Lorraine Aprile Salon

I LOVE going to this salon for my blowouts! Maria is a sweetheart and does a terrific job at styling my hair. It’s very cozy and welcoming inside and I find that very important in a nice salon. Everyone who works there is very nice and friendly. It took me a while to find a stylist in Old Town that can style my hair the way I like and for a good price. Do yourself a favor and check out this salon!

I had my first cut today with Lorraine. I hope it is the first of many. She spends the time to analyze your hair and then flawlessly makes it happen! It may not be important in searching for a stylist, but her friendliness and good humor are certainly an added bonus. Like another reviewer I am new to the area and was anxious. I found the a jewel!

50% off, wine, and pretzels? I’m sold! I just moved to Alexandria and was nervous about getting my haircut. I have long curly thick hair and Lee did a great job! Will come back for all my cuts :)

Angela did my hair today she is fabulous all the people I’ve come to have been amazing. I really do love Angela’s work she is fast and very professional with a big heart so now it’s been almost 1 year coming to Loraine’s hair salon and I’m still a happy camper also last time Angela did my hair my husband just loved it he said my color was perfect and he really never says anything positive so that made me feel good
Thank you Angela your very good at your job and I trust whatever you want to do your fabulous

I have lived in England, New York and Los Angeles and I think Lorraine Aprile Salon is the best one I’ve been to! The atmosphere is wonderful, a lovely, elegant salon inside a charming historic town house, comfortable and cozy. Elegant — but not pretentious as many salons of this caliber could be. I have recently relocated to Alexandria and desperately needed a place that knew how to work with ‘difficult’ hair and do natural looking color — and I found it. Lee spent a lot of time with me in an initial consult and set up an appointment to do color and a badly-​needed cut. She is easy to communicate with and so gifted as a stylist — my color has never looked better (blond streaky, darker underneath) in style, condition and color. Toni who blows out hair is superb. I am thankful I found this salon. The women here are delightful and it’s a pleasure to come here for an appointment. Highly recommend!

Would not go back. Went in for a simple wash/​blowdry. Mediocre at best.

I have been going to Lorraine Aprile salon for 3 – 4 years and in that time have seen 4 different stylist. While all of my experiences have been good, the turnover is high for a small salon and as soon as you get someone you like they leave. I understand that in a industry like this is does happen, but it is frustrating. If you don’t mind seeing someone different, or you want to see Lorraine — the owner, or Angela –who has been a constant at the salon, then I recommend this salon. The pricing is inline with other salons in the area.
Since learning that my latest stylist has left, I have decided to go elsewhere for my monthly coloring.

I never write a review– so this is saying a lot:
I really wanted to give this place a chance. After reading all of the reviews I thought I might have good luck here. that wasn’t the case.
I had the owner Lorraine for my appointment (at least I believe that’s who they told me I had. it was a stylist from England). All I wanted was a half head of highlights and lowlights– I even brought in a picture. I’ve had this done A MILLION TIMES. She argued with me for about half an hour over my color choices. I don’t care about your opinion– I’m the customer, just do what I ask.
Her approach to our conversation was condescending and rude. I had to stop the appointment because 1) I didn’t have any faith in her ability to give me what I wanted. 2) I’m not going to pay someone money for being rude to me.
This could have been the simplest appointment, instead I was completely turned off and will never go back or recommend this salon to anyone. So really, Lorraine did herself and her business a disservice.
Just do what the customer asks you to do– nobody cares about your opinion unless they ask you for it.
Also– the salon doesn’t give you any type of discount as a ‘first time customer’, while many of the salons in the area do.
So pissed at this salon for wasting my time– especially when I had to wait two weeks for the appointment and then they called to re-​schedule for another time.

I had been going to Aprile Lorriane for several years. I’ve had great experiences with the colorists/​hairstylists (Kris Clark and Katie Heydt) but both have moved on. Both Kris and Katie were awesome at listening to what color and cuts that complimented me and my personality.
Sorry to say that I no longer go to Lorriane because I am very particular about who does my hair and they have experienced a lot of turnover.

No complaints about scheduling or service here, but wondering why I find a stylist I like, only to see them leave 3 months later? Anyone know where Erin went? She wasn’t here for long but she was good with color and her cutting skills were excellent.

****Updated (see below)****
Let me explain why Lorraine Aprile Salon does not get the full five stars the stylists at this salon deserve.
Management.
I have been a loyal and faithful customer to this salon for over 2 years, and I love my stylist Laura. However 2 large management mishaps have occurred, and it was only after the second one that I decided not to come back.
The first mishap was when I had called months in advance to book a hair appointment for my sister’s wedding in which I was the maid of honor. The woman on the phone told me that my stylist, Laura, didn’t work that day. That’s fine. So she gave me the owner. I show up for my appointment the day before the wedding and they said they don’t have a record of my appointment and another woman is always scheduled with the owner at this time on this day. They had NO record of any appointment in the past or future! And surprise, surprise, my normal stylist Laura was working that day. She kindly offered to stay late to do my hair (again, the stylists deserve 5 stars) but I was never offered an apology or even discount by management. I had to miss other appointments with the bride.
After that one, it took me awhile before I trusted again, and then it was smooth sailing. I even brought in other loyal, every six weeks, customers.
Then this evening, I had called a couple weeks in advance to make an appointment. Just the normal partial highlights and blow dry. I arrive on time and Laura gets right to work. I was maybe in her chair for 20 minutes (faster than normal, she rushed) and then I sit for an hour and half (in between the dye is setting, getting it washed out, getting glaze put it, sitting again and getting it washed out). All pretty normal except my stylist never checked on me save once. I didn’t really mind, I get that she has other customers, but it wasn’t until my final wash that I really realized why. The shampoo woman asked, «Do you want to walk out wet?» Uh no. I am getting my hair blow out. She goes over to Laura and comes back saying «you don’t have that scheduled». I always have the same appointment. Partial with a blow dry, sometime a trim. Not complicated. I was pissed. I am paying primo (its not $$, it is $$$) and I walk out with my hair wet? What is this, the Hair Cuttery?
Obviously not the stylists fault, but again management screwed me over. Laura was also working on THREE people in the same 2 hour window! Who is scheduling these stylists? I mentioned to the woman at the front desk and she said she they are supposed to offer blow drying on the phone, but it was never mentioned. She said in the future, she would make note to ask me. Too little too late.
As I am leaving, obviously annoyed, Laura stopped me, «wait, let me see how it looks before you leave.» Well sorry, but it is a little late, you can’t do anything to it any way if I don’t like it, and how am I supposed to know if i do like it if it is wet (and I blow dried it when I got home, not a fan of the color, different than what she and I discussed and that never happens, I am chalking it up to her being too busy).
I paid $ 117 (plus two 25% tips to the stylist and the shampoo-​er) for 20 minutes in the chair with my stylist and wet hair. Also, management doesn’t allow you to tip on your credit cards anymore, yet another reason why I am not coming back.
Long story short, Lorraine Aprile stylists, please let us in the Unilocal community know when you move to another salon, we will follow you! As for me, I am going somewhere else and telling my friends to do the same.
***UPDATE***
I’ve edited the review to include my amazing stylist Laura’s name now that she works at Glynn Jones Salon & Spa on King Street in Alexandria (in case any of you are looking for her).
Also on October 1^st I received a voicemail from the owner, Lorraine, saying she had no idea any of this was happening (either incident) which I find strange since my appointment for my sister’s wedding was with her, and she was standing right there. She did offer to talk to me to resolve this issue in order to change my review (which she called a horrible review, I call it honest). However after being burned twice, I have no interest in coming back. I never got a second call that she mentions in the comment on this review.

Management contacted me regarding the issue. I greatly appreciate their effort to correct the negative interaction I had at the salon.

Thank you katie. You saved my poor damaged little locks. I have been to the salon before and I loved the stylist. However, she moved sadly to say and I missed the salon. It is beautiful and cozy place to have your hair done.
The receptionist got me in a day. I was fortunate to have Katie. She really listened to me about what I thought could be done based on the thin texture of my hair that was damaged by a previous treatment.
She took her time. Managed a great look and the damage is gone or as best as it could be. I will be back again.
Thanks so much.

First time to this salon. Erin hooked me up! I walked in looking rough and walked out looking glamorous. Will definitely be back.

I went to this salon for the first time last week. My stylist was Jessica and she did an amazing job. I’m picky about my cut, especially how the layers are worked in, I don’t like them choppy. She trimmed just the right amount to get rid of my dead ends and layered my hair perfectly. She really took the time to listen to what I wanted and executed exceptionally. The salon was also clean and cozy and it is great that they have a referral program. I’ll definitely be back!

Having just moved from Boston to DC I was in need of a new salon. I am super picky about my hair (after an unfortunate mullet incident when I was 19) so always do a ton of research before I make an appointment. Unilocal lead me to Lorraine Aprile.
First, 5 stars for the actual salon. It is beautifully decorated, and the receptionist is lovely to chat to. Everything is clean and well kept. Extra points for serving wine! It made the whole experience like a spa visit.
My stylist was Kris. She was very friendly and chatty, and happened to be from Boston as well so we had lots to talk about. She listened when I told her what I was looking for in my haircut, and did nothing drastic which was great. However, after she first finished my cut and dry it didn’t really look like I had anything done. As a disclaimer, I recently grew out my hair so am not used to having long hair when getting a cut might not make much of a difference. But I did ask her to trim up the bangs a few times, as well as give me a few face framing layers. She made the changes without complaining, which was great. I definitely love my cut, but though I didnt walk out of the salon feeling like a «changed woman» Kris really did listen to me that I just wanted a trim and some more shape, so she did her job and did it well! I would definitely recommend going to Kris if you want a trim and fear the power hungry stylist who ends up cutting off 2 inches! I’m not sure how she would be with a total re-​style, but she will definitely listen to what you want and accommodate!
Bonus: half price for first time customers!
Did I mention the wine? :)

I was really excited to return to the Salon to get another haircut because I had such a great time last time. Since going there I have referred several friends to the salon.
Booking the appointment seemed easy. I said I was flexible but preferred Wednesday mornings and indicated the type of haircut I wanted (a pixie). The owner said my last hairstylist Chris didn’t work then but she recommended another stylist. That seemed fine and the appointment was booked.
On Wednesday morning I showed up and wanted to double-​check how much my haircut was going to cost as I was told I would receive a discount for my referrals. This is when things went downhill.
Apparently, their stylists are on a sliding scale of fees but unless you specifically ask what the stylist fees are they won’t tell you. I had been put with the most expensive stylist they had, at $ 75 per cut. Ouch.
Then I had to sit through a lecture about how their discounts worked. To get a discount I should have referred my friends to a specific stylist, then used that stylist for my next cut to get the haircut. OK… I just liked my experience last time and recommended the salon. I didn’t realize I had rules to follow regarding my recommendations. I also didn’t realize that I was going to have to sit through an INCREDIBLY CONDESCENDING lecture.
Mostly, I didn’t appreciate that I had gone out of my way to Unilocal the salon and recommend friends to it, but got treated like an idiot for not knowing their referral system when it was never explained to me. I felt punished for referring clients to them. The owner unbent enough to give me $ 20 off which I guess was something.
In the end, I got my haircut by a pleasant enough stylist. The haircut took maybe 20 minutes. It was not dried. She did walk me through the gel process which was considerate.
Honestly, even though the cut was fine I was so upset by the way I was treated I could NEVER see myself going back. Thanks but no thanks. I will try somewhere else.

I so wanted to love this place. It is right by my house and has great reviews, as you can see.
I went in for a cut and color in November. I asked for the demi-​permanent dye that I had gotten twice before and loved because it washes out before you have a chance to get roots. They had the Redken product I loved, so the place seemed like a great find.
My hairdresser was about 20 minutes late, which would have been okay except that she rushed through the blowdry and style to get to her next client, who she was about 40 minutes late for. Half of the fun (at least for me) of getting a haircut is having a sleek and stylish blowout. Basically she blew dry my hair like I do at home, and then actually flat ironed parts of it. I left a frizzy mess, but I did like the color. The cut, as I would see later, was fine but nothing special. I decided that it wasn’t worth the money, and had already determined that I wouldn’t be returning.
2 months later, I noticed roots growing into my hair. Thinking that was strange since it had never happened before, I called the salon. The receptionist informed me that permanent dye, not semi-​permanent dye, had been used in my hair. I was extremely upset. I did not want the upkeep of permanent dye, and was looking forward to it rinsing to my natural color by springtime.
After initiating several more calls, I was able to talk to my stylist, who said she didn’t remember which product she had put in my hair but offered to have me come in. I politely declined. I also was able to talk to the receptionist a second time, who told me this time that actually, the color put in my hair was NOT permanent. I found this highly doubtful, since I could see the roots in my hair and I know how my hair deals with semi-​permanent dye. I asked for a refund, but she told me I could only get a refund if I had called a few days after my service, which doesn’t make sense in this situation because I didn’t know the dye was permanent until the roots grew out. I wasn’t thrilled with the tone she used with me on the phone and even insinuated that I might have messed up my own hair somehow and that I was trying to take advantage of the salon.
Finally, the receptionist offered to have the owner look at it and see what she could do at no charge. I decided to take her up on this, thinking the owner would see her mistake and hopefully issue the refund. When I arrived for my appointment, however, only my stylist was there. The owner wasn’t even in that day. Several hairsylists looked at my hair and told me with certainty that it was semi-​permanent dye and «I would know it» if my hair was growing roots. I am not a hair expert, but I am an expert on my own hair. I know when I have permanent dye in my hair. They offered to re-​color it, but I declined. They gave me a free bottle of shampoo on the way out, and were polite, but also not in a million years going to offer a refund.
I feel bad even writing the review, and I didn’t want to name anyone involved because my stylist was very nice. However, I feel if a client is unhappy with the turnout of their hair and it is something unfixable (ie permanent dye), the solution should unquestionably be a refund, which I was never offered and scoffed at for asking for.
4 months later, it’s even more obvious that permanent dye was used, as my color has not faded and my roots are very prominent.

After 2 visits to Lorraine Aprile Salon, I won’t be returning. The first visit was a cut with Carmen and a color with Megan (no longer there). While the cut I received was ok, it wasn’t anything like I asked for and supported with numerous pictures. Megan’s color was great and I would have been a life long client, but she left.
On my second visit (color and a bang trim) I was scheduled with Angela, a master stylist. She had Megan’s formula from my previous visit but wanted to tweak it and use a different product line. The result was the absolute worse hair color I have ever received. I have whole sections where she missed and the color itself is too light. Gray coverage is minimal. I pointed out the color problem when she was finished and she said it was just her lighting.
The bang trim??? How can you ruin a hair cut with a bang trim? Just ask Angela. She cut off the face framing wisps that I TOLD HER I LIKED and went straight across through my temples. Needless to say I look like a 5 year old.
Finally to add insult to injury, she charged me for a blow dry that lacked any style at all… she literally blew my hair straight back away from my face. Interesting thing to do with an A-​line bob.
When I told Karen, business manager and sister of owner, she was very kind and wanted to make things right. I live to far away to be able to do that, so I am left with bad color, minimal gray coverage and ridiculous bangs. A refund would have been a nice compromise and I’m still waiting for the owner to follow up as Karen promised.
My search continues.

Ok, i’m going to let my inner pampered man holla here.
LA Salon is absolutely everything ANY person should look for in a hair salon. The ladies that work here devote every moment possible to making sure that your comfortable AND that you get the possible haircut. They take meticulous notes about styles and preferences so that after you’ve been once or twice, it becomes automatic. They are friendly and CLEARLY devoted to their craft.
In a town full of options, I find it hard to believe that there’s anything better. I’ve always gotten great cuts at Bang on U Street/​Verizon center, but this is just as good, just as close, and far more personal.
And…they gave me a beer while I was waiting. Sound marketing practices, there.