Anita Kurl — Local services in Boston

Honestly thought hard about leaving a review, but the lack of accountability, accommodation, and the way I was left feeling just wasn’t professional or appreciated. I got an email on 11/9 confirming an appointment for 11/11, but I had already called in October, to cancel that one and rescheduled with a confirmation email for 11/21 at 5:30 pm. I clarified i via email to remind them it’s actually for 11/21, they confirmed via email the same. Cool, loved that something close was available as they’re usually booked 3+ months (not many decent curly salons in Boston).

Then I get that automated confirmation text on 11/19, to which I confirmed my appt. again for 11/21at 5:30 PM. Great, I was reassured and excited!

11/21 - I’m in an Uber due to arrive slightly early, until a crash happens in the middle of the one-way aged Williams tunnel. I called promptly (it was 5:15 pm) to notify them, they answered but our memo. Hold so I panicked I’d lose service in the tunnel and texted the auto confirm number while on hold also. The receptionist then took me off hold and I told them I’m going to be a little late due to an unforeseen accident inside the tunnel but I’d be “about 15 minutes late,” to which she replied “no worries, we’ll see you when you get here!” Awesome she reassured me it’s fine. My Uber actually got me there at 5:44 (14 mins late instead of the 15 I was armed them about).

I arrive, was told to hang my jacket and take a seat in the couch with others waiting. I do so and oddly enough don’t see my hair stylist but maybe she’s in the bathroom idk (it’s one big room with obvious visibility). Sitting patiently just happy to assume I’m about to get my hair done, I’m seated in my stylists usual chair at 6:02 pm…and she greets me at 6:03. And almost immediately after saying hello, looks at me and goes “ya know I don’t want to have to do this but when people are late it really does throw off things” and went on to say “our schedules don’t have room for error” followed by a lot of explanation that simply was all about their/her stressful schedule and how she needed at least “45 mins to put my lightener on and didn’t want to rush” and she “has her next appt in 10 minutes” and that “she has to cancel my service today but might still have one open for tomorrow” for me to reschedule. Then she said If they tried d to do it they’d “be there all night and we close at 7 pm.” Okay so why wasn’t I informed the schedule was too tight when I called in?

I was disappointed, furious (my schedule and work is stressful too and wasted my evening and confirmed my arrival would be delayed and was never told any of this when I called) and at a loss for words, because I didn’t want to make her feel more awkward. It’s the holidays and this appt was obviously planned on my part.

So I took the brunt of the entire inconvenience and simply complied. If you consider I sat there for 20 mins waiting, and she still had 10 more til her next appt, that’s 35 mins of wasted time. So had the stylist really been ‘waiting’ or prepared for me knowing I was delayed, my service of 45 could’ve mostly been done with barely a 10 minute delay for the next appt (I’ve never been seen on time here).

Despite my waste of time, I said almost nothing other than “it’s okay, I just wish I was told that when I called in but let’s just see what you have available next.” We get to the receptionists and I’m told the next available is as soon as January of next year and maybe I can just be added to a cancellation list. At this pointy eyes are teary with anger, nobody’s being openly accountable, empathetic for my time, or trying to at least create an illusion of customer service. I said “I’m just gonna go and I’ll call you guys, as nicely as I could and left. It started to feel like a double booking, poor communication, and the excess booking confirmations are for nothing and the inconvenience was supposed to be all my fault. The way the cancellations news was worded as if it was all my fault. This isn’t the first bad taste they’ve left in my...

I was SUPER excited to have my first ever Devacut today at 4 pm. In fact, I told a host of close friends and my sister about my upcoming appointment and they wanted pictures after the experience.

I arrived to the salon around 3:50, checked in and had a seat. 4 pm arrived and I remained seated. 4:10 pm came and still I was seated. Around 4:15 pm, my stylist, Diana, introduced herself and walked me over to her chair. She proceeded to ask me what I wanted and I explained that I hadn't had a perm in over 8 years and found straight ends when combing through my hair the other day and thought they could be heat damage. She said the two strand twists with extensions I had been wearing could be the cause of it (I had never heard this rationale before but okay).

She took a look at my hair and told me that my front and back were longer than the middle and began cutting from the back because she didn't want me to have mullet hair. She confirmed that she saw straight ends and I asked her to cut off the straight ends. She told me I would be transitioning to natural again, which was totally okay in my book. I am really trying to wear my natural curls and learn how to manage and care for them.

She then walked me over to the sink and conditioned my hair. She claimed my hair didn't need another wash because it was dry from the wash I had done a few hours before, which was a requirement for the appointment but whatever. She used her fingers to detangle my hair with the conditioner, then rinsed it and applied some Angel gel and a leave-in. Along the way, she apologized for her rough manuever through my hair. I understood why this might be necessary because my curls are super curly and kinky and braved through it.

She asked me if I wanted the front of my hair to hang to the left or right, I explained that I wanted a part on the right. She moved some hair over but no defining part was created. After, she sat me under the dryer for 20-30 minutes. I emerged from the dryer and sat in her chair once again. I asked for the part once again and she rudely told me that, "my hair was too thick and a part would not stay." Isn't that why gel was created? She cut a few more strands of hair and I asked her if all of the straight parts were removed. She told me no, there was a lot left. So what exactly did I pay for? She claimed she couldn't remove them all or the cut wouldn't be the same. I left disappointed and crushed. I had seen amazing before and after photos and my after was just a shorter cut. I paid and left the salon and went to further look at my hair in my car mirror.

Upon further review, I noticed longer strands of hair sticking out from the shorter strands she had just cut. I went back into the salon and asked her to cut them. She begrudgingly reached into a desk and grabbed some shears, located one of the pieces I was talking about, made a snide comment about it only being that one piece and snipped it. I pointed to another one and she told me, "when you pull on it, it causes that." I left yet again even more frustrated and defeated than a few minutes before.

The first DevaCut was supposed to be 90 minutes as advertised on the salon's website. I was home by 5:33 pm. I live in Jamaica Plain near Whole Foods.

It was very evident that Diana did not want to do my hair and I DEEPLY regret sitting in her chair. It was definitely not worth the cost + tip. It was not the investment I was so excited for. I received an automated email from Anita Kurl thanking me for being a customer and offering to alter the look within the next 3 days but I had enough of a bad experience that I'll just suffer until my hair grows back. I guess I'll just wear a hat whenever I can for the next year or two. Thanks...

I have never ever left a review for anything in my life but I would be remiss if I didn't share my experience with this salon.

I wanted my ends trims without having to straighten my 4B/4C hair, which was achieved to my satisfaction. After the trim, they washed my hair to revert it to my completely natural state so they could see if the hair needs additional trimming/shaping up after shrinking up. I should have just left after the trim because I never wear my hair super tight so it didn't matter to me what the cut looked like in that state, but I am not a hair professional so I decided to go with the flow and allow them to complete their process. The shampooing was fine but the stylist put in gel afterwards, which I thought was weird but she said it was important for curl definition so I didn't think too much of it.

After the shampooing, they sat me under the dryer.............and that's it. There was no styling or detangling or finger combing or parting the hair to the side or hair spraying or anything after sitting under the dryer. One stylist came in and inexplicably used a diffuser on my hair for like 2 minutes and that was it. With 4b/4c hair you can't just wash it then sit under the dryer then leave!!!! This probably applies to other hair types too. It needs at least a little bit of detangling and manipulation or parting, it needs some sort of styling! I was just left with a mop of hair that was still wet when I got back home!

The stylist who did the trim and shampoo returns after the random/unnecessary/ineffective diffusing and is like well it looks pretty even no need for an additional cut. And I was so confused. Like was I just supposed to walk out the salon with a mess of semi-wet hair??? The stylist (a white lady) took it as if I wasn't happy with what my natural hair looks like which is INSANE. She said things like "this is you, you came in with stretched hair", "embrace it", "I showed you your curls", "come back when you're ready to take the plunge to committing to your tight curls". That is CRAZY. I have known what my curls look like my whole life!!!!! I don't have a problem with what my hair looks like naturally, I do have a problem with professional hair stylists thinking it is okay for someone to sit under the dryer then walk out without even ATTEMPTING to style it. She brought in a black lady I guess to assuage the situation and explain their "process" but a misunderstanding was not the issue. Like there is no way they can feel good about that work. They should be ashamed, and if they aren't ashamed then they are con artists.

That night I had to style it because it was a giant wet mess. And the next day my hair was SUPER dry and flakey because of the stupid gel!!!! So now I have to wash it out. Why did I pay $95 to have to do my hair twice after leaving a salon!!!!!!!

This salon might work for people who don't have 4b/4c hair, but I highly DO NOT...