My sister and I had appointments at the Aveda Institute on Saturday morning. I have never used Aveda products but have heard good things about them. We heard about the Institute located at the Pearl Stable downtown and wanted to check it out. The benefits of going to an Institute rather than a salon is obviously the prices are less expensive, by at least 25%. The downside is that you do have a student working on you so they don’t have much experience and might need help from an instructor. This is why I don’t do hair at Institutes, although I saw many ladies getting their hair done.
So we got a facial, pedicure and manicure. I was thoroughly impressed. I had excellent students that worked on me. My first treatment was a facial. All treatments are done in the back room where it is dark and quite. When you go past the entrance doors, you walk through a long hallway and either side of you are rooms lined up each with long white curtains for privacy. It seemed very big. They have very peaceful music playing and you can smell the aroma. I felt like I was at a real salon. They start you off with a foot bath for “grounding.” They then allow you to choose your aroma by providing three different scents that you can smell while your eyes are closed. The products were wonderful and the student was extremely professional.
I had a new student that did my pedicure and manicure. She was also very good. For the manicure, they wrap your hands in warm towels and allow them to sit and soak. They do the same with your feet for the pedicure. This was very nice. The pedicure was very different in that they don’t put your feet in a bath. They actually scrub you and rinse with towels. I like it because it felt more sanitary.
After each treatment, you fill out a sheet that asks you how your experience was and turn it into the instructor.
I was very fortunate to get very good students that did an excellent job. Now, I did see one lady getting her hair colored and as she had the foil in her hair, I saw the student go get an instructor for help. If I were the lady with the foil in my hair, I would have been freaking out because the student just seemed so lost and she needed help from the instructor. This is why I don’t do hair at schools.
It was overall a good experience and I definitely recommend it to others. There is also a cafe at the school that serves very fresh foods. This is convenient if you have someone with you that is waiting or if you need something to eat before or after your appointment.
