Avalon School of Cosmetology Salon

Not wanting to give up on this place I scheduled my appointment 3 weeks in advance with Raquel for root touch-​up. Also wanted to exchange or return the IMAGE Stem cell eye product that makes my eyelids SWELL. Christy at the front desk is unable to take returns so I must wait for a manager to come in at 1030. OK, no problem. I’ll be here getting my hair done.
I’m waiting to be called back. It’s now 9:33 and been waiting since 9:00 when I signed in and told receptionist what I was there for…
So I go up to find out what’s going on, she finally tells me that Raquel is not in today and she just found out. No other availabilities. She asks if I’d like to comeback? Naw, no thanks, this place is done. I will update my review if the manager actually contacts me about the product, but I’m not counting on it… Dang, out $ 48 and had do deal with puffy swollen eyelids.

If I can give this slip shod school negative 16 stars, I would. When this school was Alameda Beauty College, they were very professional and on-​point.
First of all, when I call, do not put me on hold twice at 15 minutes a call. And when you say that you are going to call a client back, CALL THEM BACK. Strike one.
Second of all, whoever is at the front desk needs to ensure that when a client calls to reschedule an appointment that it actually gets rescheduled. I should not receive a reminder phone call for an appointment that I rescheduled a few hours before. STRIKE TWO.
The last straw is when I took my daughter to get her hair flat ironed and glossed, the bleach blond *teacher* overseeing the student didn’t make sure that the right gloss color got used on her hair and that they didn’t bother to speak to me before making a decision to put a color remover on her hair to try to fix it. My 15 year old daughter had to stop the teacher, have her remove the color remover and speak with me. When my daughter left the school in tears after another student tried to fix her hair, the «pank» haired supervisor (or whatever the hell she is… don’t really care at this point), she was all, «Teenagers…» Bitch, are you kidding me???
The hair that was supposed to stay ombred blue is now black and her ends are fried. STRIKE THREE.
Bear in mind that all three strikes occurred within the past six weeks.
My family and I have been coming her for years, both as Alameda Beauty School and Avalon. Guess that tradition is over…

Do not subject yourself to the disorganized unprofessional chaos that is Avalon. I was so disappointed with my horrible service (nails and massage) that I went home in tears. I actually had to get my nails redone the next day because they looked so bad. It was like a 6 year old slopped on some paint. The massage was really blah and I felt totally ripped off. Not to mention the place is dirty and looks like crap. Don’t go here even if its free.

Ms Tatiana is rude!

Time: 12:55 PM 69° Warm and sunny
Purpose: Meeting my oldest sister here. She has an appointment at 1 PM to have her hair cut and styled by a student at this school.
Ambiance: Glass front door entrance between two display windows filled with skin care products. To the left are four shelving units stocked with hair products, shaving products for men, more skin care products, etc. To the right are six gray vinyl cushioned chairs for waiting customers. There’s a staircase leading to the second level. I can only surmise that the cosmetology school is on that level. Straight to the back are the booths or stations for students to provide hair care and other beauty services to customers. Adequate lighting overhead along with security camera on the premises.
Noise level: Mild due to the whirling sounds of blow dryers coming from the back part of the business.
Customer service: Receptionist was friendly and helpful; confirmed my sister’s appointment. Student stylists seem cordial and friendly. One in particular was very cheerful and had a nice smile.
My sister arrived on time and within 5 minutes someone has taken her to the back to get started on her hair. Service is a tad slow for wash, condition, cut, style and blow dry compare to my time at Supercuts. It’s about an hour back there for her (2 PM) now. Hair stylist at Supercuts providing the same service gets my hair done within 30 to 35 minutes.
Cleanliness: Grade A-​. Some residue on the large mat in front of shop, which is from the outside — minor detail.
Final thought: I know it’s a bargain for my sister to get her hair cut and styled, but is it worth the value and wait. Uh, I don’t think so. I believe I heard them telling her it would take about 1−½ hours. Now I gotta figure where I wanna go for a late lunch… ha!
It’s 2:10 PM. My review is done, but she is still back there at one of the stations… ai yah!
Okay, it’s getting friggin ridiculous. I asked the receptionist to check on the status. Apparently, my sister’s hair won’t be done until almost 3:30 PM. My three star has now been downgraded to a two star rating. Sheesh, amateurs!

Let’s start off with my appointment. Everyone is right about that front desk girl. She booked me for an appointment at 7:30. I get there on time and she tells me they are running 20 minutes late and used the «our ‘beauticians’ didn’t show» excuse. I came back 29 minutes later and she said someone would be with me in a second… another 30 minutes pass and after seeing the stank attitude I had she finally called me for my appointment. She talks to much holding long convos with people paying for the services.
I also told these women I’m suffering from Graves’ disease and that my hair is thin. They acted so compassionate, saying they would be extra careful. As I was getting my hair washed Shanice walks up to the girl and randomly appoints her to do my hair and she refused. They finally find someone to do it and she also refused so they had 2 random chicks working on my head because «we want to be gone by 10pm» even though it wasn’t my fault they didn’t stick to schedule.
So after sitting through my rushed session and after me confiding in them about my health condition, this beautician who looks like a dark skinned Lurch with dreads called me Whitney Huston with the direct implication that I look like a drug addict…
they held their laughter in until I was walking away to pay at the front desk. I knew she was laughing at me because I came back for my purse and the laughter stopped…
She said «don’t forget about writing me a good review, people are so mean to us on there» as I walked away ashamed that I let these people insult me.
My depression resurfaced and I didn’t have the strength to talk about my experience until now…
How unprofessional. How insensitive. How fucked up this place is… I’m still in shock…

I have been there on 2 occasions and I am very happy with the service that I received from Phron. I like that he considers your opinion and takes feedback very well. He listens. In addition, he is always timely and I HATE hairdressers that do not respect or value your time. He is also creative and makes great recommendations. From here to Chicago, I get compliments on my do. Yahoo!
The front desk has replaced Annie with a very rude person that has poor communication skills. The front desk is a serious issue. The turnover of teachers and front desk staff is CRAZY!!!
I would give 5 stars if they made improvements with the turnover and lobby bathroom — both times — no paper and dirty. Not cool at all.

I am so happy with how my hair is both cut and colored at this cosmetology school. They consistently do my hair perfectly, and pay attention to every detail of the process, as well as my needs. The students are terrific (Tami and Laura). The instructor has even taken extra time to teach me at home hair care. I get a lot of compliments on how my hair looks now that I have started coming here. :)

I love this school they are awesome. The teachers and students stay on top of everything can’t wait to go back

I’ve been coming here to get my hair colored in the past year. I have to say Lisa T does a good job at coloring! (please look at the photo I provided, so you can see what I mean! :)
I was a little skeptical at first but now, I keep going back!
Lisa really works with you so you can get the best result. She explains in details on how/​what color will be your outcome due to what you’ve done to your hair before. Recently, I wanted to go from red to blue but she explained that my red will not be strip away to easily and that I may have to come back to lift my color again (if I really wanted blue & that may damage my hair) and of course there was no way I was going to walk around with blond/​redish & plus my hair being damaged? No thanks. I mean I know it’s already being damaged from the lift I am doing for the purple but one time damage is better than two time damage. You know?
So go to Lisa T for hair coloring!
I’ll definitely be back soon!

If I could give less than I star, I would.
Let me start by saying that initially I was excited to try out Avalon. The school looks very nice and I figured since I wasn’t having much luck with expensive salons, I would give some students a try, considering they are monitored by their instructors (supposed to be).
So, I’m a natural blonde and came in with an ombré that I wasn’t happy with. It was my natural color on top and light blonde on the bottom. I asked for the top to be taken darker and then fade lighter into my blonde. The results were ghastly. There was no fading from one color to another. At no point did I even see two different bowls of color. My hair turned out dark on top and then turned into a mess of hard lines and splotches until dropping off into my light blonde. Words can not even express how badly done this was. Not only that, dye was everywhere. They dripped color on the ends of my hair and on my shirt. The haircut was poor, also. Even though I was turned away from the mirror throughout all of my services, I could tell the student had no idea what she was doing from the amount of time she kept brushing my hair and not cutting it. I actually had to stop her and tell her at what angle she needed to be cutting. That’s when finally an instructor decided to help her out.
Four hours and after all was said and done, my hair was an OBVIOUS disaster. The student offered for me to come back and get it fixed, so I made an appointment for the next day. I waited an hour to be seen and once I was in, a different student was taking care of me. She was very nice and communicated well with me. She was blown away by the severity of my botched hair and we were discussing the best way to fix it. That’s when a lady came over, I’m assuming some authority figure at the school, and said that the student needed to apply more color partially over only one panel of my hair. She was not friendly, nor did she speak directly to me or stick around to hear what I had to say. I’m no expert, but I do know the basics of cosmetology. Not only would that not solve the problem of my entire head looking like a toddler finger painted my color on, applying color over color makes it DARKER. Therefore, the left side of my hair would have been darker than the other and I still would have been a mess. And this lady is supposed to be in charge??? I was blown away.
After consulting for over an hour with multiple students and other instructors, it was obvious to everyone that I needed to see a professional in order to fix what had been done. At no point was I offered a reimbursement or anything to compensate me for my time and money.
What really gets under my skin is that there was an instructor standing nearby just about the entire time during my initial visit. Were they daydreaming? How could they not see that their student needed help on my service? I understand that these are students and they are going to make mistakes. I have attended cosmetology school as well and been right there where they are, but there is no excuse for poor management!
In conclusion, it cost me over $ 300 and 7 hours for a color correction at a salon in order to fix what happened to my hair at Avalon. And even now there are parts of my hair that are still spotty that will just have to grow out.
I do NOT recommend Avalon, ever, ever, ever.

I really like coming to this place because they are very affordable and do a great job on my hair. I love coming here to get my trims and deep conditions in between having braids. I tell all my friends about this place and will definitely keep coming back. It’s worth it.

This review is for my hairdresser Jennifer Warrenburg. She took her time with the consultation which meant a lot to me. It’s always a test to see if a hairdresser knows to cut my fine, curly hair dry. She did without my asking. And my haircut turned out beautiful! I would not hesitate to book her for my next appointment.

If you are looking for a looooong day at the school for people with an attitude, then make an appointment. Front desk slow to acknowledge. No ability to leave a message via voicemail. Did I mention appointments that are misleading, 2 hours to trim hair? Come on people. Prices are exactly as stated in the board, but don’t expect they will tell you that as they are blue drying, extra, product, extra, brushing your hair, he’ll that should be extra… with many add ons unexpectedly.

I was thoroughly pleased with the service that I’ve relieved here. I came in for a haircut and my hairdresser, Veronica, did an amazing job and took care of me. She was very friendly and easy to talk to. Also, she took her time in cutting my hair and she knew what she was doing.
The two things that are robbing this review of a star is that I was apparently signed up for a deep conditioning. I wasn’t trying to spend more money that I intended to, but considering that it was only $ 5, I gave in. Also, the whole process took about 1.5 hours; it was a little long for me, but I understand that it’s a school so the students are still learning!
Overall, I would come back again for a $ 10 haircut!

This review is for the nail services. I actually received a great haircut here– so came back for a mani-​pedi… and basically paid to destroy all 20 of my nails.
I realize this is a beauty school– and understand I may not get the perfect service… BUT– I left here bleeding from my toenails and with my fingernails hurting.
First– the girl used nail clippers on my hands and feet… I asked her to stop clipping 3 times, and she continued to literally cut everything to the quick. WHY? When have you ever had a nail service where they cut to the quick? On my big toes… she cut, then RIPPED my nail off. What the hell?!
I had explained to her multiple times that I am prone to ingrown toenails, and I wanted her to file a bit, but leave my toes alone– yet she continued to dig into my nails with clippers and rip away.
After that abuse, she put lotion on me, then painted with the lotion not soaked in… meaning my nail polish all peeled off within 24 hours. This was actually a blessing, as she pretty much painted my cuticles and everything along with my nails.
I would add a photo if Unilocal would still allow.
I get the feeling there aren’t any nail classes here– but that they throw girls with no experience on giving service. So much was wrong with this experience. It was the worst case scenario.
My husband would have done a much better job…
The hair here is good– and a great price, but avoid the nail services at all cost.

I grew up in Alameda from age 11 yrs old and would come to Alameda Beauty College off and on for discounted hair and nail services. It has been over 2 yrs since I last visited and I’m now in my early 30s, living and working in corporate SF Bay Area
Avalon is a nice upgrade for the wave of hair science and technology future. The staff and students are courtesy, professional and listen to your customized needs.
I got a flat iron on my medium length, 4a natural hair for only $ 30, including shampoo. My student stylist took her time, and with the help of her teacher, they did a great job on straightening my thick, unruly hair with salon quality haircare products.
I’ll be back in the future and recommend anyone on a budget to try their services!

There was a lot of verbal abuse by staff towards students and between students though that may have changed.
They teach you more than most schools, however the staff has a free for all on the girls and it’s quite horrible how many of us were treated.
The absolute best advice I could give a person considering the said program would be to sit in on a good three days worth of classes before you sign your life away.
I myself made the most of my experience and that is evident in my success as a Spa owner. I tried to contact the school in hopes to connect and open up my space to allow the esthetician’s to earn hours to apply toward their curriculum. I tried to reach both Andre and Cassidy and neither got back to me.
I had referred a friend to Avalon to and she couldn’t take the abuse. She is now transferring to another school. I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt but it hasn’t changed. I will now be mentoring and running an extern program through another school and it’s unfortunate because I was an alumni here.

Lauren Shadow was excellent and so was the woman who occupied her position prior.
There was a lot of verbal abuse by staff towards students and between students though that may have changed.
They teach you more than most schools, however the staff has a free for all on the girls and it’s quite horrible how many of us were treated.
The absolute best advice I could give a person considering the said program would be to sit in on a good three days worth of classes before you sign your life away.
I myself made the most of my experience and that is evident in my success.
It is a good school with a good program and that is why I give it 5 stars. The only downside were 5 of the terrible staff who are no longer working there thank goodness.

Go into the esthetician side! Amazing facials by wonderful students! Very relaxing and great results. My skin feels amazing after the microdermabrasion I just had. The teachers are outstanding here. Very helpful with the students.

I really wanted to believe that this beauty school experience was going to be better than my experience at Marinello and it is.
We have four amazing cosmetology teachers that I’ve worked with. Two in the daytime and two at night. They are wonderfully experienced in this field and truly care about their students.
They have advanced education. The MAC class they offer with Ms. Toni and Ms. Tamara is worth it. I am so happy that this class was offered while I’m still a student here.
I know I’m going to do well in this industry and my credit will go to my teachers because I wouldn’t be where I am without them.
Consider your options if you’re wanting to get into cosmetology or esthetics. Every school has their problems but make sure you choose a school that cares about their students, and avalon has teachers that makes it just that.
Ms. Elisa, Mr. Danny, Ms. Dreya and Ms. Julie, you guys are a big part in me finishing with avalon. You guys are rockstars!

I came here with two of my bridesmaids the day of my wedding. My two bridemaids got their hair curled and styled for my wedding day and they looked beautiful!!! I got my nails done and the girl that did it was nice.
The small down fall, because they are students the services provided take awhile to get done. So make sure you have the time for you appointment so you don’t feel rushed