Douglas J Institute — Attraction in Royal Oak

The atmosphere at the Royal Oak location was very relaxing and everyone here was so nice—the person providing my service was Sidney Rush (they/them), and they were out of this world with both their dedication to their art form AND to ensuring that I knew my inner peace and boundaries were protected and respected, and that my consent and input into everything that they did was appreciated and encouraged! Sidney took my hand gently when I thanked them and apologized at one point for “acting jumpy” and that it was my first time ever getting any kind of spa beauty treatment for myself (it was true, I’d never had a lash lift or tint ever before now, despite reading about them), and said “Please, I want you to know that you are brave for doing this because getting a service where you are unable to see the entire time can feel stressful—I want you to know that here, your enthusiastic and complete consent isn’t just respected, it is vital and can be taken back at any time if something feels wrong. You are here, and you are already gorgeous, and I am here to honor the trust you are showing and using this time to enhance the beauty you already came here with. Thank you for your trust, and know that you are wanted here, respected, and safe, exactly as you are and want to be.” I was so comforted, I almost started getting emotional, but I knew crying was NOT a good idea because the service I booked was for my lashes, and I got myself comfortable so we could start.

Sidney told me step-by-step with their instructor present about how my service worked so I would be aware of every aspect of what each step was supposed to accomplish and feel like and things to tell them (if there is any pain/discomfort, or any kind of strange reaction that could indicate an allergic response) so that they could immediately and carefully correct any issues with their instructor observing if it was a minor problem, or contact medical help if a major health issue arose. Later, when the monitoring instructor needed to step out they explained how the service would start, progress forwards, and eventually finish off, so I knew about how long it would take. Because I wanted to listen to a YouTube video on my headphones, I asked if they could tap me on the shoulder if my attention was needed so I could pause the video and listen to any questions or instructions they needed to give me, and we worked out a signal for me to give when I needed their attention to ask a question or to tell them something is wrong and I need them to stop the service to help me (such as experiencing intense pain/burningin my eyes, feeling suddenly nauseous, having trouble breathing, etc).

After that, the service proceeded, and the results are AMAZING! I didn’t know my lashes were this long still because they’re stick straight and blonde—they now are black, and they are elegantly curled & beautifully fanned out the way they used to be when I was younger and wore mascara! I was shocked by how much length and fullness I still had of eyelashes, but now they are just stunning and their service was not only an incredibly good price—it was an incredibly relaxing and comfortable experience with breathtakingly beautiful results. I already made my next appointment, and you can bet that I will be coming back! Sidney Rush, you are absolutely amazing, and I’d tell anyone anywhere to stop wasting time and book with them....

I am not one to say anything negative, and I have been to the J aveda institute multiple times, specifically the one in Lansing. I decided to get my hair done at a school again, because I’ve had nothing but positive experiences, until this time. First, I would like to say my stylist was very friendly, and I feel like part of the issue was communication. I showed them a picture of what I wanted, and their teacher came over and looked at it as well. I had mentioned I wanted exactly what was in the photo, and the stylist got to work. At first everything was okay, until they rinsed the bleach out of my hair, and said they thought I didn’t need toning. Which for most of my hair I would have agreed, except for where I had grow out, which was bright white in comparison to the rest of my hair that was a light golden color. I said something, and at this point the appointment was almost over. After they toned my roots, they dried my hair and styled me. Which, in my reference photo, I was hoping to get my whole head like the picture, not just the ends. But they had to leave as the night class was coming in, and they were really proud of what they did. As soon as I left I went to Sally’s and finished what I wanted to get done. When I got home, I realized they had gotten bleach all over my new jacket too, which they did offer to take off my coat before they started, but I was cold, and I’ve never had an issue before now. I would like to state this wasn’t the stylist fault completely, their teacher only stopped by twice, which in my previous experience they would stop by multiple times. I feel like the mentor should have been there, especially after I found out I was one of their first clients…. Between my jacket, and me having to finish the job, I feel like I wasted my money...

I frequent Aveda monthly for a good wash, trim, and blow out. Most students do a great job with minimal need to support from instructors so I fully understand and am aware of the learning environment. With my most recent appointment I scheduled a wash and trim (adding a blow out at a later date after getting sent a coupon code). When I arrived to my appointment I did not have the student I booked (which is fine but usually we are told of a student switch), my appointment card only said “Blow Out” so when the student was verifying my appointment details she was confused why it didn’t include trim and her mood seemed to shift after hearing that. She did an excellent job washing my hair, however she struggled with trimming my ends as requested (no cut just trim the dead ends), and the “blow out” was less than desirable (was frizzy and not dried all the way). Again, it is a school and the students are learning and I completely understand. The larger issue was no instructor checked her work (which I’ve never experienced an instructor not check a student’s work) which I believe they would have been able to tend to the uneven trimming and provide that feedback. I did not realize how poorly done the trim was until I got home and used a hand mirror to see the back. The ends are still split, frayed, uneven, and when I brush through my hair it snags at the end (which shouldnt be the case if all the split ends were trimmed). I had to re-straighten my hair to try hiding the trim until I can come in next month. Reiterating, this is a learning environment, but if there was no instructor to give that real time feedback to the student AND provide the client with decent results there won’t be the opportunity for improvement.

Update thank you for remedying the...