ALO Hair Studio — Local services in Wilmington

I rarely write reviews, and I definitely don't like to blast a small business with a negative review. But after today's experience, I feel an obligation to share with the public so you can decide if something like this matters in your decision making... particularly bc this is a salon that you will easily drop $200+ at each visit (sometimes $400+ for color and cut). So...I booked a trim and toner/hair gloss with a stylist I had already seen at least 5 or 6 times in the past 2 years. Receptionist said she was new and thanked me for her patience, bc it took her a while to get the apptmt set up (moving me from one day to another, etc).

Appointment today was for 1230. At 8:16AM I got a text asking if I could push back to 12:40. I said yes. Arrived at 1240, and stylist was still with a client. No problem, I waited patiently. At 1:10 she took me to her chair, and from there it went downhill. She told me I was booked for a "bang trim" and the she could only trim my hair down to my ears. Well, I do not have bangs. This stylist has never seen me with bangs, and my hair is way past my shoulder blades. So no, I need a full trim, not a bang trim.

Stylist got a bit frantic, started looking through her phone while telling me that she could do the hair gloss but not the trim, and then asked me if I was planning to leave salon with wet hair. I replied that I have never left the salon with wet hair, so no. She said, "Well, the receptionist didn't add a blow dry to the appointment." In my head I'm thinking, 'Isn't drying the hair always a part of any service that requires a shampoo (such as color/gloss/toner)? Anyway, the receptionist never asked me about adding a blow dry or leaving my hair wet... which is exactly what I shared with the stylist.

Stylist continued to look frantic, fumbling through her phone (no idea what she was doing)..I asked her if I should just reschedule at this point, and she responded by telling me that because I didn't book the proper trim and because I didn't tell the receptionist that I also needed to have my hair blow dried (instead of leaving the salon with wet hair) that she only had time for a gloss. I told the stylist that while I understood her predicament with time, that getting the scheduling details right is the receptionists' responsibility, not mine, as I have no way of knowing how they book things. She just continued to look confused and helpless, not once stepping into action to even try to make things right for me, the client. At that point I said to her, "I am just going to leave. I'm not happy at all." She gave me a little nod, and I walked out.

To say I was disappointed is an understatement. In fact, I had given them a 2nd chance after my last appointment a couple of months ago (which happened to be with a different stylist since my regular stylist from today was on vacation at the time) when I had my highlights done. What was normally about a 2 and half to 3 hour process, took this "senior stylist" nearly 6 hours to complete!!! She was not only slow, but seemed to be completely out of it. She kept dropping things, getting distracted and losing focus, constantly apologizing. She even took it upon herself to add MORE highlights than I asked for, telling me later that "I went ahead and added more around your face", which I did not want. I actually wondered if she was under the influence of something or hung over. I would never accuse someone of that, but I did wonder. Still, I gave her the benefit of the doubt and was very polite and let it go, even though I wasn't happy about the extra highlights and the fact that the long appointment made me late for my next one.

*Considering that I had mostly positive experiences in the past and was always at least pleased (never blown away) with my results, I figured it wasn't worth making it into an issue.

But today's incident was confirmation for me; this salon does not live up to the expectations of its appearance or price tag. I'm never going back to Alo. Sorry, you've lost a once loyal customer -- for both salon...

Really subpar service and overly inflated prices

Chelle dropped my extensions on the floor and stepped on them before installing them. Domenick cut my hair completely crooked, Alexa cut my eyebrows into a clown-like arch during a brow lamination, Alicia did my lashes and applied them facing inwards

I had accumulated points and requested a free conditioning treatment on my appointment, they failed to do that and said I could do it next time. The next time they increased the points needed for the reward without telling me and then charged me $30 for a conditioning treatment that Chelle rubbed into my hairline(???). They didn’t scrub the shampoo at all and then rubbed conditioner into my scalp which is completely the wrong thing to do. Everyone knows not to condition the scalp, rather the lengths. Then Chelle didn’t even rinse it all out. I told her there was still conditioner I could feel at the nape of my neck and to please rinse it again, she dismissed me and said you’re fine. So I left with greasy hair, paying $30 extra for conditioner.

It’s also a major mean girls club — they openly talk badly about clients they were just being friendly with right after they leave. The owner also openly brags about drinking while pregnant. Bad...

When I first walked in I was greeted by the kind receptionist who provided me a water while I waited. Then, my stylist Morgan took over. She listened to everything I had to say, my concerns, and what I wanted. She came up with a plan for my hair that made us both comfortable. She also provided me with an unexpectedly tasty coffee - I didn't expect a full on latte when she offered me a coffee lol. Anyway, she ended up giving me exactly what I wanted if not better. While I was in the chair, I noticed how the other stylists were talking amongst themselves in a positive fashion and truly just seemed happy to be there. Great staff, from reception to master stylists. Overall great experience with Morgan R. and the rest of the salon. I can't wait...