Ulta Beauty — Local services in Los Angeles

I’m speechless by what I just experienced. Very cruel supervisor working here. Very unkind people in general.

They closed up shop five minutes before closing. I understand it’s annoying to close on time when you’re getting paid minimum wage. I totally get that. But regular people don’t know the store hours and aren’t purposefully trying to make life difficult for the people who work there. It’s not right to treat people like they’re less than human because they didn’t know. It’s not an attack on you because they didn’t know.

When I walked up I noticed the doors were locked, then I noticed the hours and the time and was hoping they could squeeze in a quick transaction since they were still technically in operating hours. I knocked on the door. A while later, a woman opened up the door and practically barked at me- “what business do you have being here?” What business? I said I just had a return. She told me five minutes minimum and to make shopping quick. Granted, it took a while for her to open up the door, so that ate up some of that time. I told her I wasn’t shopping… but she missed that…

I made a beeline for the register, it’s right by the door anyway. The return process was done in a minute, the woman working was fast. It wasn’t an issue. But the treatment and harsh words I got just for asking if I could make a return were so bizarre.

When we were just about finished, I remembered what the woman said- about making shopping quick. I wasn’t planning on shopping but I did initially intend at looking at a specific product. I knew it wouldn’t take much time, so I told them I’d like to go do that, just a thirty second glance, and that I wouldn’t hassle them with having to ring me out. I didn’t want to make a purchase because they were making it very clear they did not want me there — there was definitely an air of intimidation, you could cut the tension with a knife. I knew I could always make a purchase online, I can’t afford the gas for another trip atm. I wanted to treat myself with a brush- just one thing I’ve been thinking about this last week. I just needed to see them physically. No biggie, right?

Upon asking, the -I assume- proud supervisor with his unnecessarily authoritative language aggressively cut me off. He told me he GRANTED me the PRIVILEGE of coming inside (even though the store was technically still open). And that it was now 8:02- I’m not sure if that was even correct, and that I needed to leave. If I was just going to take thirty seconds to look at the brushes, then I needed to get lost (because thirty seconds is more time than he wanted to spend in my plebeian presence). That’s fine, but the aggression, the vitriol? How is that necessary?

I won’t get into details about my personal life, but it’s always a mistake to treat others horribly without knowing their story- to treat people like they’re less than. I’m sure he would never treat someone he knew like that. Or maybe it’s just me, but I would never treat anyone, whether I knew them or not, like he treated me tonight.

My interaction with the Ulta employees tonight was distressing. I barely spoke to them, but just by existing as a simple Ulta customer, they had a LOT of aggressive words for me. Not acting like the “king of the castle” is not hard. Showing others kindness is not hard. Life is much nicer when you don’t treat others like they’re a waste of space. It’s not even about treating customers with respect to reflect well on Ulta as a business- it’s about basic human to human decency. If customers are not wanted because of the time, it’s possible to handle that situation with grace.

I’m still really shaken up by all of this.

Asian girl with the cute liner who processed my return - idk if you said anything about me when I left, but I genuinely appreciate you for not being rude to my face. I appreciate the neutrality. It doesn’t take a lot to not ruin a...

I have natural African textured hair and it was damaged at the Ulta salon at the Westwood location. It was permanently straightened, either a hair relaxer was added without my permission or the stylist used a heating tool incorrectly. I also looked up the heating tool they used after the fact and the tool goes up to 450F and damage starts at 400F (Babyliss Pro, a light blue straightener). There was someone else complaining about the stylist while I was in the chair as well. It makes sense now. Your hair looks great when it is first done but you won't know it is severely damaged until after you leave unfortunately, as literally my curly hair was turned into straight hair forever and I only wanted this style temporarily.

I went back a few times to discuss this with the stylist Terrell but the manager of the salon stated the stylist was not there and could not tell me when he would be in, Bianca maybe (name started with a B). She also tried to sell me expensive "repair" products that she knew would not work to fix the damage that was irreparable. I do not recommend coming here based on this experience alone. This was some time ago but the point is even years after my hair's health has suffered and I had to retransition all over again due to damage. I have proof of this at the time point, the length of my hair, and all the time and money I spent trying to see if it would improve and the time for it go grow back natural again. This was terrible. Only now has it grown back natural to the length it was before. This is just a warning to consider regarding the health...

I have been a returning client at this salon and had previously enjoyed services from a stylist who unfortunately no longer works there. During my recent visit, I entrusted Mr. Randal with cutting and coloring my hair. Regrettably, the outcome was far below my expectations. Despite paying a significant amount, I received a haircut and color that I consider to be poorly executed. The stylist cut over 4 inches more than intended and failed to deliver the desired results. The application of foil was messy and the overall process felt rushed, with my head being uncomfortably scrunched into the dryer. I am someone who rarely criticizes the work of others and hardly ever leaves reviews at all but, I must express my disappointment in the service provided, especially considering the price paid. He attempted to persuade me into opting for a half color instead of a full color, leaving me feeling like an inconvenience. It was perplexing to encounter such behavior from a stylist aiming to generate income. Additionally, I was repeatedly tasked with handing him foil, resembling a foil dispenser, which prevented me from using my phone or doing anything else at all. The overall experience was unprofessional, with his demeanor suggesting a lack of focus. Regrettably, this visit has led me to the decision...