Ulta Beauty — Attraction in San Diego

I have been a loyal customer of Ulta Beauty and their Salon services for years. I have been coming to the Carmel Mountain Ulta Beauty for my blowouts for at least a year. I had the most horrible experience at their salon today and will never return to this location again. I had called Ulta a few days ago to book a blowout appointment with Vanessa and requested to find a slot just with her due to our good rapport and my satisfaction with her past services. My appointment was at 4pm today. A few hours before the appointment, I received a text notification that my appointment was cancelled. I did not receive any call or explanation for the cancellation. I called the Salon and was told Vanessa will call me back about the cancellation. I waited and instead of Vanessa, a girl named Elizabeth called me and told me my appointment was cancelled because in the past I have been a no show and going forward I can only do walk-ins but cannot book an appointment. I explained that I have always called in advance to cancel my appointments and have never been a no show. Elizabeth was not willing to listen and said there are multiple notes in the system that say I have been a no show in the past and someone spoke to me about it, which was far from the truth. No one even once mentioned this to me. She then said I can come at 4pm as a walk-in. When I asked which stylist will see me, she said Vanessa. Once I reached, Vanessa was with another customer and I was told that Jillian can do my blowout after she is done with her client. I waited for about half an hour. This experience showed me that my business is not valued at this location. I have spent thousands of dollars on Ulta products and services and that was not taken into consideration when canceling my appointment and telling me that I can no longer make future...

One star for service only. Most Ulta's have your run of the mill personalities but typically skew toward helpful and friendly. This one has some of the worst staff - I hate coming here. Sometimes I drive the extra miles to the 4S Ranch location to avoid coming here (plus the parking lot is a mad house). Even the Mira Mesa location has better service (actually they have wonderful staff at that location). But this one is always bad for some reason. Here's an example, recently I placed an order for pickup and my products were available at this location and I didn't have time to go to a further Ulta - I put out positive energy and hoped for the best. After fighting my way into a spot, I go in and am greeted by no one. Surprise. I go to the pick up area which is in full view of all folks at the register, including what looks to be a manager. Still nothing - no acknowledgement - not even a 'be right with you.' There are two people in line and 3 folks working the register with two others doing miscellaneous things behind the counter. I don't mind waiting but not even to be acknowledged by folks that aren't even with other customers is just rude. One of the workers (the maybe manager) not at a register hops on to help someone who just got in line without checking on me and another is grabbing her things to leave. The one leaving has to pass the pickup area to leave so she just walks up to the pick up area and asks me what I'm picking up. No hello, or thanks for waiting. If I wasn't picking up I would have left already. She grabs my bag and is fumbling with her own things - I felt bad because I know she was trying to leave but no one else even acknowledged my existence. I got my products but I'll continue to try to avoid...

Johnny was such an incredible help from start to finish. He is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to makeup, skin types, and how to choose and apply the right products based on each person’s unique needs. I was truly impressed by how well he understood what would work best for my skin and the look I was going for. His expertise and attention to detail really made all the difference.

What stood out most to me was how patient, kind, and thorough he was throughout the entire process. He took the time to explain what he was doing, why he was doing it, and how I could recreate the look on my own. I never once felt rushed or overlooked—he made me feel seen, heard, and taken care of.

Johnny clearly has a passion for what he does, and it shows in his work. He has an incredible eye and a genuine talent for enhancing natural beauty. I left feeling more confident and beautiful than I have in a long time. I’m beyond grateful for his time, effort, and skill. He’s truly a gem in this field and anyone who has the chance to work with him is lucky. I can't recommend him...