Paul Mitchell The School

Awesome service! My stylist was courteous and very careful and my hair looks amazing! One star for the awkward booking process… I called asked if there were any sane day appointments available and was told she would call me back. I would have preferred just being put on hold.

My hair came out just as I’d wanted it– a trim all around and face shaping angles on the sides. The whole process, wash, cut, blow dry, iron, took almost 2 hours though. At other salons, I’ve been out in under and hour which is why I rated 4 instead of 5 stars. Each step is checked by a professional and my hair still smells great the next day!

Beware getting anything done here. Yes, it’s a school. Yes, students will be learning on your hair. If that’s a risk you’re willing to take, go for it. Just know that you really do get what you pay for & there’s a reason prices are so inexpensive… you’re assisting in students learning… on your hair. So, unless you’re willing to be a test subject & have the risk of your color coming out splotchy, hair cut unevenly & botched, do yourself a favor & go to an already licensed beautician, preferably by recommendation. 2 stars for their sales on PM products.

I have only had horrible experiences here, but have continued to give the Paul Mitchell school the benefit of the doubt, because of the attractive price for hair cuts, and generally color.
The staff is quite unfriendly on the phone and in person; every time I have been there, whoever is doing my hair just talks to his/​her classmates instead of responding to my attempts at making conversation.
The learning leaders are also extremely rude and not open to how the customer wants their hair, but offers their suggestions as the final word.
I got my hair cut/​colored in August and will never have it cut there again. The girl doing it cut it EXTREMELY unevenly and ruined the layers I had. Yesterday, I went in for a color and showed them a photo of an ombré haircut. I walked out with about 3″ of my hair from my roots dyed darker, and then absolutely no transition to a lighter color, just extremely poorly bleached hair that looks orange and is almost my entire head instead of starting where I had specified. I paid $ 70 for this atrocity and will never be returning to the paul mitchell school.

To be fair the students are good and the teachers as well but as the others says the front disk has a problem in management and also the way they treat their client but overall, you get a nice (not perfect) haircut for a low price which is good for the wallet

I gave them another chance with highlights. The stylist I saw in early September did a great job! The stylist I saw in late October? Not so much. The highlights were far too dark, so they don’t show up at all, and she cut my bangs badly.
The real problem I have is with the management. My appointment was on October 24. I called on Monday, October 26, to find out whether I could get the highlights redone or my bangs fixed. I was told that yes, the redo could happen, but they’d have to speak to the learning leader in charge that day as well as the student who worked on my hair, and I’d be contacted in one to two days. That never happened.
I’ve been calling for two weeks, leaving messages on a manager’s voice mail – because the receptionists kept saying that there was no one in charge in the building. No one ever called me back. Today, I finally spoke with Marcy, who identified herself as a learning leader. She told me that there was nothing they could do because it had been too long since the date of my service. It’s not my fault that it’s been too long; they are the ones who did not call me back. I even asked the first time I called if there was a time limit for fixing things and was told there was not.
I’m aware that it’s a school, not a salon and that mistakes will happen. I’m not upset with the stylist; I’m very upset with the management’s lack of response. If I had been told the truth up front, or called back in a timely manner, I would not be writing this review now.

I got the worst haircut of my life yesterday at this salon. I suspect that this was the first time my stylist ever handled hair in her life since she had no idea what she was doing.
I asked for a simple 1 inch trim and to slightly trim my bangs. She cut my bangs way too short and they are also lopsided. She cut parts of hair off the side of my head and made them into bangs. This means that I now have bangs around the side of my head. She absolutely butchered my hair and now I look like a mushroom. She somehow took almost 40 minutes to blow dry my hair, and I ended up having to be at the salon for almost an hour and a half for a simple trim. I have to wear a hat for the next month because that’s how embarrassing my bangs look.
Please do not come here!

Amazing salon. The stylists here are as good as the professional salons. Recommend to anyone! Very clean and spacious place with many stylists!

Complete disaster. Wish I could give it less than 1 star. I grew out my hair to the middle of my ribs-​ish. Asked for a 1 inch trim and walked out with almost 6 inches off in basically a bob. Then the supervisor/​manager were all so rude and unprofessional. Don’t go here and if you do, keep an eye on your hair to make sure their not doing something completely different.

This was not only the worst hair experience of my life… It may have been the worst day of my entire life. I had just gotten my hair to the perfect color. The highlights that had been put in had lightened in the sun… Making a beautiful contrast with the dark color that had been put in my hair. After struggling with my hair for my entire life… I finally felt beautiful. Everyone in the room was complimenting my highlights… I was looking forward to getting my ROOTS touched up… So that you couldn’t see the gray. You probably already know that when someone talks about their roots… It means the hair that has grown in since the last dyeing appointment. The part of the hair that is closer to the scalp… And is a different color due to growth. I made the erroneous assumption that that was common knowledge. Long story short… The student I had is probably the stupidest person on planet earth. I feel more qualified to do people’s hair than she is… And I’ve never done it before! She dyed out my beautiful highlights. I pointed it out to the supervisor and they both washed out my hair as I was crying. One of the teachers tried to make me feel better by telling me that she had been diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer the previous day… That actually did make me feel a little better. Anyway, do not go here!!! I will spare you other details of this hair appointment disaster… But trust me. Like so many others, I wish I could give negative stars. It should be required to use your brain before and during a haircut. Whether you are a «student» or not. Oh and not to mention that when I got home, I realized that she had gotten hair dye on the collar of my brand-​new white blazer!

Takes way too long to get a color retouch almost 4 hours and reception desk is very rude and unprofessional

The WORST experience EVER at a Salon… EVER! Don’t go there unless you want to get your hair ruined because that’s what happened to me yesterday.
I came in with a picture of the highlights I wished to have: Color & Style that I wanted. I came out like a «Lab Rat», hair totally ruined! But that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that this school has no customer feedback! Which means: They don’t care whether your hair is a hit or miss!
First it wasn’t easy for me to find a manager to talk to, but by then, when someone came, they where defending the errors of the student instead of calling his supervisor and addressing the issue in order to TRY to fix my hair, since it’s the supervisor’s role to make sure the student doesn’t mess up our hair!
Bottom line, I ended up paying the bill & leaving, with my hair not even highlighted, but painted like a bad canvas; I asked for light ash blonde highlights, my hair has been severely bleached & the whole color right now is an ugly yellow & orange.
Even the blow dry was totally badly done!
I arrived there at 9:35am and left at 14:40pm!!! And no one even notified me earlier when I called for an appointment that highlights usually take from 3 to 5 hours!
Also, when I talked to the person who took my appointment, I made sure to tell her that I had long hair that is not very easy and if she can put me with someone who has some experience with highlights. She was totally like: «Oh I can’t know who’s gonna work on your hair». She should have known by me telling her that, to put me with someone in Phase2. Yet, I ended up in Phase1 with probably a very VERY beginner student who didn’t even know how to shampoo! and the worst supervisor.
Yesterday was a NIGHTMARE and still today, I woke up & looked at my hair and don’t know how to fix it and where to go to see if it can be fixed!
It seems that the whole school needs a total restructuring since none of the employees I dealt with yesterday had any idea on how to deal with a customer when a issue arises. Bad, very Bad!

I liked the retouch I got and hair cut. The instructor Bobby was professional and gentle. When student was stuck at cutting my bang, he did it as he explained to his student.
Im only giving 2 stars because i was there for 4 hours to get retouch and hair trim. I went with my friend who also got retouch but her color didn’t match so they asked to redo it which took almost 5 hours.
Go if you have lots of time and okay to experiment. But the style you want is not guranteed.

I’ve been getting my hair cuts here for the last 4 years and it’s always been a hit or miss — more hits than misses though. I’ve never seen the same stylist so each person has had different experiences. I will say that most of my stylists have been phase 2 students and they’ve been great! For $ 17-​$ 18, you get a shampoo, cut, and style — which isn’t a bad deal at all considering they use awesome Paul Mitchell products on you and the stylists are students who are up to date on current hair and beauty trends.
The school/​salon itself is located on the lower level of the mall next to Nordstrom. Everyone there has mainly been friendly, though I will say that there is always room for improving customer service. If you’re looking for something simple and basic, I would recommend this place. I, personally, just ask for long layers and 2 – 3 inches off and have never had an issue or bad haircut. The visit itself does take a long time, I’ll tell you. My visits here have ranged from 1.5 to 2 hours so don’t make an appointment if you’re pressed for time. Most of the stylists I have had successfully delivered and were very personable and were passionate about what they were doing, whilst I’d say maybe 2 – 3 didn’t quite know what they were doing or were nervous so the supervising instructor would have to cut in a lot of the time and end up cutting my hair for me.
Nonetheless, haircuts and deep conditioning treatments I would certainly recommend here. The pricing on chemical services like color and highlights is very tempting, but I’m still not brave enough to schedule that! You don’t get to choose who your stylist is unless you’ve seen someone you liked before and they’re still a student there (if you’re lucky). I’m not one who likes to spend a fortune on a haircut or color job that I could do myself, so I come here not expecting to have the perfect experience and cut every time because again — they are students! However, if you are looking for something simple like a basic trim and layers or a few inches off — go for it! If you’re looking to go for something more drastic like long hair to a bob or pixie cut — maybe go see someone else who has had more experience.

Pros–
1. Cheap!
2. Great customer service. Everybody was so welcoming and they didn’t make me feel awkward coming to a beauty school for the first time.
3. Teamwork. They have fantastic teamwork, the other trainees were helping my hair stylist trainee by cleaning up the area around me. I felt a great energy and vibe from the employees because they all got along so well, which made my experience much more enjoyable.
4. Supervisor. I was a little nervous the moment I sat down to get the haircut. But then a supervisor came along to also introduce herself to me and made sure I was under good hands even if it was done with by a trainee.
Cons–
1. Time. I know it’s obviously going to take a longer time than a normal salon. But I was sitting there for 2.5−3 hours. My feet and legs were starting to ache… lol
I always think time is $. So it’s really a matter of preference. But, I will definitely come back again. Maybe to getting a color change? :)

A friend suggested the Paul Mitchell school to me.
This place is alright for a haircut and pretty cheap. Be prepared for your hair not to turn out as planned… be specific with what you want.
I got a fade on the sides and the student was unable to do the fade so the pro stepped in and helped.
They don’t have many males that show up there so I probably provided some good practice material

I love this place. Not sue what the other girls are talking about… it’s a school. It cleary says Paul Mitchel «THE SCHOOL» at the entrance so I try not to have high expectations. You come here for a cheap hair cut/​color and the students practice on you. I’ve spent hundreds at a hair salon before that wasn’t worth that much. When I come here I spend less than $ 100 and satisfied with what I get. Too be honest I just go for a phase 1 student that is close to graduating versus paying extra for a phase 2. I try not to have high expectations coming here since they are students but if you also are not happy with what you got you can always have the floor leader help you out.

Sahar’s review provides an excellent summary of our experience, but I’ll comment as well.
I desperately needed a haircut and did not feel like paying for an expensive cut nor waiting weeks to get into one of my preferred salons. I was a bit desperate, then I remembered the Paul Mitchell School. Since my hair is curly with long layers, and that’s all I ever get done to it, it’s not too hard to get wrong. So I asked for that, plus to remove some length. The student I had was great – while the blowout could have been better, the trainer fixed that. My hair is shorter, relayered, and looks good straight and fine curly. I knew I wasn’t getting a dry cut (the only way to properly cut curly hair), so I can’t complain about the curls. Definitely plan on spending a while at the school – it took almost 90 minutes for a wash, cut, and blowdry. But I was prepared, so it didn’t bother me.
What did bother me? Reception staff. Slightly rude on the phone, and even though I booked a facial and haircut, they didn’t bother to tell me that’s not possible – I had to find out after my hair was done. Also, I was told I’d be with a Tier Two student for $ 13, but ended up with a Tier One because they also didn’t tell me that their prices had changed. It’s now $ 18 for the second level, which I would have been fine with. Maybe the receptionists are training as well?
I still recommend and I’ll be returning for a facial in July.

Sure, I don’t know much about hairstyling, hair color and haircutting techniques, but I do know that I watch a lot of Tabatha“s Salon Takeover on Bravo which has given me quite an education on basic techniques of hair cutting including, seven section parting technique, how to do a blunt cut, and cross checking.
Who said TV makes you dumber?
So I feel as though if Tabitha were to walk in here she would have very few snarky comments in an Australian accent to make. I know a few people are tentative about going to a beauty school for a cut and color and let me tell you I had a good experience here, but I was asking for a minimal change. If you are fussy with your hair and expect perfection, a student salon may not be the right place for you. A more complex haircut, like an A-​line or a pixie cut, may not turn out how you’d like. Bring lots of pictures of the front, back and side of any style you want.
Now if you’re ready to make an appointment, you can select either Phase I or Phase 2 services. For example, Phase One haircut is $ 13 and a Phase Two haircut is $ 18. Phase One=a mix of students with over 350 hours of experience and Phase Two=“honors” student with 1,000 or more hours. All haircuts come with a blow dry, which might be a great way to get a blow out.
If you’re still a little tentative, here are some more facts to help:
First of all, the students have to discuss and approve the plan for your cut and color with an instructor, which minimizes error. I only asked for a trim (1−2″) the cut was precise, and took about 45 minutes. I could definitely tell I was being cut by a student that was learning, she would talk about every step she was taking, which is reassuring. The instructor came by again to cross check and sign off. I had no issues with my cut. I was there with my friend Lia and her cut looked great but her blow out left some frizzy hair, and the instructor quickly swooped in with the wide round brush and fixed that in no time flat.
If your stylist doesn’t know how to accomplish a request, she’ll have other stylists to ask and her instructor. I decided to forego the blowdry and get a long french braid because it is 100 degrees outside. The student I had was unfamiliar with french braids so she started doing cornrows. It was kinda fun, not a look I want to sport, but she did have another stylist come by to redo and complete the french braid.
The students are not novices. Mine had an entire instagram portfolio of her work, including really good ombré color jobs.
The shampoo feels amazing, but there are a few times you can tell a student is washing your hair (leaving hair dripping wet, missing spots).
All in all, you are not in a rush, and looking for a budget hair color or cut, this is a pretty good option. I would definitely return to take advantage of the $ 8 facials.

***2.5***
This place can really be hit or miss. I came here on a weeknight in hopes that my haircut would take less time since it was less crowded than weekends. I have had 3 haircuts here and 1 ombré. this is my first bad experience out of 4 visits.
The phase 1 student that I had was really sweet but she didn’t do a very good job on my hair. Everything just seemed rushed. i didn’t get a head massage like I usually do during the shampoo process which made me super sad. (I’m a sucker for massages!) I asked for a 1.5 inch trim of my long layered hair and a fringe trim. All she did was trim my hair on straight length. She didn’t trim my fringe bangs OR fix my layers. She didn’t even frame my face like I asked.
She was so proud of herself afterwords that I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I didn’t like it. (She kept taking pictures of my hair and I didn’t want to break the news to her) THEN when I got home, my boyfriend noticed that there was a long piece hanging from the back of my hair that she forgot to cut :/​
My boyfriend came in for a haircut for the first time and though his haircut looked good, they didn’t clean up the hair on the back of his neck. The woman that cut his hair explained to him that men don’t typically come in for haircuts which is why she wasn’t experienced with cutting men’s hair. I thought that was a strange excuse… sadly I don’t think he will be returning for a haircut double date with me ever again.
I understand that these are students and it may be hit or miss, but the instructor never came by to check on her at all. Not even at the end to check her work. They have always done this on my previous visits but not sure why he didn’t this time.