New Identities Hair Studio - Tampa Palms — Attraction in Tampa

Expectations were high, didn’t turn out to be anything but a low review.

I was looking and found a place to take my 15 year old daughter to get highlights for her upcoming birthday, since it was last minute and my stylists was not available. With her birthday coming up, she wished to get highlights done for her first time. I booked my appointment online and paid the deposit. Couldn't find starting prices online, so I decided to call the salon. I prefer to know ahead of the service, just to avoid any miscommunication. I called after booking an appointment for new client partial highlights and cut. The young lady over the phone put me on hold to confirm. I got a response and was told the starting price is $150. Thanked her for her time, and we disconnected. My daughter was overjoyed and ecstatic to get her highlights done on short notice. We arrived, waited to be called. Greeted by Sarah, who is a level 1 specialist. She guided my daughter into the seat for the service to begin. I expressed that my daughter was shy so I could explain what she would like. I begin to tell Sarah that my daughter wants partial highlights as scheduled, but would prefer the highlights to not be so bold, as a light blonde color but preferable more of a darkee tone, like brown/caramel, since she has dark hair. Continued explaning the cut preference is just a regular cut, maybe a couple of inches off to keep length. I even expressed that we dont want her to blow dry it, just to leave it curly. As she doesn't like to put unnecessary heat to her hair. This time of year for her, it doesn't keep. The hairstylists understood. Before walking away, she said, "Let me just make sure to know how much." She came back and then said, "It'll be - around - $240." I was dissapointed to hear this and shared info on my recent conversation with the salon upon booking. Sarah acknowledged and asked me for the name of the person I spoke to. I didn't take a name, unfortunately, but offered to show her the call stamp, date, and time. She ignored that and stated, "Yeah, that's just what we charge for that service." "For the color, the toner, and the cut." I had my daughter get up from the stylists chair. Sarah walked to the computer and then just walked away.

Dear owner and/or Salon Manager: I could've and would've paid for this service at your salon and I think it's important to compensate for the time, money and experience spent on having a service done by a hair stylists. So, again, if I would've known this before my arrival, I would've paid. The money is not the issue but how we were treated. However, at that moment, your salon did not need a cent from me. I wouldn't even give a si gle cent to this salon, nor would I refer anyone here. In fact, lead them away from using your services and referring them to another stylist who has a professional approach for that matter. This is a never-ending growing industry and location. Your business is profitable because of your clients, not your stylists. They can be replaced anytime. Do better. List your starting prices. Train your floor and receptionists and handling incoming calls and how to treat others with respect.

Note: I still have not received my deposit and will kindly ask for this to be handled promptly and courteously....

I really wanted to love this place but I honestly just feel cheated out of my money . The stylist couldn’t do my hair the way I wanted it due to not having the stuff that lifts box dyed color , if I would have known this prior to my app, I would have just rescheduled. I basically paid $180 to have half of my hair colored, and styled. The color on the top is already fading even with professional hair products. The lady was nice though it seemed she was irritated while Working at certain times, I loved the results don’t get me wrong , it’s just not what I wanted at the moment. If she wouldn’t have bleached certain parts of my hair I would have just waited tbh, but I wasn’t going to walk out with chunks of bleached hair. It’s a nice salon just very expensive so just keep that in mind, also if you have box dyed hair I would call and check on the day of your app to see if they even have the stuff to lift the dye, otherwise you might be wasting time and money.

EDIT: replying to the salon owner I got the reply from, the service was overpriced for the outcome not to be up to par. I went to a different salon a month or two after and they gave me the results I was seeking with zero issues and the service was the same price lol . There’s no excuse for your prices for a base color to be so high all you guys did was match the bottom of my hair to the top and styled, the results were good but they only lasted a few weeks at most. Now if it were to be the balayage that I was seeking I would’ve paid any price range but that’s just unacceptable to charge someone the price of a balayage for a base color on the top of their head. Especially due to YOUR salon lacking the materials for the hair I had to get the color on the top added since the stylist decided to bleach certain chunks of my hair to see if it would lift , knowing you don’t have the resources to do what that client wanted why charge up the *as for the service? Even when I asked about the pricing you guys STILL didn’t have a reputable answer as to why I was charged $190 almost for half of my head lmao. That’s ridiculous and so is your response, Money doesn’t make a stylist nor does it determine their skills, I went to a cheaper stylist for my balayage and got the results I wanted and her artistic ability was amazing and she had the materials needed for the service. If you guys didn’t have the specific things needed why even schedule the service? Hopefully you guys take this into account for...

Crazy dealing with this place. So, sent in a staff member to get a cut/color. She loved it. That wasn't the issue. The issue is the way this place is run-From the moment you get on the phone, to being quoted one thing and charged another, to tipping the stylist, to common phone courtesy..It's exhausting. First, be ready to spell simple words out to the people answering the phone. Then, they quoted an estimate of $110. That's fine. Then, that stylist didn't show up for work that day (apparently) and another took her place. We are now at $180. I would say 'double' is a pretty significant increase. Then, my staff member called to tell me she loved and appreciated everything, but they didn't run the tip. So I called and asked why they didn't run the tip on the card, and was told "They can''t because (long reason that only makes sense to them). So, fine. How do I tip your girl? They said they will email me. Fine. 2 hours later. No email. I call back. Have to re-explain, and then they will resend. 2 hours later. No email. I call again, and just ask if I can speak to the stylist-Figure I will pay her directly through Paypal, Venmo, whatever. She isn't available. Told them my frustration and they said they will email me again-text me-and I just told them, "Look , this is the last time I am calling. So, if your text and email doesn't arrive, then you can explain that to the stylist. Here is my number, if the stylist would like to call me she can. If she doesn't, then I appreciate the great job she did on (xyz's hair-She loves it), but I am not calling back. Since that call, It has been 1 hour since and I have received nothing. My advice to the stylist would be to make yourself aware that your hard work is getting unrewarded for something beyond your control. For the management, the phone is your front line people. I would take that seriously and recognize that because unfortunately, I won't be back, it generated this review, your stylist didn't get tipped, and if you have an employee not show up and double the estimate, then a phone call would have been appropriate. I would have paid it, because unlike what appears to be happening here, I appreciate my staff to take care of them which is how she wound up at your studio....