Blondie Madrid — Local services in Madrid

Every glance in the mirror brings me to tears.

I visited Blondie on the 4th of July for my usual appointment: roots bleached, balayage, toning, and the "sublime" treatment. This was my third visit, and as always I made it clear: "The most important thing is to maintain the health of my hair. Go as light as you can without damaging it. If it's not possible, don't do it."

My two conditions were simple:

1- Do NOT turn my hair orange. 2- Do NOT compromise the quality of my hair.

Despite this, the stylist confidently told me to "relax." This time, she quoted me 440 Euros instead of my usual 375, for "more blonde." Not super happy about this but I understand so I do not argue and agree to pay whichever price they ask for thinking I was in the best hands. In hindsight, I should've just bought a box dye from Mercadona.

The stylist applied the bleach, and a couple of hours later, I was moved to the sink and the disaster began. Foils were removed in stages, toner applied, then removed and re-applied then removed and re-applied again and again… I am getting a little anxious as the brushing of my hair is getting more and more aggressive and my neck is starting to ache… I mentioned my thin hair due to medication, but the stylist didn't seem to understand or care about this huge concern of mine.

After multiple rounds of the "sublime" treatment and toner, I suspected something was horribly wrong. The stylist's frantic mixing and yanking confirmed it. Despite being close to tears, I trusted the process, thinking I was just hungry after being there from 8 am and it is now 3 pm.

In total, I had my hair under water, aggressively brushed with so many products applied to it for at least 10 times!!

The cherry on top? A soaking wet towel around my neck. I asked for a dry one, and the employee, visibly annoyed, made me feel as if I'd requested a foot massage. Finally, after abusing my hair with the wetting and toning and pulling and yanking and brushing, we finally move to the drying stage… Lo and behold its ORANGE and it feels like hay—the kind of hay that no respectable horse would eat.

The stylist admitted the toner didn't work but assured me I'd only be charged 399 Euros instead of 440. I am thinking “who the hell is arguing about money here? I literally said name your price just give me a decent result”. When I mentioned the obvious damage, she brushed it off as "normal after bleaching." and I am like “girl… I wasn’t born yesterday, I have been bleaching my hair for 8 years—this wasn't normal.

After eight hours, a stiff neck, and a mental state in shambles, who has the energy to argue? I paid the 420 Euros, booked a "free" toning appointment, and went home to cry over my new orangey, dry hair that I willingly paid for. It was so stiff that brushing it made it break. My friends' reactions the next day—"What the hell happened to your hair?"—were the final push I needed to go back and demand a refund.

Blondie refunded my service but not the 30 Euros for the product I purchased from them on Thursday (fair enough). They didn't offer anything to fix the damage, so I still paid them 50 Euros for a hair mask on the day they refunded me. I felt inclined to do so as the mask I purchased was a maintenance step to do at home for the sublime treatment. I don’t think I should have paid for it but here we are.

Next week, I am due to pay 300 Euros at a different salon for toning and different treatments and will need more maintenance the following month. I acknowledge that I was given a full refund for the service (not the 2 products that I bought from them accumulating to 80 Euros) but the damage that is done to the hair is my problem to fix now and it will cost me way more than 300 Euros, not to mention the time that I will have to invest in these treatments. As a loyal ex customer, I am beyond disappointed, and I have never felt more uncomfortable with my hair…

To be fully transparent- the haircut I got...

I waited patiently for 6 months for this appointment, which I had carefully prepared. Before coming, I sent several photos and explained in detail what I was looking for (Photo1): a warm blonde that would suit my complexion, as cooler tones tend to make me look tired. I also wanted to maintain the depth of my natural dark blonde.

I even went to the salon for an in-person consultation. They informed me that two sessions would be necessary to achieve the desired result. After the first session, I was mostly satisfied, but there were noticeable areas in the middle of my hair where the color didn’t take properly (Photo 2). I’d like to point out that I’ve never used henna or permanent dye before.

I contacted the salon, and they kindly offered to bring me back for a second session to correct the issues. However, when I returned, they decided to retouch not just the highlights but also my roots, which they said were too warm. Unfortunately, after this second session, my hair was much lighter than I had requested, and the result wasn’t what I had hoped for. The condition of my hair had also deteriorated.

I ended up with a cool blonde that doesn’t suit me, visible roots, and some areas of orange that were more noticeable due to the lightening process. This was despite my specific request to maintain a darker blonde shade. The second session left me even more dissatisfied, and I now need to go to another salon for further correction.

My friends, after seeing the result, were surprised by how different it was from what I had asked for. They couldn’t believe this balayage cost over €300.

Given the price, I feel the result doesn’t reflect the level of service I was expecting. It's disappointing, especially considering the salon's reputation.

While the issues are already visible in photos, the difference in person is even more striking, particularly with the roots.

Lastly, I asked if they could send me the toner formula to help fix the color at home. Their response was to offer to take me back for another session, but only with a 15% discount. After just one week, my roots are already showing through, and the color is far too light for what I had originally wanted. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this salon based on my experience.

Until the end, you amazed me. You recommended tones 6 and 7 for the patina, even the supplier couldn't believe it with the picture I show to both of you. So, we went two tones darker: 8 and 9, and I finally have a clean, blended result without any unsightly reflections or demarcations. I don’t know how you built such a reputation with such a lack of foundation. But one thing is certain—it was a failure from...

My experience at Blondie has been exceptional and I 110% recommend this salon to everyone! As an international student here in Madrid, my Spanish is beginner level so the receptionist booked me with Fidel who speaks very well English. This made me more comfortable since I could communicate with ease. I greatly appreciated this. I wanted to lighten my roots and have a very natural look (towards a lighter blonde), so, I came in for the first time in March for babylights, with Fidel. He did exactly what I wanted while prioritizing the health of my hair. I came in for a second time a week ago (June) to touch up my colour and go a little lighter for the summer, again with Fidel. I really liked the blonde but was not completely satisfied with my roots. I wanted my roots to be almost as light as my lengths (a scandinavian blonde for the summer). After reaching out to Fidel first, to explain that my roots were not to my liking, I then communicated with the salon and was able to get a "fix up" appointment the next day! Customer service 11/10. They really put the client first and want to make sure that I was satisfied. I came in the next day and had highlights done. I LOVE it! There was just a misunderstanding between me and Fidel the first time, but he was able to fix it in less than 24 hours. He worked on my hair for a good part of the afternoon the following day at no extra cost. I am beyond satisfied with my hair and with Blondie. The hairstylists and colourists are very friendly and mindful. They have a wonderful drinks menu where you can enjoy either a cold or warm drink while you get your hair done. I am very happy I discovered this salon and will be back in the near future...