Hollywood Hair

I was not going to write a review at first because I was hoping that I would get over my negative experience, but its been weeks later and I think it would be important to mention my experience. My star rating is based on the overall experience as I found Hollywood Hair to be extremely disappointing and overpriced.
I have Asian hair and I went in explaining that I wanted to do balayage and ashy blonde highlights or ombré type of look (like Guy Tang). I explained that I was open to ideas and wanted advice with my hair as my hair is Asian and tends to go red/​orange/​yellow, which is the one thing that I did NOT want. I brought in photos of what I liked, asking for advice and thoughts of what would look best and what would be possible for me.
Benjamin did my cut and color; he was fun at first and knew exactly who Guy Tang was along with his work so I thought he knew exactly what I was going for. The cut was nice, he did not take much length off, he just cleaned it up and made it fall nicer since I explained I am quite low maintenance with my hair. After the color, cut, treatment (which I do not think was charged), tip, I paid over 3,500 HKD, which is very expensive but was prepared to pay for. Ben was also very nice to give me some hair conditioner samples to use at home.
Unfortunately, the color did not turn out how I had hoped; he had styled my hair beautifully with curls and so it looked lovely in the shop, but when I eventually washed out my hair and went outside in natural lighting, my hair definitely looked reddish/​orange with the highlights. I was really asking for a more ashy color as I did not want such warm tones in my hair.
I explained this to Ben and he was able to see me the following weekend in which I had to miss a convention I was supposed to attend since I felt rude if I came back any later than a week after my initial appointment.
When I came back, I apologised for the trouble of coming back again and explained again what I was hoping for and had sent more photos. What I surprised by was Ben’s attitude; he kept denying that my hair had any red or yellow in it and was acting very defensive. I felt that I was being very fair in my explanation and asking for his advice on what to do for my hair next just so that it looked nice. My only really insistent criteria was that it not look red/​orangey, which several people already commented on.
By the end of it, he was asking me whether I wanted to go blonder as it may reduce the redness/​yellow in my hair. I asked again whether he felt this would make my hair more on the ashy side rather than yellow (he is the professional, that is why I’m asking HIS advice). It was bothering me that he was now asking me what he should do when I kept asking him for his advice. I felt like in the end he was just asking me these things to cover himself but as I repeatedly told him, I am flexible and willing to take his advice, but just did not want really warm hair.
In the end, my hair looked really yellow and coppery, which he finally also admitted. I was upset but felt like I couldn’t say anything more as he kept acting very defensive and made me feel uncomfortable trying to speak with him any more. It’s like he just wanted me to leave so that I wouldn’t have to bother him anymore.
My main issue is not that my hair did not turn out as expected; I understand that sometimes hair will not take certain colors or do what is wanted (everyone has different hair), but what I was hoping for was professional advice and service. If something is not possible, please tell me, I was asking for your advice. When I open up and explain why it’s not quite what I want, please don’t act defensive and deny that it’s not yellow at all. I was quite hurt that when I went back, he made me feel like I did something wrong. Even another colleague of his mentioned that my hair still looked yellow, and yet no one else in salon tried to improve my situation.
I wanted to like him/​them, but especially with paying over 3,500, I expected more. I left feeling a bit depressed and that they didn’t care about my patronage in the least.

Who said you had to be a female to spend good money on hair? Oh, but I’m a guy so I just need a trim on the sides, or something, is the common excuse to go to the cheapest human with a pair of scissors. I know because many a time that has been me. It took some strong convincing by a friend of mine to dish out the cash for a proper treatment but eventually I succumbed.
Hollywood Hair’s name is perfectly fitting for the star-​quality treatment I was given as soon as I stepped through its doors. It’s not a big salon, consisting of around 7 to 8 chairs and a small section selling chic jewelry. What it lacks in quantity it delivers with quality, top quality. The atmosphere is warm and friendly with many of the seated customers already deep in conversation with their hairdressers, a good sign.
When I walked in I had a mop of hair down to my nose, no style to speak of (hair or clothing), and just the single word to describe the cut I wanted, short. Rennie, the owner, amended that very quickly. The chatty South African joked away in her strong accent all the while explaining the different possibilities a man with my hair had. Possibilities? More than ‘shorter’? Yes, many more. Who knew? She did, so I let her have her way — normally I watch like a hawk every cut, I think we’ve all been to enough hairdressers that take more than asked for!
Some thirty minutes later and the transformation was complete. No longer did I look like one of the Beetles’ grandchildren, but a respectable (ish) man that cared about his outward appearance to the world. The confidence that comes with looking good (ish) is well worth the $ 500 I spent. Normally Rennie cuts women’s hair, however, I had an inside contact. There are a range of other hair-​ninjas suitable for different budgets — all equally professional.