Strand Salon — Attraction in Glastonbury

UPDATE!! - 5/22/2020 How often do you get a call from the owner of a business, personally assuring you that your appointment will be taken care of. This Covid-19 pandemic has made me go 3 months without a cut, while salons have been closed. When the state allowed them to open, I called 220 times to get through the hundreds of other callers until I spoke with Kelsey to reschedule. A few days later, the governor changed his mind - salons will remain closed longer. My appointment was canceled again. Today, I hear that they will be allowed to open June 1st.. and owner Jen reaches out to me personally to apologize (even though none of this is her fault) and to reschedule my cut. Talk about personal customer service! This is why they are always swamped with loyal customers. I can’t wait to get back in there, and support this business.

PREVIOUS REVIEW:

Where do I begin? Strand isn't a place you GO, it's a place you belong. Is that too strong? No. It's not. As a guy, I've tried barbershops, and wasn't thrilled. I've gone to my share of salons for a nice style. What I got was one person who knew me and a group of others who greeted me with, "Hi. Who are you here to see?" Not STRAND. When I walk in, I'm greeted BY NAME by the receptionist, and by one or more stylists that happen to be in the main entrance area.

They get to know you, so you aren't just a customer. These people really GET what the service industry is all about. They offer a seat at the bar and a coffee, beer or wine. Yes. Bar. It's so weird how I always somehow get to STRAND 20 minutes before my appointment.. It's OK, because I sit at the bar and watch Netflix with a beer until my appointment time. Then comes the wash.. By wash, I mean the scalp massage with water and shampoo. Almost puts me to sleep every time. Cancel your Massage Envy membership and just pay for a wash at STRAND. Trust me.

I've been seeing Paul now for several years. I used to tell him what I wanted, like I did with my last salon. Then one day, he said let's try something new, and I trusted him. Paul, and the rest of the team here I've heard, has a way of bringing out the YOU that you never knew you wanted. I trusted him and he totally transformed my hair style. My wife was happy, and you know how that goes. She immediately told me that Paul would do my hair before our wedding, as if I hadn't already thought of that. The STRAND team did the whole bridal party as well.

STRAND isn't just a salon. It's a brand. They pride themselves on education and staying with the latest trends. They won't just give you what's the most popular, though, if it's bad for your hair or skin. Paul, Jen, and others actually travel to other salons in CT and across the nation to educate salons on doing what is BEST for the customer! Imagine that.

You are going to pay for this service. Go into it knowing you GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. You wouldn't go to the Paul Mitchell school for a free cut and expect a TV ready balayage. So don't go to the best in the business and expect to get a discounted service. I'll say it again, you get what you pay for. Trust me, and pay for it. It's an investment in your image, and your confidence will thank you.

To be honest, it's tough for me to write this review. I want to support STRAND as a brand. But at the same time, I still want to be able to book an appointment and not have to fight to get an appointment. So give STRAND a try, become part of the family. But DON'T take my usual...

This is a PSA for People who work hard for their money and have little kids!!! I had an appointment at Strand, but had to cancel last minute because my son was ill. I called the salon and apologized immediately. The girl on the phone (Kylie) was very rude and told me a manager would call me back... While leaving the pediatrician with my son I saw i had a missed call and a new voicemail from the salon. While listening to the voicemail the manager (Kelsey) had left me, I learned that they had charged my card a whopping $130 no show fee!!!!! I repeat: 130 US Dollars for missing a Hair appointment!!!!!

Life happens, my child is more important than a haircut. I'm not upset about getting a no show fee on my card it's the way they handled it and the amount they charged me for that I find soooo so so so disrespectful! I have gotten no show fees from my Dentist and it never exceeded $50. ( A DENTIST!)

This whole experience is Ludacris and to be quiet frank, I agree with other reviews on this platform. Everyone at Strand Salon is rude and snooty. Stay away from this Place My dear People, this is a Headache you dont need!

My Response to STRAND SALON.

Strand, Thank you for your reply. I'd like to make 3 things clear.

I DEFINITLEY DID make a call to the Salon and apoligized as soon as I relized I wasn't able to make it. Kylies response to my Apology was : "NO, a Manager will call you." And hung up. How is this not rude?

Also, Thank you for explaining in great length how No show Policies work but as stated in my Review Im aware of such Policies and fully understand their place. However, not once was I advised that I will be charged 100% for a service I haven't received!!! My entire issue with your Salon is the Disrespectul amount i was charged for without my consent... $130!!!!! If i had an appointment for full High Lites you would charge my card 100% for a $300-$400 service?!?!? Your Policy is flawed AF and BEYOND Greedy.

Rest assured that I did find a wonderful new Salon that Respects their Clients and doesnt punish them for having...

I am saddened to make this review because I know now I'm burning a bridge but I'm just being honest about my experience. My family and I have been coming here for 10+ years and I asked for my hair to be a nice natural chocolate brown like my natural color/ a bit darker (I naturally have light brown hair) when I came in with platinum blonde hair. They told me they would make it lighter brown to be more conservative since it was a big change but made it close to black (darkest brown since black is apparently not a hair color) with purple and red undertones. I payed and walked out balling my eyes out and called them to get it fixed. I asked for a refund and they assured me it will be fixed instead. I sat for another 4 hours with everyone promising they will fix it and I walked out with ginger red hair...(when I legit said please anything but red undertones) (I would have settled for the black over red but they just had to tell me they couldn't fix it if that was the case) then I went back in the next day to show them and ask for a refund. They gaslit me (specifically crystal (many times lol)) and said it wasn't red and they won't give me a refund or even a credit to the salon but that they can "try to fix it again". I wasn't gonna take the chance of walking out with green hair this time and I already had an appointment with another salon. Now I paid a total of over 600$ between the two and had to trash my Extensions which I was planning to wear one more time. I honestly can't believe they wouldn't give me credit to the salon or legit anything after ruining my hair after coming there for a decade but okay. Just don't go here for hair color their extensions...