COLOR LOUNGE — Local services in Honolulu

i came to color lounge off of a recommendation from a friend of mine. booked same day and was super thankful they had a slot available for me. i had reference photos of ideas of the direction i wanted to go for my hair, but didn’t have set demands. i knew i didn’t want too much blonde around my face and i didn’t want the color to start at the root. the stylist said from the reference photos it would take several sessions to achieve the look, which didn’t make full sense to me as i’ve had dimensional color before in one session- granted it wasn’t blonde, but still one session, but i said ok. we looked at different shades and i said, yeah, i trust your direction based off the reference photos and what i said i didn’t want. i was told id be charged for a certain service and said ok to that. she applies the bleach and styles the hair. upon seeing it i was definitely shocked, and the way it looked in the curls it was cute! i was very happy at first. i was charged $280 which i’m not too confrontational so i wasn’t sure how we got to $280 with just the color- no cut- no real style. confused, but still just happy at first about the new look i just paid it and left. it wasn’t until i got home and brushed it out did i realize i hated it. i had so much blonde in my face and the color went to the root. also the shade of the blonde wasn’t all that flattering against my skin. i tried calling the shop right away the next day several times with no answer. i tried calling actually over several days with no answer. its been a month and i still hate it, i feel embarrassed by the color, and most people tell me they don’t like it as well- it’s super embarrassing. i tried again to call the shop today with no answer, so i guess it just is what it is. i really wanted to feel beautiful and i said that. i wanted to feel more confident about my new hair, but i really don’t. at $300 i would’ve hoped for a trim at least or something. i’ll now have to find a new salon and hope someone can fix the color and restore my confidence that dwindles the more i look at my hair. i was hopeful someone could just tone it down a little as it feels brassy- but that golden brass, or maybe trim it or something to make me feel better about it. but my calls go unanswered. i hate to leave such a lengthy review, but seeing i can’t speak to anyone, this is my only option. i’m really sad tbh, i work an extremely busy schedule and rarely get time to myself, i just wanted to have that salon experience the girls have and feel amazing about myself. but i...

For 11 years I had been seeing the same lovely stylist and faithfully following her from one salon to another. One day she finally opened her own salon and I was thrilled for her—until I realized how much she now cost. After a couple of disappointing styles, paid at a premium, I decided it was time for a change. Sad to leave her and unsure of where to go, I asked around for recommendations to a new salon with good colorists and stylists who wouldn’t wreck me financially… Color Lounge came up multiple times in conversations with friends and neighbors. I reached out to the salon and Janelle responded promptly with questions, suggestions and ideas. We scheduled an appointment and I anxiously awaited my new ‘do. Happily my appointment landed on a special day and I arrived for a birthday party and stylist-provided potluck! (Dog lovers you’ll love this place!) I was handed a bowl of homemade warm soup on a cold rainy day, played fetch with an adorable pup while my color processed, and then got a fantastic cut. My hair color hasn’t looked this good in years, and the cut Janelle gave me suits my hair texture and lifestyle perfectly. I can’t wait to go back! Thanks Janelle for bringing my hair back to life. I look forward to coming here...

The experience left quite a bit to be desired. Stylist Zenia was polite but a bit cold and was super rough with my head. Lots of yanking/pulling at the root during color application and washing, which probably was because she did not brush or comb before applying color. I finally said something and she did attempt to be softer, however, my head was quite sore for a few hours afterwards.

There was a bit of dye on my face afterwards and I had hair trimmings all down and inside the back of my pants and shirt. As for the cut/color, we agreed on chocolate-brown/warmer and I ended up with a neutral shade that is about two shades away from black. Haircut is also weird, quite chunky, and not like the photos I had shown of a very layered and shaped cut for curly hair. She almost forgot to cut the layers around the face had I not reminded. We agreed on no blowout (could not fathom the yanking again) but there was just a quick spritz with some leave-in and that was it - felt very rushed in and out, not sure if she had a busy day ahead? For $285 (including tip), I am very disappointed in how everything looks, the experience, and...