Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Seattle — Local services in Seattle

I genuinely cannot express to you what a horrendous institution this is. I went here for their esthetics program in 2023. It’s a 7 month program, and it was a constant nightmare. The issue was not with the students, and we did have some good teachers, but it was a complete horror show from day 1. On our first day, they left us alone for around a half hour until they directed us to watch a hair cutting demo for an hour, which had nothing to do with the program we were paying close to $15k for. After said demo, we were left waiting again with no direction for another half hour, until a student had to seek direction from a staff member. We were eventually escorted to a satellite building because the building we were supposed to be in was under construction. Every morning we had to go to the main building, clock in, then walk several blocks to our satellite building. This on its own would’ve just been slightly frustrating but understandable, however the satellite building had 0 heating. Keep in mind, our program started in January, so it was COLD. The temperature of the room we were in was regularly in the 40s, and all that was done to remedy the situation was a single space heater being provided. We all showed up wearing hats, gloves, winter coats, etc. and kept them on for the entire 10 hour day. I personally had to buy those disposable pocket hand warmers for all of the students to try and give us some form of a heat source. The regional director, Bradley, visited the school during this time. He came to our building in his winter coat and stood there with his hands in his pockets, and commented about how cold it was. He then went to the thermostat and tried to mess with it (as if we hadn’t already tried that) and then eventually gave up. No apology, no promise to have it fixed, absolutely nothing. We later learned (after having graduated) that the state had come to do an inspection during this time, and they didn’t mention us to them or show them the building we had been in for months. We ended up filing a formal grievance as a class, which was swept under the rug and never even passed along to corporate. When we were finally moved to a new building, the AC broke. It was now summer, and HOT. Add to that the fact that we had to use facial steamers, our classroom was nearly unbearable. When they eventually did “fix” the AC, it had a constant drip of water coming from it. It was left as is for days; I slipped on the puddle before we realized and almost fell on the linoleum covered concrete floor. Eventually they just stuck a “caution wet floor” sign under each AC unit (2 different rooms that I know of) and a large bowl to catch the drip. I could go on for hours about the disorganization, losing our paperwork, teachers being treated horribly by their superiors, constant contradictions as far as what we were supposed to be doing, etc. When we finally reached the end of our program (750 hours) and started graduating 1 by 1, we weren’t even given a proper graduation. Cosmetology students get a backdrop, everyone gathers to watch them graduate (staff & students) and it feels like you actually accomplished something. The week I was graduating, I contacted several staff members multiple times, asking for timing and what to expect. I was given 0 information. I got no graduation and then director acted surprised and disappointed when I told him I wouldn’t be having a graduation. I watched a staff member type my name into the diploma template (spelled wrong the 1st time) and then print it out. To add insult to injury, I later realized that the diploma was dated 2019. We then had to threaten class action in order to get them to turn our hours in to the state so we could test for our license (the whole thing we were paying thousands of dollars for), and I know of students who didn’t have their hours turned in for almost 4 months after graduating. In short, do not support this institution in any form. I will absolutely be taking this further, and after months I’m still upset about everything that...

Oof. This is a hard one to write b/c I really want to be supportive of the Institute in giving their students experiences providing live services. I've been going to this AVEDA Institute for haircuts/trims for several years and have not had an issue. Haircuts are $25 so, not too bad if you're not seeking a lot of layering and complex trim work. So, in the past, I'd normally rate them a 3-4 on haircuts which is fine for me. I'm not too fussy. My hair is straight, thick, coarse and long, and I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to styling.

But 1-2x a year I get some coloring added. So, I decided to give the students a try...and unfortunately, this was an UTTER fail. I should have read the reviews before I went but I also signed the waiver so, I knew this was a risk. I'll just have to be patient and let it grow and go back to my full, professional salon next time I want color.

First, Kylee K. cut my hair uneven. While a bit shocking, I wasn't too worried b/c I figured it would be evened out at the end. But even with extensive fixing by the instructor, she was unable to fix the uneven cut. See photo with my hair cut shorter and uneven.

Second, the haircut and coloring took 8 HOURS!!! I was there from 10 AM - 6 PM. I was very patient but that's a LONG time for hair coloring to be sitting on my hair. As a result, my hair that is colored is fried and crispy. This will take awhile for me to grow out. For the toning and hair wash, I'm not sure how this happened but the entire back of my shirt ended up soaking wet. This seems a bit sloppy and I would think would be one of the first lessons you learn in hair styling school - how to wash your clients hair without getting their back entirely soaked.

Third, the instructors realized that my hair situation was taking Kylee a long time, and they switched up students several times. This isn't a problem, but it didn't instill a lot of confidence that anyone knew what they were doing. I think this was Kylee's first time doing color and though she mapped out a good plan of action, I don't think the plan created the results I (or she) wanted. Also, I wanted free-form coloring (balayage) but the instructor recommended partial foil. I'm not a hair expert so, I didn't really know the difference but overall it was just a very messy, long and arduous experience. Kylee didn't get much guidance at all while she was applying the dye and waiting. Not a single instructor came over to check in with her or me while she was applying the paste. They didn't check how much or how long the dye had been sitting on my hair. It was eerily weird to have a student be left to her own devices without any instruction or guidance. They provided guidance initially but then, no further guidance for most of the time.

And now, I only have an uneven haircut and burnt and fried hair to show for 8 hours in their salon school. I want to support the school and students, but not at the risk of frying my hair and getting doused in water while using up an entire beautiful summer day!

Next time, I'll stick to going there for a trim but NEVER again will I do coloring. It's just too risky. Even though I signed the waiver, I didn't know it could be quite this bad. That said, they did not charge me for the haircut ($25).

Lastly, I bought some AVEDA hair care products which was fine. But I forgot to mention that I was an AVEDA Reward Member when I bought the products. They were running a special for the month where you get 50% off the hair service if you buy a product. I later contacted AVEDA Customer Support and they added the points for the products & service to my account (in case you make the...

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!! I am not new to going to beauty schools for hair services, but usually go the Gene Juarez (now Paul Mitchell) in Federal Way. This place is a joke and I have no clue how they are accredited. I was excited because they had an opening sooner than my usual spot, so I was open to giving them a shot. I wish I could go back and stop myself. First, I will admit, I was a few minutes late and called to let them know. Driving in Seattle is a nightmare, so I took transit which is on its own schedule. After check in I was informed they didn't even look at the request made online, nor did they call to ask me about the services requested. Instead after I'm already sitting down they tell me that they don't have time to do the requested service, even if I was on time. Strike one to their scheduling team, I even booked a foiling session and was explicitly clear in my notes. Next, they did some half hearted consultation and there was no instruction or plan. Every school I've been to has the students review the health of the hair and their plan to execute. Not this one, strike two. Then I was very clear that if they were not going to do the requested color that I would like a medium to dark brown. The student tells me AFTER beginning application that she just decided to mix light and medium brown together. Strike three. She then proceeded to sloppily apply the product to my head using two overflowing bowls of color. I have NEVER needed this much dye on my hair. As she applied she hit me several times in the face including my eye with hair coated in dye. She also scratched my scalp badly in multiple spots with the comb and it felt like she was cutting me. By this time it was very clear that I could have done a better job at home. Strike four. It's now that I notice there is dye everywhere, the floor, the cape is drenched, and it's all over my face and neck. She then proceeds to throw a plastic bonnet on my hair and says she will be back. She never checked on me and you better believe the scratches she made started burning. It hurt so badly after 20 minutes I was crying and had to hunt down the instructor to get help. As she's washing my hair she tells me it's my fault for washing my hair earlier in day, which is ridiculous considering I have dyed my hair my entire life on varying levels of cleanliness and have never experienced this issue. I honestly thought I was going to end up bald. I couldn't get out of there fast enough and wouldn't even let her dry my hair and she was supposed to cut it. She walked me to the front, threw my paper on the front desk, and stormed off. I left paying $11, but I wouldn't pay a penny for the lack of care, excruciating pain, and damage to my hair. Not to mention she was incredibly entitled. At other schools students are excited to learn and are constantly practicing their skills. Here everyone sits on their phone or sleeps. This school is a joke for both students and clients. I won't even go to a professional Aveda salon after this and will be sure no one I know does. Jessie, or whatever your name was, sorry to break it to you, but you have no business working in a salon. Your attitude alone was disgusting. Aveda, feel free to contact me. It might have only been $11, but that was...