Refinery Salon — Local services in O'Fallon

This review is from 5/4/21 but I had updated my review to correct my punctuation and did not realize it would create a new prompt stating that I had recently visited the salon. My review is more so about my stylist, Tyler Gonski. I had picked them on a whim based on the great reviews, but my experience was the complete opposite. I left with uneven hair, poor service, and a general feeling that I was an inconvenience rather than a paying customer.

From the start, Tyler seemed irritated. There was no warm greeting—just a cold instruction to sit in the chair. When he put the cape on me, it was sideways, offering little protection from the hair that would inevitably end up all over my clothes. I was afraid to ask that it be fixed because he was already giving off the impression he was annoyed he had to work.

When asked what I wanted, I mentioned that I had left a note in my booking, which the salon provides an option for. He flatly responded that he hadn’t read it and didn’t even know I was coming until 11 AM (despite me booking at 9:45 for a 12:15 appointment).

Throughout the appointment, he seemed disengaged and disinterested in conversation. I was trying to make conversation and I mentioned I had a sunburn and he rudely asked if I realized that I am white. I was taken back by that remark. Worse, he was rough with my hair, aggressively combing through the knots he himself created by flipping my hair around. I had already mentioned that my fine, lightened hair needed to be handled carefully, but instead, he suggested—rather rudely—that I chop off four inches to make it look ‘somewhat healthy.’ My hair only needed a trim, not an unsolicited critique.

When it came to the actual cut, I specifically said I wanted layers, yet he cut my hair straight across in a blunt style—completely ignoring my request. Considering I came in with layers, that should’ve been a clear indication of what I preferred. Other reviews praised this stylist for giving them a new style, yet here I was, getting a basic, thoughtless cut. It was almost like he was being difficult because he was upset he had to work.

I tried to clarify that I wanted a more textured look. Initially, I used the wrong term and said ‘choppy,’ which was met with a look of utter disgust, as if I had asked for a permed mullet. When I corrected myself and repeated ‘textured,’ he reluctantly added a bit, but when I checked the back in the mirror, I saw little difference. I asked for more layering, and instead of professionalism, I got a death stare. When I hesitantly asked if I was asking for too much, he calmly said ‘no,’ but his body language told a different story. He then passive-aggressively snipped at the back of my hair while leaving a chunk of it resting on my shoulders, making it clear the cut was uneven. At that point, I gave up and pretended to be satisfied, knowing I’d regret it later.

To top it off, he carelessly tossed cut hair all over me instead of ensuring it fell on the floor. Because the cape was put on sideways, my black leggings were covered in hair, and I even had strands inside my shoes. No brush, no blower—nothing. Even as I sat there plucking hair off myself before leaving, he didn’t acknowledge it.

Yes, I still tipped 20% out of habit, but I won’t...

I booked an appointment through a referral from a co worker who said she got her hair done here. I asked for a partial highlight and haircut. While the girl who took care of me was very nice, I don't believe she has the experience of doing highlights on dark hair. She told me she had 23 years of experience yet when I left the salon, my highlights were orange. I told her I use professional color only on my roots to cover my greys. The "partial" she gave me was no more than 20 foils around my face and in the back of my hair. When I left the salon I mentioned that maybe it would take a few sessions to lighten my hair a bit more because she didn't really say anything to me about the orange tone. 2 days later I reached out to the salon and explained that I was not happy with the color. I received a call almost a week after the fact from the manager. I explained what I was unhappy about and asked for at least some type of refund. I was told by the manager that the stylist told her that I had "black box color" on my hair which is why it didn't lift. I then explained that I am actually a licensed cosmetologist and in fact have never used box color in my hair but had to go home that same day and put a toner on it to fix the orange she left in my hair. The manager seemed to think I was lying by the way she handled the call and told me there was nothing they could do besides have them add a few more foils. For me personally that's not going to help in any way since I was already unhappy with the foils she had done. I would have appreciated at least some refund considering it was so expensive in the first place but after that call with the manager and straight out lies from the stylist, I will definitely not ever visit this salon again and will tell everyone I know in town...

I never leave reviews.. but I was definitely rushed out of this place without getting the proper time for my color to set.

Deann had an apt. Booked at 1:00 leaving her only 2 hours to do my full highlight… I’ve been getting my hair colored for years and it’s never been that fast. It at the very least takes 4 hours to color my hair minimum because I have very long and thick hair. It was very unprofessional of her to schedule an apt. 2 hours after having a full highlight booked. I’ve never had that problem with any stylist before and I’ve tried several different stylists at several different places.. this is my first and hopefully only bad review. She also didn’t care to brush my hair properly, she ripped from top to bottom over and over again and it took everything in me not to take the brush myself to save myself from any more split ends. I spent approx. $250 which means I paid her $125 per hour to give me color that was only set for about 10 minutes under the foils when they were all in and it will probably wash out in a few days. I hatttttte leaving reviews as someone in guest service myself, I don’t want to hurt her career or her feelings but to spend that much money for color to just be wasted I think people should be warned before hand. Especially if your still in college like I am and you save up to be able to treat yourself with these things. If your going just for a cut maybe that would be fine, but I don’t recommend Deann for color as she is in too much of a rush.

Positives: The employee at the counter was super friendly and nice!!! Although I was unhappy with the color she curled my hair at the end really quickly and I was happy with the curls. The atmosphere is pretty cute. The shampoo stations have good neck support compared to...