Elle Jane Beauty — Local services in San Diego

I debated whether to write this review, but I think it’s important to share honest experiences so others know what to expect. I wish I had read something like this before booking with Elle. My review is solely to inform potential clients: Elle is not the person to see for a short bob haircut.

I chose Elle based on glowing reviews. While her portfolio was mostly long cuts and color, people raved about her skill, and since she’s Asian and “gets Asian hair,” I trusted her. I sent several inspiration photos and clearly explained that I wanted a slight A-line bob with the back shortened, texturized, and shaped. She assured me she could do it.

After the first cut, I initially thought it looked fine, but once home I realized the veil over the undercut she gave me had been thinned so much that there were severe gaps (see photos). The ends were wispy and fragile, and within days the style only looked halfway decent if I blow-dried (which I don’t normally do). When I raised concerns, she brushed them off with, “I gave you the look you asked for,” but offered to “fix” it.

At the fix appointment, her solution was to put extensions in to fix the gaps she made—something I had never wanted or needed. She insisted they would solve the problem, so I reluctantly agreed. Hours later I was aghast to see she kept my bob but also left a thick, short mullet-like wad of extensions in the back with zero styling and none of the texture and shape I initially asked for.

Well, what should have been a simple correction turned into a 6-hour nightmare. Each time I expressed my distress, she dismissed me with, “This is what you asked for,” as though my desperation to fix her myriad mistakes was the original request. I felt completely gaslit.

Out of desperation, I pulled up the A-line example photo I showed her at least 5times prior, and she responded, “Oh, you mean you want it rounded,” which was exactly what I had said from the beginning, backed by my inspiration photos. But she kept claiming I hadn't been clear about what I wanted and that we simply had "communication" issues because I don't speak hair lingo. I couldn't believe my ears.

By then, my bob had been hacked shorter and shorter, the right side jaggedly two inches higher than the left and back still longer than the sides. At 8:30 pm, I buried my face in my hands in panic, begged her to stop cutting the right side, and start trying to match the left side to the right.

She had refused to cut it wet (despite my requests 3 times before) until hours into the process, and only after realizing how uneven everything was. By then, my thick bob had been butchered into an awful Karen cut with extensions still taped in.

The ordeal dragged on for SIX agonizing hours. I sat there for 6 straight hours, starving, exhausted, in so much pain, and watching my hair get worse and worse while she told me to “relax” and stop overthinking, that I just needed to learn to go with the flow. I was officially in Crazy Town. The constant dismissal and refusal to acknowledge the damage she was doing was surreal. She kept claiming, "it's straight. It's what you asked for. I'm just doing what you asked," when what I was asking for was solely based on the mistakes she created from the start and was creating for 6 hours. The. gaslighting. I felt completely gaslit, forced to endure slow and painful cut after cut, butchering after butchering as the night dragged on, hour after hour with no end in sight.

By the time I left at 10 PM--my usual bedtime, mind you--the salon annex had been empty and the night pitch black for hours at that point. I left traumatized and devastated.

Elle refunded me $88 (minus a non-refundable $50) after nine total hours across two appointments. No refund can undo the stress, time, and trauma of this experience. Getting $88 back feels insulting compared to what I endured.

If you want a short haircut, please learn from my mistake: look at my photos in this review, read my story, and go to someone else. No client deserves to be treated this way or left so devastated with no...

Treat Yo Self! I received this scalp treatment from my sister and honestly thought it would be kind of gimmicky, but this experience was truly a luxuriously relaxing treat. It starts with a visual inspection of your scalp's condition; mine was somewhat dry with a few plugged hair follicles. The most interesting aspect was seeing the blood flow throughout the scalp, but more on that later. Post-inspection you move to the wash basin where you get the most thorough shampoo I've ever experienced. I hate overly scented products and am very sensitive to smells, and all the products used were very clean-smelling: the shampoo had the lightest citrus scent and the post-wash oxygenating treatment was tea tree oil and rosemary, again, very light and refreshing. Back to the wash: even the most careful shampoo will invariably have a couple hair snags as unknown knots catch on fingers, so it should be expected, but this portion didn't have a single hair pull! I would never complain about snags unless they were truly egregious and painful, but this shampoo was so silky and relaxing I nearly drifted off right there. Honestly, at this point I don't know if 10 minutes had passed or two days because time lost all meaning. I felt thoroughly transported through a finger scalp massage that was both gentle and firm, then some kind of rolling massage device, and finally a tingly wire massage that just energized the whole scalp. Just when I thought neck was cramping up from leaning back on the sink, those magic fingers dug in with long, stretching strokes for a neck massage that can only be described as heavenly. Gentle water rinses, conditioning, and more rinsing completed the scalp cleansing, and by the end my scalp was absolutely tingling and whistling. I caution you to sit up slowly because I felt like all the blood was pulsating throughout my scalp, and the post-cleansing inspection showed just that: increased blood flow throughout, completely cleaned out hair follicles, and a pristine canvas. I started the treatment with a headache, which was completely gone by the end, and I felt exhausted afterwards. That feeling lasted about 20 minutes, so I do recommend you take it slow and drink tons of water. Once you rehydrate and kind of get that blood pumping slowed down, you will feel an energy unlike anything you've ever experienced. I literally felt like I had a whole body workout. I know I'm ascribing a lot to a scalp massage, but it truly was transformative, especially for someone who sits staring at the computer for hours on end for work. I don't use a ton of hair product but if you do, I would especially recommend this as a cleansing treatment just to give you that clean canvas and give your hair a chance to "breathe." I got the blow out to dry and style my hair, and my hair has felt silky and full for two days. It really feels like the treatment has lasted these past two days, and my scalp has continued to feel light and clean. It is pricey, but think of it as a therapeutic treatment and not just a "beauty treatment," and give yourself the gift of clarity and re-invigoration. Elle is also so lovely and kind, and will talk through the treatment with you or you can just zone out like I did and let her magic fingers transport you....

UPDATE (with original review attached) Hi,

Thank you for your response. I need to address several issues and inconsistencies in your response:

Firstly, your comment about my “experience” and the implication that my feedback was unfounded is concerning. According to your website, consultations for new clients were initially listed as required before booking a full appointment.

However, I noticed that this option has since been removed from your website. Given this, your “no deposit, no secured appointment” policy was clearly not enforced at the time of my booking. I successfully created and secured my appointment without a deposit, which contradicts your claim. If deposits were required, there should have been an option to pay one during the consultation booking process, which was not available. My receipt indicated that there was no charge for a consultation.

While I understand that you manage the salon alone, this does not excuse the lack of communication. If a solo practitioner is unable to respond to clients or manage appointment times effectively, implementing a system to alert you to waiting clients would be beneficial. Waiting 40 minutes without any acknowledgment or response is unacceptable, regardless of staffing limitations.

You stated that you don’t engage in the practices I mentioned and implied my feedback might be unjustified because there aren’t similar reviews online. Just because negative reviews aren't visible doesn’t mean my experience wasn’t valid. The lack of acknowledgment or response during my appointment shows a real issue with communication and service, regardless of your overall review history.

Additionally, I noticed a “cancellation” note was added to my receipt on August 31, 2024, at 11:42 PM, which is inaccurate since I did not cancel the appointment. Given that my appointment was at 1:30 PM and I did not hear from you until 9:00 PM, this note further confirms that the appointment was indeed booked and confirmed, contrary to what your response suggests. The timing of this addition to my receipt, following my review, raises further concerns about how this situation is being managed.

Your dismissive and mocking response reflects a lack of professionalism. How you handle disappointed clients—both publicly and privately—reflects on your business. While I acknowledge your talent, if this is how you handle dissatisfaction, it raises serious concerns about returning. Potential clients will likely take note of how you manage negative feedback and may be deterred from booking with you.

I encourage you to address these concerns and consider handling client feedback with greater professionalism and honesty, rather than removing booking options and implying the fault lies with the client. Focusing on constructive and respectful communication would be more effective in maintaining a positive business reputation.

Kind...