. One side of my do was 3 inches shorter than the other!! Her attitude and the attitude of the loser f'er who grossed me out at the front desk STINK. Yes, they made me pay for her serious mistake, and, yes, I had to get my hair did again right away. And, yes, I wish I could sky write STUART LAWRENCE IS A BUNCH OF NO-TALENT WANNABEES. NO STARS...0 out of 5! Pros: Absolutely Not Even One Cons: Egotistical, Uppity Creeps more

I'm crazy picky about my haircolor, and after trying 3 other salons, I found this one. I've gone there for the last 4 years, and they do EXACTLY what I tell them to everytime. My first hairdresser moved about a year ago, which I was devastated, but they refered me to Megan- who is WONDERFUL. I highly recommend this salon if you are picky about haircolor. The only negative is if you don't pay for a haircut, they add on a $30 ""styling fee."" Pros: Great for haircolor more

I've lived in Charleston for almost 3 years and after trying a string of bad stylists all over town, a friend recommended seeing Megan Atkinson at Stuart Laurence Salon. Stuart Laurence has a great atmosphere and the staff are polite and professional but what has kept me coming back for over 2 years is Megan. She has incredible vision but is remarkably considerate of what I want and and is able to meld her vision with my own vision for my hair to create styles that are flattering and manageable (and that I love!). Everyone I know who sees her loves her work and I can't imagine letting anyone else cut my hair! Pros: great stylists, great atmosphere Cons: What are the drawbacks? more

I have been getting my hair cut by Megan A. at Stuart Laurence for 3 years at the recommendation of a friend and I will not go anywhere else as long as I live here! The salon is beautiful and the people are great. Megan is an expert colorist and stylist and very attentive to my wants and concerns. I am very picky about my hair and am so happy with her! They also have a lot of great products there- Aveda and Bumble and Bumble included. I'd definitely recommend! Pros: love the atmosphere, very relaxing Cons: street parking more

Butch is super nice, so if you go request him. Only go if Michael isn't working! He is very rude... Pros: Butch Cons: parking more

I have been going to see Katherine for maybe 2 years now, her work is flawless, she listens, she takes her time, you never feel rushed. I have been getting highlights for over 10 years now, and she is the only person I have ever gone to who does not ever mess up. Honestly, top notch, Ive lived in NYC for over 5 years and she is better than anyone I saw up there. No its not cheap, but if you care about the end result, she is your girl to see. Pros: katherine, products more

I have been getting my hair cut here for 3 years and I really enjoy the experience. I am suprised at some of the bad reviews. You have to tell them what you want, you cannot by shy about it. I have always been treated nicely there. They always offer you water or a coke and they are very careful to make sure that you are happy. I think that it is well worth the price. I can get my hair washed, cut ,and styled, my eyebrows done and tip for around $60. If you are on a budget ask for a new person, they are not as expensive, also they have student discounts. Pros: professional staff, cool atmosphere, they will let you know if a cut is not right for you Cons: you have to be specific in what you want more

After selling my business in Texas (a salon) I moved to Charleston. My biggest fear was finding someone who would be able to dublicate the cut I so much loved. One of my new girlfriends had an outstanding cut, and I made her tell me who it was. So I'm at Stuart Laurence and I am extrememly nervous, and my stylist seemed quite young. She was professional and methodical, and I am SO pleased with the result. Overall, my appointment was on time, I loved the service, and checkout was fast and efficient. This is a very well run company with high standards at every level. I love that! If you are looking for an excellent experience where price is no object, you've found home. Pros: Efficient, thorough, beautiful blow-dry more