Aveda Institute Vancouver

I very rarely come out of a salon loving my color and cut… this was not the case here. They did a fantastic job and I absolutely love my colour and cut. Yes, I was there all day, but the price, attention to detail and final product are well worth it.
I had an academy student, who was supervised by a colourist and cutting educator. They did a great job too, giving my student (Jasmine) great advice and ensuring everything was done perfectly.
I will definitely be going back, and highly recommend this salon.

I highly recommend booking an appointment with Christine! She’s a really nice advanced student and part-​time educator. She gives great cuts and amazing blow outs.

I’m writing this review out of frustration but also with a little hope that maybe some things will change in the future, if enough people express a problem.
It’s always been a hit and miss with Aveda — after all, they are a hair school! Even at the best salons I’ve had issues with breakage and banding (something that happens when the root touch up does not match the old or there is an obvious line between the roots and the rest of my hair). So I figured, since I’m always experiencing less than perfect results no matter where I go, why not get it done for a fraction of the price?
The last few months were lucky, however, because I met up with Carey and she managed to fix all the above issues. My hair was still healthy with minimal breakage and the dreaded line had disappeared. That being said, I ran into some problems with the front staff when they double booked me and insisted that I had to cancel. But Carey came in and said it was fine, that she would do my hair… Cancelling that appointment would have been very inconvenient for me.
Then today, I was told by the front staff that the root touch up I asked for (which should be exactly the same as my last root touch up) would be more than double the price that I’ve been paying for months because they screwed up and haven’t charged me the right amount all along. One of the girls suggested that I pay the same amount as before, but to remember for next time, while the other girl insisted that the tip I left my hairdresser would go to the school because I owed them. I must be owing a lot if they kept charging half price each time.
Anyways, it’s confusing to me how a basic task like setting up appointments and figuring out prices can be so difficult. Although I’m actually happy with my hair, the lack of professionalism at the front desk is enough to make me reconsider booking another appointment with them. I don’t need the stress.

The staff and system tracks EVERYTHING you do and purchase. They offer different product discounts to different customers. They spend an inordinate amount of time trying to make sure each customer has an accurate profile. It’s c.r.e.e.p.y.
What else is creepy is how the chinese stylist hung close to me the whole time I was paying for my cut– she so badly tried to coerce me into giving her a big tip, I don’t know how she could hold her head up in public with such behaviour. I’ve never had that happen before and I’ve had dozens of services at this location.
The receptionists are very pushy, using polite coercion to get big tips.
This is all very tacky, people — get some self-​respect and treat tipping for what it is.
There is very little Aveda product that is actually natural — sorry, Aveda, 94% is b.s. — I’m looking for 99.5% and if you can’t pull that off, I don’t buy from you. So I get all my product from companies with true product integrity.
All in all, Aveda is pretty good. I like the staff, clientele, location, décor and overall experience.
I have only ONCE in all my dozens of visits over the last 9 or more years, been offered a hand massage and have only received 2 scalp or shoulder massages.
The intent is there, but the follow through is not.
But again, the overall experience is fine. I like that it’s not rushed and anxious, which is what I find in more commercial salons.

The call center that booked my appointment didn’t schedule enough time so I couldn’t get my hair done how I wanted but the manager gave me a free botanical hair mask which made up for the inconvenience and rebooked me in the following day.

I’ll admit that I am fickle when it comes to salons but I always wind up coming back here because they do a great job and their prices are fantastic! The only reason I don’t come here exclusively is that it’s a bit of a trip from my home in Port Moody and sometimes I’m lazy and wind up spending more to go to a place closer to home. And then I get the bill and kick myself for being foolish with money and promise that I’ll return to Aveda next time.
Anyhow. I’ve been coming here for years and there are a lot of great things to say about this place.
First off, this IS a teaching salon so you’re going to be here for a while. My husband’s man hair and short man haircut took almost as long as my highlights and cut did once. BUT I’d rather people who take their time and the atmosphere is good so it’s usually no big deal.
Everyone is really good at trying to understand what you’re hoping for and they are very good with checking with their instructors/​educators before they do anything to avoid mistakes.
I did have one really bossy person there once who talked me in to highlights instead of an all over colour because apparently I don’t have «that much» grey and highlights would be «better». Between you and me, I don’t care if I’ve only got «some» grey or «just a tiny bit» of grey. I do not want any grey. Those little grey bastards mock me from the mirror and I want them all gone. Or at least dyed. Rant over. Stupid grey hairs.
Overall the experience is here is a good one. They use proper Aveda products on you and you’ll leave happy and not poor. While this place isn’t perfect, services take a long time and people do seem pretty green at times, it’s excellent for a training salon and I highly recommend it.
I think they do allow for walkins but I DO suggest booking in advance because they do fill up quickly (because they’re good).

Best place in gastown to pick up aveda products since they carry the full line. I also highly recommend the advanced grads here, their services are extremely well priced and they use all aveda products (bonus!)

I went to the salon today and had an amazing experience with an Educator «NADIA».
She was well professional and indeed very sweet at the same time. I showed her a photo of the hairstyle that I desired to have and she gave me exactly what I wanted. I am glad I found my hairdresser in Vancouver after searching through friends and websites.
I definitely recommend their natural products and Nadia as an educator.

Loved my first Aveda experience! Got a hair cut from Cherina. She listened to what I wanted and didn’t want. She gave great suggestions on what would look good. I really love my hair cut! The head & shoulder massage was so relaxing definitely needed at the end of my day.
Thank you for making my day.

Lovely students and teachers! Everyone is extremely friendly and knowledgable in their products. I like how they actually give you background on products and best ways to use it.

Had a great experience today! Megan (educator) colored my hair — very professional & thorough! We discussed at length what I wanted & the best way to achieve it. I was offered water/​tea too. We decided to go with two visits — today was a simple color to cover greys. Next week I come back for my «summer» highlights. Only reason why I am not giving Aveda 5 stars is because the booking agent made a mistake and booked me as a haircut, not giving me enough time to do everything I wanted in one day. BUT Aveda gave me a complimentary blowdry and I got to use the nifty $ 15 off by checking in on Unilocal.Not too shabby!
The free Blowdry wasn’t so great — a student did it, didn’t catch her name. She put gel in my hair and it came out weird — flat and frizzy in parts (see the pics). I tried to get to get her to fix it and there was I use.
My husband also got his haircut. He started at 4:30 and it took until 7pm (2.5 hours), which is a really long time for a guy. I was sure he’s annoyed at me for putting him through that — but was totally thrilled!
Overall, I would definitely recommend Aveda — it’s great value.

Love love love!
It’s a shame that a few people had negative experiences here, but my cut + colour with Ava was delightful.
My hair hasn’t been dyed in about 6 years, safe to say it’s all natural. I wanted a change, but nothing too dramatic and I wasn’t a big fan of the ombré. I googled and researched and I stumbled upon Aveda and booked with an academy student.
I got to my appointment 10 mins early and the receptionist was very sweet. When I met Ava, we discussed my hair and what I envisioned (I also brought a photo) and she consulted her instructor, Tracy, who gave her some advice.
Ava offered me tea and some magazines, and after 2.5 hours I left with exactly the colour I wanted! She made it look like my hair was sun kissed! It was the perfect subtle change. I will post pictures! $ 165 after everything.
My one «issue» is that the shampoo they used had a lavender essence which I’m not tooooo fond off, but wasn’t that overwhelming. But just a note in case you’re not a fan of lavender essence.
Overall, I would probably stick to my regular hair dresser for a trim. But for colour, look no further!
Thank you Aveda!

I’ve visited the Aveda Institute a number of times for either a colour or cut and most times I’ve been pleased with the experience and the outcome. I visited the Institute a few days ago to brighten-​up my ombré and I was left pretty dissatisfied from my experience.
I had my hair done by an Academy student who was nice and seemed quite confident. I requested a brighter, blonder ombré and stressed that my main concern was to avoid a brassy colour. Usually, the instructor comes by to meet with you, confirm with the student what you want, and then will check-​up throughout the appointment. The instructor didn’t come by to check on the progress throughout the appointment and she didn’t examine the end result either. I paid approximately $ 150 for a colour + toner. When I arrived home, I noticed that I had a harsh line in one section of my hair and my colour was very brassy, exactly what I was afraid of getting. I phoned the Institute the next day to see if I could come back in and have them correct it; however, the receptionist told me a manager would need to book that and they would phone me back within a day. I had to phone back twice before a manager got back to me. When I spoke to the manager she told me she had to track down the instructor that supervised my visit and she’d get back to me. After another day had passed, I phone back asking to speak with the manager and apparently she had just stepped out and they would have her call me back. It’s been five days and I’ve received no call back. I ended up dying my hair myself because I couldn’t wait any longer to fix it. Two of my friends had similar experiences with the Institute when they tried to book a correction so I find it disappointing that this seems to be a pattern for how they handle issues.
I recommend booking with an Institute student as their services are cheap and the instructor monitors them closely as opposed to second year, Academy students. In my opinion, Academy students charge too much and their skill level doesn’t appear to be better than the Institute students. With all students, however, keep in mind your services will take longer than average. I’ve had haircuts take up to 2.5−3 hours.

Good location and concept but extremely poor service. Called the number on the website to book an appointment and was confirmed for Saturday at 10am. Reached the salon and was told that my booking did not exist. The lady said it’s a call centre and these things keep on happening. They do not have a booking for me neither is anyone free. Looking around the salon was empty, not even one customer getting any service. Please be careful before booking here on the phone you might just be refused.

AVOID AVOID AVOID this place if you’re looking to actually spend $ 200 or more on getting your hair done.
I’ve been a regular at this salon for a few months now, only having my roots done. finally decided to go balyage and Leah came highly recommended (by the receptionist. my first mistake).
WHY they consider Leah a «good stylist» is BEYOND me. Despite the 10+ pictures I brought in, her first attempt at balyage was a complete disaster, I only had a few highlights towards the front of my face and my hair tips were lightened! When I complained and went back, she was standoffish, kept roughly combing my very fine hair, and then put bleach in it and left. I guess she forgot the $ 40 tip I left her the first time I visited.
The result? Total cost $ 300. My hair is FRIED and falling out at the ends! AVOID LEAH! She is supposedly an advanced academy student but if you love your hair as much as I do and don’t want fried hair for the rest of the summer, AVOID LEAH. I’m going to Suki’s to have them fix it, save your money and hair folks.

I had a crappy haircut a few years ago with a Groupon. I had asked for volume and the guy randomly layered a section under my long layers which didn’t grow out well.
The other day, I went for a cut by an educator and a colour by a student. The educator knew exactly what was needed as I wanted to keep the length. Everyone usually gives me layers and I end up with very short to very long which is very annoying as it grows out. Megan sold me on long layers and keeping the bottom heavy. She saw that I have some waves and hence, I needed the weight. I’ve been trying to explain that to all the stylists but they all gave me the typical multi-​layers making me into a triangle.
The student seemed like he was rushing and I didn’t get the head massage.
I will definitely come back to Megan. She did a dry cut and it took only 30 mins!

Called got an appointment (told them I have Extentions was put on hold to make sure they work with them). Drove all the way downtown (no parking around) walk in the woman at front desk no no we tried to call you (no one called !!!) we do not work with Extentions !!! Bad service

Didn’t realized how good my simple haircut was until I got another one after it.
I went in hoping for a complete makeover, which was kind of impossible since I didn’t want to shorten my hair, or do anything different with my bangs LOL. I got in and they told me Amy, an institute student, would be cutting my hair. She was very lovely, and her instructor was amazing. They’re really being trained by the best. She touched my hair and she described it 101 right ways. It just took her a touch for her to recognize my hair type while it took me years. It really showcases the difference of experience.
My haircut was simple, same long length and nothing different to my bangs, but wow. The way they layered my hair, it just grew out so beautifully, framed my face, and stayed beautiful for two months until I got another haircut :’(
I’m definitely going back, and probably soon to fix my horrible haircut elsewhere which is even more magnified considering how nice it was before when it was at Aveda.
The service was very good, they offered me drinks and refills when my cup started getting full. I had my hair washed and a very nice accompanying scalp massage. And another aroma one after it: D
The instructor was very mindful to my feelings and considerately asked how I was doing and what if I liked my haircut so far during the process, which took about 90 minutes! Their promised time for my appointment. They even gave me tips on how to maintain my hair!
Very good service, and again, they’re learning from the best!

Had my hair done by Kayla this weekend and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! I had some grown out highlights that I wanted to blend into an ombré with more highlights on the lower half of my hair. She’s young but she works with the skill and confidence of someone who has been doing it for a lifetime. I was also nervous about damaging my hair by lightening it as I’ve had bad experiences in the past but my hair feels soft and healthy. Another point that I appreciated was that she didn’t force awkward small talk for the whole time. She was really nice and we chatted casually, I enjoyed talking to her, we have some things in common, but I didn’t feel like she was trying to be overly friendly to get a tip. I happily read my book for most of the appointment.
She did a great job — I would definitely recommend her!
The only reason that I took off a star is the booking process. I booked over the phone, and the girl I spoke to seemed super confused, she kept saying «I don’t know why this isn’t coming up… why isn’t this working… okay I guess we don’t have anyone available on that day… oh wait it looks like we do…» and in the end I was under the impression that I had booked with a student, which is what I originally wanted to save a bit of money, but Kayla explained they don’t have students on Sundays, and offered to reschedule for me, but I had a good feeling about her so decided to just go for it and pay the extra and it was totally worth it!

Unless you are getting something very simple and straightforward done, do not go to Aveda.
I have had my hair done by people in all three of the ranks and have essentially always left feeling my vision was compromised or unfulfilled in some way.
Their color system is very odd, even the stylists have told me that it’s complicated, finicky and lots of trial and error.