The Institute of Beauty and Wellness Salon

Got a great cut/​style working with Natalia. She was great at listening to what I wanted and how to compliment my face, and really took great care and attention to detail. Highly recommend. Aveda always impresses me with the level of quality and incredible value of their services.

I had a really great spa experience from Melody yesterday that I wanted to share. I was pretty skeptical about getting a facial here just because my skin is no sensitive and I break out easily. I use Aveda products and like them so I figured getting a facial would be good. Melody made me feel so comfortable from the time I walked in and she explained so much to me during my facial about my skin and what products to use. It was one of the best facials I’ve had in a long time, thanks Melody!

I purchased a Groupon for a cut and botanical. I had never gotten one so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew with how damaged my hair was it was something that needed to be done. In the deep condition process I got a nice scalp massage and hand massage. When we went back to the chair Kristin trimmed my hair. She did a perfect job. Most of the time, stylists take to much off and with how broken all my ends were I was even more nervous. My hair looks and feels so much healthier. I will definitely be going back.

A complete nightmare. I came in for a mani pedi, and didn’t stay for the mani because the pedi was so bad. The student had no idea what she was doing and looked scared to death. She cut my toe nails into jagged edges and then did not know how to filed them into straight edges. And when she tried she was causing insane pain. There was no teacher any where to be seen! Then she barely pushed back my cuticles and gave me the most non existent massage ever for a full 30 seconds. I can’t believe they call this a manicure. I asked for clear polish and she applied some matte nail varnish. No base coat or top coat. Just a matte nail polish. My toe nails have dirt under them, they are jagged and look worse then when I came in. Do not come here for toes and nails!

I booked a massage and had a bad experience. I totally understand that the masseuse is a student and still learning, but I left feeling like I didn’t have a massage. The technique was poor, there was limited variety, and my muscle tightness remained. I kept hoping the massage would get better… it didn’t. I also didn’t like that the massage was done in a big room with no privacy for getting on/​off the massage table. I was not warned about that when I booked my appointment. I will definitely not go back. Spend more money and get a massage done somewhere else. Total bummer and waste of money.

For $ 75 I got a nice dye job, parking, product and a generous tip. Can’t beat it! I can understand the trepidation relating to getting your hair done by a student. I feel like I lucked out, my stylist was knowledgeable (enough), eager to please, and professional. She did a great job with my color (though I did have a few tips, based on prior experience elsewhere, that I wanted to share with her) and I’m very happy. That being said, I can’t say I’d trust them to give me a cut. It’s just too much of a crap shoot and butchering a pixie cut could be horrendous. I’ll go back, as long as I’m seeing Kim and not getting a cut.

Aveda provides some very good services considering the fact that the stylists are students and that the prices are VERY reasonable. My services here cost half what they do at a regular salon. I have had only good haircut experiences. Some of my past coloring services have been a bit questionable, but I realize that platinum blonde can be hard to achieve perfectly, especially as a student. Recently though I have been seeing Sherife for my hair services and she is WONDERFUL. Not only is she a sweetie, but she also pays high attention to delivering my desired result and takes the time to do things precisely. Go see Sherife!

Highly highly recommended.
I’m a college student in the area with very little discretionary income. I tried out the Aveda School because I knew it was inexpensive, I have straight, easy to tame hair, and was just looking to get a trim.
First off, the people were SO nice. I immediately felt comfortable with my stylist. I feel very comfortable getting my haircut there because the stylists check-​in with their teacher at every phase of the haircut. That gave me confidence that it would turn out just the way I wanted. And it did! I always recommend the Aveda school to my friends and they have all had great experiences, great haircuts for a very inexpensive price.
I like to call it the Aveda Outlet. Same product, discounted price!

Prices are great. Your service will vary so widely depending on the student that you get. Fortunately the instructor will walk around once in a while to make sure everything is going well. A waxing session can take forever, and it almost seems as if most of the students have never done a wax before. They should learn how to master this before seeming to try it out on students for the first time.
You can reserve an appointment online and get reminders via text, which is great :)

Even for a student you would think they could cut a straight line O_​o
I took my daughter to the Institute for a simple trim of her long hair. The first time we went to the Institute her hair was cut unevenly… an instructor checked it… but we didn’t notice the unevenness until we got home and my daughter washed her hair and it was wet O_​o
We had to make another appointment to get it fixed and I insisted on someone who could cut hair evenly since I wasn’t planning on returning for a third time for a simple trim of long, straight, unlayered hair!
I wouldn’t recommend… you can get a better cut at Supercuts.

I went in to use my groupon for a haircut and botanical treatment. I had been here before and so I knew that the haircut would take a little bit longer. Everything was going well until it was time get my hair blow dried. The student I was with had another appointment so she passed me off to a different student to do the blow dry. This student put some product in my hair before the blow dry which ended in a greasy mess. And I mean OILY! The crazy thing was this second student passed me of to a 3^rd girl to finish everything! By the end of the appointment my hair was an oily, greasy, just disgusting mess and there was no one that could be held accountable because I had been passed off to 3 different students and there were no instructors paying attention because maybe they figured that the girls could handle a blow dry.
Here’s the bottom line– if you have the money, go somewhere that will not waste your time and where the stylists are accountable for their work. Good thing my problem was an easy fix (wash my hair multiple times when I get home) but if you want your hair cut and they mess it up, that’s a major mistake you don’t want to have to deal with.
Needless to say I have learned my lesson.

Am a regular here but tonight they booked me at 6:30 when they weren’t supposed to book anyone until 7 for a graduation. It is super annoying since I called today to check the time and no one told me to come later. Plus, eat service for hair is at least an hour and a half so now my night is shot.

I had never been here before. I called at 4 in the afternoon to ask if they could get me in, and to my surprise they were able to get me in for a 5 PM appointment. When I got there, I was offered coffee or calming tea, which the receptionist brought to me. She also brought me a «kimono», which is apparently what IBW has customers wear instead of the robes most salons give customers during haircuts. My haircut wasn’t for another 20 minutes, but I put the kimono on immediately, because why not.
I only wanted a few inches taken off, so I didn’t count on the haircut itself taking very long. But the stylist I was assigned took a pretty long time, and by 6-​ish she thought she was done, but the hair on the left side of my head was very obviously longer than the hair on the right. Good thing they have instructors to review every haircut there.
Finally got done around 6:15. After an hour and forty five minutes, a shampooing, and a conservative haircut my total came to $ 22. I guess it’s cheaper than a lot of salons, but I probably could have gotten the same thing at Cost Cutters or wherever.

Did you know… you can earn Pure Privilege points here?! HUZZAH!!! I even got 1,000 bonus points for my first color service at the school. Happy day!
No, this is not the lavish Neroli-​esque salon experience. But for the same products, a little longer salon time, and a way discounted price, it’s totally worth it. The student working on my hair offered suggestions to the instructor, and they came up with a plan of attack to help my hair maintain its integrity and leave me feeling beautiful.

Usually love this place. Love the young energy and the vibe. Some of the girls, although young, need to practice professional social skills. The last two girls that I have had were technically good. (The last one was actually not and my roots are showing after week 1… :/​that’s not okay).
But they were socially just… immature and unprofessional. Of course I understand this is a school, things are discounted so I should take it with a grain of salt and realize… you get what you pay for. But the girls need to learn that in a professional setting it is absolutely a disgrace to complain about how much you hate your life, school, family, other girls, complain about taking lunch and how this service is interrupting their lunch and how much they ‘hate doing this’.
The skin services and massage are unparalleled and I do believe this place can be a fun place to get your services if you have time. This is worth it if you are on a budget… just don’t expect to enjoy it.

This weekend, I went ventured over the the Institute of Beauty and Wellness for a $ 25 45-​minute massage. I wasn’t expecting much at that price range, but I was pleasantly surprised at how professional and relaxing the massage was. The student did an amazing job, and it really seemed like the other student masseuses were just as competent and welcoming. I walked in expecting a basic massage, but the student who worked with me was able to work all the knots out of my back and even suggested stretches I could do to avoid future stressing my back.
To anyone considering a massage here, there are two things you should know. First, the massage takes place in an open floor instruction studio. Meaning, you are laying there naked beside other people getting massages. For those of us who are more modest, myself included, the masseuse can help you get onto the table without flashing T&A at every one in the room. It’s also a really quiet and soothing environment, so you can really relax while having a massage. Second, because the institute is owned by Aveda, they train the students to take you on a «scent journey». While the student allows you to test out the scent of your choosing — and some are rather nice — they are very strong smells. So if you’re very sensitive to fragrance, call ahead of your appointment and see if they can leave that out.
The facility itself is very nice, with beautiful stonework, plush seating, a gorgeous fireplace, and complimentary (really good) tea. You would think you were in a very high class salon, that is until you go to the front desk. I paid prior to the massage, and at the end of the session, they ask you to fill out an assessment and hand it to the front desk. No problem, except for when there is a huge line. Waiting 25 minutes to hand in a piece of paper (when I already paid) is kind of ridiculous. Other than this, though, the visit was well worth the $ 25.

Eyebrow wax for eight bucks? Sign me up! …Or so I thought.
Next time I have this thought, someone PLEASE remind me it’s not worth saving ten bucks or losing an extra half hour over!
I’m new to the area and figured I’d give it a try. Those at the check-​in desk and my student esthetician were very friendly and there is a warm, cozy lobby on the 2^nd floor (hence the two stars instead of one). However, the lighting in the place is absolutely horrible for someone doing a brow wax.
My student asked how they looked afterward and I didn’t want to say anything for fear of them being even worse after a «fix». I went home and did my own damage repair instead.
Next time, I’ll fork over the extra money for a quality service with a professional.

Upgreyedd!
After reaching out to IBW directly after my comical haircut, I heard back from them within an hour, committing that someone would get back to me after the weekend. Sure enough, Richard gave me a call this morning and offered me a refund. I walked over there during my lunch break, and one of the very attentive and nice (they all are) people working the registration area got me in and out quickly. They even offered a refund on the full amount (cut + education fund), but I’d rather have my aspiring stylist keep what I contributed to her education fund because while she totally screwed up my buzz cut — there may be something that she’s EXCELLENT at, and I don’t want to take away from that.
Also — they’ll start a barber school sometime in the next year — and when it gets up and going, perhaps I’ll go back and give them another shot.

I really don’t know where to start. I’ll err on my nice side. I have had some major screw-​ups here and they mostly fix any errors but there’s not much you can do when hair is already chopped off.
I have had FANTASTIC students too. So I don’t know… Now for instructors (who supervise the students), make sure Catherine is there. She is awesome and a true professional. I have hinted to her giving me private hair cuts she’s that good but alas she likes being an instructor.
Their prices are reasonable but have been increasing steadily over the years.
They use all Aveda products which is fantastic.

Upgrade!
Super cheap (yet still super awesome) services, nice folks, Aveda products, and gift cards for mom and grandma. You can’t go wrong!
I always get my hair cut and colored here, and save tons of scrill doing it. I also don’t feel bad about springing for a facial or a massage, seeing as they’re so reasonably priced. Yay for the IBW!