Douglas J Aveda Institute

Wow.
I used to go here all the time for an eyebrow and I was happy with it, but the last two times I’ve gone have been awful. I went today, and my eyebrows look awful. This girl literally ruined my brows. It will take months for them to grow back to the way they were. She cut them with scissors so short and thinned them out, completely changed the shape, chopped off the end of my eyebrows, and didn’t even get all of the strays.
And her supervisor approved.
I would like my money back & and I won’t be back.

To me this place is a hit or miss, depending on who you get. What finally compelled me to write a review was today’s interaction with the instructor. Her name was Danielle. She was rude. My color did not turn out to be the same as I had last time. She told me I can go to a professional salon next time. Never mind $ 123 they charged me for highlights, glaze, etc. I tried to address the issue with the check-​out person and she looked at me like she had no idea what I was talking about. Disappointing. Stay away if you want color.

Being a college student, I’m not willing to spend much on haircuts. I heard bad things about Great Clips on MAC Ave, so I decided to go to the Aveda Institute. It’s a $ 16 flat rate hair cut and if it’s your first time you get $ 5 off by signing up for a text alert from them so it’s only $ 11. The hair cut comes with a quick scalp and hand massage and a shampoo/​rinse, and they put Aveda products in your hair so it comes out really soft in the end. They style it for free too. My hair was cut by Morgan, who is going to be graduating soon, but she did a great job (I only got about 1.5 in off the ends and a long layer). An instructor comes by to make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing and do a final check at the end. Super friendly staff. I’ll definitely be coming back.

As long as you go in aware that it may take longer than at a professional salon, you will have a great experience. It’s very clean and has a very relaxing atmosphere. The students and instructors are very friendly. A bonus of this salon is getting to keep the bottle of polish you use for a manicure or pedicure.

Moved away from Michigan and this was the best place to get a haircut.
They management here is better than some of the other Institutes across the nation and in the south.
They offer great value. It just depends on finding the right student.

Like many of the other reviewers, it has to be noted that this is a cosmetology and esthiology school. From my experience, the students are typically young adults with a passion for what they do. That said, expect some mistakes; it goes with the territory.
Dougy J is a full service salon, providing haircuts, dye, styling, blowouts, waxing, extractions, pedicures, manicures, makeup, etc. From what I’ve seen they do a pretty good job with everything, but for the reduced cost of all these services you pay for in either mistakes or time.
Being a man, with little hair on my head, it could take up to an hour to get a haircut. Usually there were no mistakes, and when I had more hair on my head the students with the help of their instructor could even manage my terrifying double cowlick.
Being a man, I also find myself with hair not on my head, and used to have the occasional wax. These take forever. Once again they are students, and it takes longer than going to a professional. You might want to be avoided this service if you are very sensitive to pain; however if you’re sensitive to pain, you probably shouldn’t be getting wax. But, if you want a low cost wax, they do a pretty good job.
In summary If you are willing to be a Guinea pig, this is not a bad place to go; especially if you are one of the many MSU students across the road. If you want perfection, pay the extra coin and go down the road to Okemos to the original Douglas J Salon.

I’ve been here before and obviously the quality of the haircut depends on who is cutting your hair. I have had several very good ones and some not as good. I find the front desk frustrating though. Walked in to try and make appointment for a blowout that day. The receptionist told me nothing was available for an hour and to come back in 45 minutes. She told me to come fifteen minutes early as she couldn’t actually make an appointment. When i got back in forty five minutes she told me nothing was available as reservations gave the appointment away. I understand it’s a school and no frills but don’t tell a customer you can’t make an appointment and then say someone else made one for the exact service. At that point it was too late to go elsewhere. Not handled well at all.

Yea yea… it’s a school. I shouldn’t complain about their service, but when it comes to my hair, it’s a pretty big deal. My student was nice, friendly, and talkative… all pluses, but she didn’t have much hair-​cutting skills. Even though she was a senior, there definitely were moments where I knew she was cutting my hair wrong (big indicator: when she kept cutting and looking and cutting and looking at the same spot, sigh). Luckily, an instructor came by every so often and smoothly and efficiently corrected her work. I was relieved each time he came by and wished I had him instead. For $ 11 (with the $ 5 new member discount), I’m ok with what I got, but I think next time, I’ll go to the real Aveda and pay more for much better.

Pretty cute girls cutting your hair as part of some barbershop experiment. You know what you’re getting into when you go in, and sometimes it looks great and sometimes… well, it doesn’t. It makes for good conversation and the ladies are usually pretty cool. They don’t accept tips either. A little steep on the price though.

I’ve been going here for several years now, but mostly for the affordability, not the actual quality of my haircuts. All in all, they’ve done a pretty good job, but I usually find that they’ll miss a couple of spots and I ALWAYS have to trim my own bangs once I get home.
Regardless, overall they’re not bad, it just depends on which student you get– I’ve had several that were incredibly nice and did a great job with my hair, but I’ve also had students who talked to me for two hours about Twilight or how much she wanted a cheeseburger (not exaggerating).

I moved away from EL a few years ago and still miss this place.
I’ve never had a bad experience here, and every time I went somewhere else it was either no better (for more money) or worse. With the exception of the Douglas J salon by the Marriott. Even though I get a different student and instructor each time, I always get a good result.
I came back to EL last summer to get married, and had them do the hair for my wedding. It was a fraction of the price anywhere else, and there was no markup for it being for a wedding. It came out absolutely amazing.
I went to the Aveda Institute where I live now, and I liked it, but it was still not as good as Douglas J. I wish I could just move back to East Lansing!

I went for a shellac manicure. I went in with 1 hr 45 min on my meter. Even with shellac, that should be more than enough time. Unless your appointment starts 20 minutes late and the tech doesn’t know how to remove shellac. It left no time for the whole manicure. Just the paint. However, the front desk was nice and didn’t charge for removal.
The biggest thing, which is probably a plus for most people, was the serene spa atmosphere. Everything was dim and quiet. There was a nature sounds soundtrack. It was just unnecessary for a manicure. Oh and there was a questionnaire, which I usually find fun. But the questions were all about complexion. Not nails.

If there were a six star option, this place would get it. It was one of the most thorough haircuts I have ever received. Not only do experts check in frequently, but capable students (whom are more qualified than most hairstylists at other places) actually seem to care about what the customer wants. They will spend hours simply blow drying your hair into whatever style you want, even if you got the $ 15 haircut. I can’t imagine going anywhere else. The only issue is that it’s not open on Sundays. However, it’s never too busy or crowded, waits are virtually not there, the staff is extremely knowledgable, the atmosphere is friendly, the end result is always satisfying, and there will still be money in your wallet when you leave. I personally recommend it to all of my friends, and hope everyone can have the same amazing experience I did!

I love the Douglas J institute — prices are EXTREMELY reasonable (plus being a school, they don’t accept tips) and I’ve gone there many times for haircuts, eyebrow waxes, mani/​pedicures, and massages. The building is gorgeously designed and decorated — I love that the massage/​manicure area is downstairs, away from the hustle of the haircut studio and feels like a regular spa. Plus, it’s the only place I know of where you get to keep the bottle of polish following your service. The tea, coffee, and water service is nice as well while you’re waiting in the lobby — the tea is always great.
You do have to keep in mind that this is a school, and I have had a couple of sub-​par stylists. One handed me the brush after shampooing my hair and asked me to brush while she went and started chatting with another student (pretty darn unprofessional) and another cut my hair completely uneven and did a very poor job with my eyebrow wax, and gave me the worst manicure I’ve ever had… polish wasn’t even covering the entire nail, and it was smearing before I walked out the door because I wasn’t given enough time to let it dry. Luckily there is always an instructor stepping in, and at that appointment I felt like the instructor did more of my services than the student, since she had to step in and fix all of her mistakes.
You never know if it’s going to be a great student or one who’s bored with school who will be taking care of you that day, but I’ve had far more positive experiences than negative. Know even if you have a negative experience, you won’t have the same person next time. That’s what keeps me coming back.
I wish they allowed more feedback from the client. I’ve been handed a form once or twice to «grade» the student and write down any comments, and the instructor will frequently ask how I thought the services were… right in front of the student. Hard to be honest with the student standing right there, especially if you’re about to head off to another service with that same student.

It’s hard to not love Aveda services, by students or not! Every service is checked by an instructor. I loved get such great services as an undergrad without having to pay a huge price. And the head massage with the great oils — worth every penny of the price for a haircut! I even went back after I graduated I liked it so much.
The only downside, they take quite a bit of time. But — I would rather have them take their time than rush through my haircut.
My roommate once had an issue with her highlights, but the instructor fixed it for her at no extra charge and she was very happy.

I’m writing this review for all the Asian women who need haircuts. I literally spent an hour scouring Unilocal and yahoo! reviews to find a salon that isn’t charging an arm and a leg to find out if their stylists can cut Asian hair. Douglas J Aveda Institute is the only place I felt I could really take the risk seeing as haircuts are only $ 16. I had my hair trimmed by a Douglas J Institute graduate about a month ago at the salon in East Lansing because a friend gave me a $ 20-​off coupon and was happy with the results, but as a poor graduate student, I don’t have $ 30+ to dish out every time I want a trim or cut! So I figured the Institute might be a good try, and I’m really glad I went!
I’m pretty specific about how I want my hair done when I know what I want. That’s exactly why the Douglas J Institute was such an awesome experience. Maybe it’s because they’re students, but they’re very attentive to every detail you tell them about what you want. Penny cut my hair, and although she seemed a little less confident than other stylists I’ve gone to in the past, I wasn’t all that concerned because she walked me through every step and repeated my haircut description to me without missing a single specific detail. I asked for 2 – 3 inches off the bottom and 1 inch off my shorter layers. I told her I didn’t like seeing straight, horizontal lines of layers in my hair and asked her to blend the layers. She did exactly what I asked! The only change she made was to cut the front a little shorter because she noticed that’s how it was currently styled, but she did not make this minor change without asking me if that’s what I wanted.
The student stylists’ instructors have to check off on what the stylist is going to do, and at the end the instructors come back to check whether everything was done well. I’m happy to report that Penny passed this last inspection — her instructor didn’t have to make an adjustment or fix anything at all! Seeing as Penny took her time, I wouldn’t have expected the instructor to do otherwise. She also finished the haircut relatively quickly — I heard about clients staying for up to 2 hours for a haircut, but I was in and out in about an hour (this included the scalp massage, shampoo, cut, blow dry, and instructor-​check). I also was told to select a «finishing touch» at the end, which is basically an element of make up (e.g. eye shadow or lipgloss).
One downside to coming here may be if you don’t know exactly what you want. The student stylists’ are really good about doing exactly what you tell them, but you better know what you want! I realized after my hair was blow dried that I would’ve liked Penny to shorten the front layers so that my hair would form more a U-​shape when you looked at it from behind, but because I didn’t specify this for her, I won’t blame it on her. It’s not something that’s so major that I’d go back and have her fix it, and I actually learned to style my hair to how I’d want it to look with the way it is.
The other downside to coming here is that the student stylists’ graduate in about a year from starting. For me, this means that Penny probably won’t be at the Institute next June. If you really love your student stylist, you’d probably have to find out where she’s getting a job and follow her there (if it’s within reason).
Overall, I had an awesome experience, and I can happily say that at least one stylist at the Institute can cut Asian hair. For $ 16 and a stylist that will follow specific guidelines I give her, I’ll definitely be returning to Douglas J Aveda Institute — at least until Penny graduates :)

I’ve been going to Douglas J for the past 2 years, and I’ve never walked away unsatisfied. For the first while I would be with a new student each haircut, but recently I found a student I really love and will be booking with her until she graduates.
For a training salon, I am always surprised by how professional it is. When you first walk in, you’re offered water and tea and they check your coat. There are also a ton of perks included with the super cheap $ 16 haircut, including a shampoo, scalp massage, and aromatherapy. Although a student is cutting your hair, an instructor checks in every step of the way to make sure the student is following Aveda guidelines and to make sure that you’re getting what you want in your haircut. And when you’re all finished with your cut, you get a «finishing touch» which for me has always been a lipgloss touchup.
The only downside to going here (and why I didn’t give five stars) is that it takes a really long time. The last time I went in for a pixie cut, the student had never done a pixie cut before and so it took almost 3 hours with all the instructor check-​ins and help. Even so, I walked out with a killer haircut.

I have always had a pleasant experience at Douglas J! You must take into account, this is a teaching institution, but even so, they do a fantastic job. One thing I like is they really take their time with you. So what if they are double and triple checking their work? They just want to make sure everything is perfect. Their teachers are always available for extra help and questions, so no worries there.
I came here a lot when I was doing many dye jobs on my hair. I went from natural dark brown to golden blonde at this salon. I had no regrets. It took about 4 hours, but that seemed to be exactly the right amount of time. Obviously it takes a while to get the dark color out. I’ve also gotten a really pretty purple dye here. Haircuts are pretty standard.
I recommend this salon for anyone who wants to save a little money, especially on big hair changes like I did, because it practically cut my bill in half for what I would pay at a high-​end salon.

Had my hair more or less destroyed at another hair salon in November, and waited until a week ago to repair the damage. Kayliegh H (I believe) was amazing… she mentioned she graduates in less than a month, but I wish I could go back to her! She listened to exactly what I wanted, and my hair color turned out better than I could have imagined. Honestly, the best color service I’ve ever had.
And let’s face it… $ 140 for color service at most hair salons for mediocre satisfaction compared to $ 36 at Douglas J Institute that resulted in fabulousness will keep me coming back. And the tea is the poop and the urine!

I had my hair cut here two or three times while I was a student at Michigan State. When I went it was only $ 15 for a haircut, and you don’t have to tip. Can’t beat that. They give you a head massage with GREAT smelling oils and once I even got a hand/​arm massage as well (mmm, heaven!).
One time my boyfriend even went with me to get his hair cut, too. However, they only use scissors to cut hair here (even on the men!), so they couldn’t cut it as close to his head as he would have liked… AND it took forever.
I never had them do much more than a trim because I have curly hair and I don’t trust stylists who have stick straight hair themselves to be able to give me an amazing haircut. In summary, you should be okay as long as you are female (or you are male with long hair) and you don’t have the stylists attempt anything fancy.
Call and make an appointment beforehand because chances of getting your hair done as a walk-​in client are slim to none.