Aveda Institute Houston

I’m very conflicted on how I feel about this Aveda Institute. I’ve been going here for about 7 years because of the affordability but if I hadn’t been a student with a tight budget for so long then I almost definitely would have gone elsewhere.
Things I like: In my experience, the students have always been very friendly and enthusiastic to learn. I have always had great conversations with the learners and they are usually very receptive to your hair requests (I’ve gone there for a facial and waxes too but I mainly go for the hair services). I also like that the prices are very reasonable since you know that your service is being completed by a student who is still in the process of getting their license (so stay open-​minded if it isn’t perfect!). The cherry on top is that this is a beauty school run by Aveda so you know that the quality of their products will be high and that there is a positive attitude towards environmental conservation and more natural products.
I also like that they have the Aveda tea and water available for customers. Lately, they haven’t offered me the tea at the front desk when I’m checking in but I’ve always seen it behind the front counter so I just ask for it directly!
Things I don’t like: I don’t think I have ever met an instructor who was friendly. This last time (I went this past Wednesday), the instructors didn’t even introduce themselves! All three of the instructors that had approached me literally started by asking, «What do you want?» or «What is it you’re looking for?» while grabbing my hair aggressively. One of the instructors was so aggressive with pulling my hair & combing over my ear that I almost told her to stop working on my hair! The instructors have a LOT to learn from their students when it comes to customer service and just basic human etiquette!
I also don’t like the lack of organization on the part of the schedulers. For my Wednesday appointment, I scheduled a cut & color but was only scheduled for a cut. Then an instructor approached me and the student and was very unfriendly about their scheduling error and made it seem as though he was doing me a favor by allowing the student to color my hair.
I have also noticed that every time I have gone to Aveda, there are different instructors. It looks like their turnover rate is very high. So I do have a few pieces of advice: find polite and talented instructors and try to find methods for higher retention. Also, try to focus more on how you can encourage customers to continue their business there by staying organized and welcoming.

I have always loved this place. Today partial highlights took 4, yes FOUR hours to complete. 2:30 — 6:30. Apparently the 2 floor supervisors had differing ideas on the color and the appointment took double the scheduled time.
I patiently await an explanation.

Not a fan of the facial– it just felt like they washed my face over and over with the same products they tell you to buy when they are done. The mani pedi is probably worse. The girl didn’t even put a top coat on m my nails, or file evenly. You get what you pay for. I’d rather spend more money and get better service.

Awesomene customer service, cut and color and cost spent $ 90 tip included for a great style! I also got so water as I was getting my hair cut which was a life saver because I was parched !!! I really enjoyed the neck and back and head and hand massage it makes the service so relaxing and the oils used were amazing !!! Laura-​jo is a true professional she was awesome and listened to my request on color and cut! Annette was so helpful on checking the cut and assisting in the cut! I love my new hair do and will be returning to visit before my girl graduates! Laura Jo also made great conversation she is an intelligent and talented young woman and will go far ! Thanks so much ladies !

Kristin was amazing. I am sad I don’t live in Houston. I wish she could be my forever hair stylist. The wait was about 30 mins. Hair cut, shoulder massage, shampoo and style was about 2 hours. They also introduced me to the Aveda points program which Dallas never has!

Experience was awesome will definitely return, students are very well trained professionally and the place was very clean

I was recommended to come here. Can on a tuesday around 1pm. Was seated right away. It took the girl 10 min just to think of what she needed at her station. She looked scared and anxious. The manager came and asked what she was going to my hair, and she had hesitated not knowing what she was going to do. Finally got working on my hair. Sat in the chair until 4, before she took me to get it shampooed. The manager came and looked at my hair and said the dye didnt show up in my hair. We went to blow dry it to see what it looked like. NOTHING SHOWED UP!!! It was around 5 till i reached the counter. They let me pay half 62 $ instead od 102… It did nothing to my hair. I sat for 5 hours for nothing and paid 62 $ for nothing. I left and scheduled another apointment at Visible changes at the Galleria mall. I got sat with Zelda, she fixed my hair and my hair is sooo perfect!!! Blonde as can be. So i suggest not going to this place for anything. Maybe for a cheap facial, since they cant fuck anything up.

One bad haircut or one bad student or even one unprofessional person at the front desk does not encompass the whole institute. If you search around and find someone you like, you can really land in a gold mine here. If you’re really that nervous about letting a student do your hair, go for a shampoo and blowdry and look around at the students doing other peoples hair to try and find one that you think looks like they know what they’re doing. It’s called a SCHOOL for a reason, if you don’t have any patience and want your hair done for cheap but can’t give time out of your day for it? Don’t kid yourself. That’s not gonna happen. You can definitely get an amazing hair job for a great price if you can learn to be a bit more understanding of the word «school» and grow a little patience.

I am an Aveda Esthetics student and absolutely LOVE the school! The instructors are very knowledgeable and caring. They intend for you to be the best service provider in the business. I don’t even mind the dress code!!!

I wasn’t sure about going to an institute type place but a few years ago I went with a friend of mine who lived in the woodlands area and she assured me it would be nice. She was right. It feels like a spa/​salon when you walk in. I have gone off and on over the years. The quality of hair services provided has been a little inconsistent. But I gave them one last shot last week and am really happy I did. I got a cut and darker color, and my daughter got a cut and full head highlights. What I made sure to do this most recent time is ask for master stylists to handle us both. I’m assuming master stylists are almost done with the school. It only added about $ 30 to the whole bill and was totally worth it. So… the 4 stars are for my most recent experience there, not past ones. I’m hoping that if I continue to request master stylists my future experiences will be as good as my last one.

I so love this place! Great haircut and I could swear by the Smooth Infusion product. The students and instructors are great and they even got me in without an appointment. Just take out the weird complimentary neck and shoulder massage! Don’t know when they started that but it’s really awkward and uncomfortable!

— The good: My student-​stylist and instructor-​supervisor were friendly and professional. Also, the haircut (a simple trim with angles cut around my face) was very good.
— The bad: My partial highlights took 2.5 hours, and I can barely see a difference. Although the student-stylist’s technique looked very good, I don’t think she let the color process long enough. Also, the brow wax she gave me was perfunctory at best — just wax, no trimming or plucking. I had to ask her to go back and remove more, and I would have asked for a third round if I had time — I’d been there for four hours already.
— The ugly: The instructor-​supervisor saw that I wasn’t pleased with my still-​showing dark roots, and asked me to request a ‘micro-​weave’ next time to make sure the roots blended. She said if I came back to have it re-​done, she would only charge me $ 30 for the difference between the two services. I’ve been getting highlights at Aveda training salons for a decade, and I’ve never heard of a ‘micro-​weave.’ Besides, it should be the instructor’s job to identify the services a client needs before the student-​stylist begins. I won’t be going back.

It’s a school, but I felt like I was at a high end salon. I had a great experience and my highlights look great!

While I’d love to give them 5 stars, I can’t. I had a 3pm hair appointment. I got there 15 minutes early and didn’t start till 2 hours after that. Apparently their management has quit (don’t know how true that is) and they were not organized. I was first introduced to a completely different stylist that was not the woman I was told who was doing my hair. Then it was told by an instructor they were going to move me to another stylist because she knew how to ombré but was still with a client.
2 hours later, I was finally sitting in the correct chair.
I’m giving all 4 of my remaining stars to Bailey. She was wonderful. Ombreing hair takes time and she engaged in conversation. She did an incredible job with my hair and I’d only go back to see her!

This review is regarding their hair salon — particularly getting hair dyed. I had the worst experience here getting my hair dyed from brunette to a sandy blonde color. The first time I came, I showed both the student and the instructor a picture of the color I was hoping for. The student and instructor were not in agreement but the student had to follow the instructor’s word. My hair is fairly long and it’s virgin brunette hair, and when it is lightened with Sun In, it turns red. I told them multiple times that I did not want any shade of red and I’m hoping to achieve as close to a sandy blonde as possible. By the end of our 5.5 hours, my hair had only turned a few shades lighter but a very noticeable amber color (aka red) that could have been achieved with a bottle of Sun In! Not only was my hair not the color I asked for, the instructor started arguing with me about how she doesn’t trust her students to dye hair blonde and how «beautiful» the color I got was. After going home frustrated, I called their offices and the excellent customer service (one thing they got going for them aside from the instructor’s attitude) said they would really like me to leave happy. I went back a second time, had 2 students working on my hair, and after 7 hours of labor and chemicals, ¹⁄₈^th of my hair (close to my neck that can’t be seen) turned the color I want, but the rest of my head looks like Tony the Tiger — ORANGE and BURNT ORANGE. Once again, the instructor (a different one) tried to convince me that the lighting just made my hair look orange and that it looked nice. I was hoping to achieve a natural sandy blonde color and walked away with a tacky and embarrassing orange and dark orange hair that is extremely damaged. I do NOT recommend going here to get hair dyed.
Tl;dr — I’m a brunette looking to go a natural sandy blonde but after two visits and over $ 150, my hair is an extremely tacky and embarrassing dark orange color with light orange streaks. DO NOT GO HEAR IF YOU ARE A BRUNETTE THAT WANTS TO GO BLONDE.

I won’t go back. Put wrong color on my hair once, and cancelled my 930 appt at 925. Very unprofessional customer service.

I’ve gotten a body wrap here twice, 60 min facial twice, 30 min facial, and back facial. So, I can say I know this place pretty well. I go maybe once a year because it’s a good 35 min drive with no traffic.
Recently, they’ve instituted a tier pricing system, depending on the day of the week you come. It’s about $ 10 more to come Fri-​Sun. So try to come on a Monday for extra savings. This place is great for a spa day without busting your budget. The wraps leave your skin soft and smooth. You smell great afterwards. Remember your bathing suit for this one (or it can get awkward…). Basically, they exfoliate with a dry scrub, apply the mud mask, and swaddle you in foil and towels. They have a strange rule that they’re not allowed to exfoliate or put a mask on your belly, but the students offer you some mud to apply on your own. It’s an extra $ 10 to use their steam shower (after your body has marinated in the mud mask). I dont’ think it’s really worth it, but if you must take a super steamy shower, go for it.
The facials are great. While youre filling out the forms they give your feet a nice bath! If you have a pimple, they’ll do an extraction. The extractions are not the hardcore kind that your regular facialist who terrifies you does. They’re very gentle and will tell you that you might have a few pimples in the coming days because they’ve loosened the crap buried in your skin waiting to come out.
The back facial is quite nice. it includes a massage. The students also tell you what’s going on back there (like my back is dry and not oily?!) and do a few extractions. If you’re into hardcore extractions, you should find some place else because this place is more about relaxing. Once a student has decided what theyre going to do to your sking, they will get an instructor to check their work before proceeding. At the end the instructor will take a survay and the check out counter will try to get you to buy some products. You can decline the products, and leave a nice tip for the students. Overall, a great way to treat yourself without killing your bank account.

Called around lunchtime to book an appointment for the following day and was told that their systems were down. I was asked for my name and phone number and was assured that I would receive a call back when things were up and working.
Called back three hours later after not receiving the promised phone call only to be told that they were «booked solid» for the following day.
I’ve never actually BEEN to The Aveda Institute, but given the unprofessional treatment received from just trying to book an appointment it’s a safe to assume that once inside for actual services the treatment of their clients would be equally unprofessional. Save yourself the hassle (and insanely long drive) and book at a legitimate salon.

I am not crazy about getting a haircut here but they do a great job on updos or special style and the spa services are terrific! The spa service prices are so reasonable and never had a bad facial.

Ever wanted to treat yourself but didn’t want to pay spa prices for the privilege? Well get your butt onto the I45 and head to the Aveda Institute!
Ohmigod I love this place! Where else can you get a 60 minute massage or facial in a relaxing and chilled environment for $ 40???
Yes it is the learning institute so the services are completed by students BUT there is direct supervision AND these guys are more or less at the end of their learning experience.
I’ve been a number of times for various spa services (facials and massages) and have left feeling relaxed, chilled out and amazing. pity I’ve then got to get back into Houston traffic to get home :(