Avenue Five Institute

First, the good part: The instructor that oversaw the haircut was very hands-​on. Thank you, Manny. He basically ended up doing most of the cut, explaining why he was doing what he did to the student. Manny is the reason why this review isn’t a one star. He was great.
Now to the bad: Although my student stylist was very friendly and made the visit nice, I am heartbroken with my color. I had wanted to get a belayage but changed my mind when the student seemed very insecure about it and said he had never done it before, so I decided to just do a simple all over brown to cover up a handful of grays that I recently got. I very clearly stated that I did NOT want it too dark. The color instructor came by and corrected what he had planned to do stating that would be way too dark and wrote up a new formula for him. My hair ended up practically BLACK anyway. I want to cry, thinking what I am going to have to do to fix it. It is WAY TOO DARK, way too harsh for my coloring. I know that for this color, I am going to end up having to bleach my entire head of hair. I know that I am going to have to end up cutting my long hair to minimize the damage of bleaching all of it. And I know I am going to have to end up spending $ 200 to get this fixed. I tried to be thrifty and it is biting me in the rear end so hard. To make it worse, I bought 2 Groupons so I have one that is going to be like money just thrown away. I have no idea how long I am going to have to live with this terrible color until I can afford to fix it. I am utterly devastated. (I also came home with dye all over my ears, neck, and the side of my face which I spent two days trying to scrub off.) I am so surprised, I was actually expecting to have a great experience based on all of the reviews. Maybe they got students that were closer to graduation than mine was.

Was very happy with my experience as a whole. The staff was friendly from the beginning (with the exception of the person I spoke with when booking my appointment, but she wasn’t rude, just sounded like she maybe didn’t really care either way). I was surprised when I arrived that it didn’t look like a «school» but more like a real salon, and the products for sale were quality brands (which for some reason made me feel like this place was more legit). The student was nice and very attentive while I told her what I wanted, what I don’t like and a little bit about how I like to style my hair. She asked questions and explained to me what she planned, and had the instructor come over to consult before she started (the instructor was very friendly and fun, and seemed knowledgeable as well) — I was not nervous at all about having my hair cut by a student after our conversation. She made conversation while washing my hair but stayed focused while cutting, which I can absolutely appreciate.
All the staff around me seemed to be just as focused and professional but friendly with their clients, and as I watched other people in the mirrors, I was very pleased with the whole atmosphere. The instructor was making the rounds and giving tips, really hands on and seemed to genuinely care, as opposed to other schools I’ve gone to where the instructors just seem to be overseeing things without interaction with students or clients unless necessary. She was encouraging but also making sure things were done correctly.
My cut turned out great, and I have already scheduled an appointment to return for color. At first, I was just planning on trying this place out because my stylist of 3 years is in between salons, but with great results at such great prices, I think I’ll continue coming to Avenue Five for my color (and hopefully check out their other services), and have recommended it to a couple friends.
Keep up the great work all around!

Got a free haircut from belly. It was time consuming but very thorough and I was fairly impressed by the outcome. Good job! I forget who cut my hair, but it was the dude with the sort of andy warhol haircut.

I went in to get a pretty drastic hair cut. I am a bi-​racial African American woman with naturally curly hair. Boy did i hit the jackpot! Cutting 5 – 6 inches off my hair into a bob was enough to make me nervous. I got booked with Miss D. Nothing short of amazing people!!! Not only did she make me feel relaxed and assured me I was in good hands she was a perfectionist that gave me a haircut better than i could have ever dreamed off! This is my first bob and I am obsessed with it! She did an amazing job! She knows what she is doing from washing to products to blow drying, flat ironing, the cut, the style it was all perfect. She has gained a long term client I will never let anyone else touch my hair. Thank you Miss D!

The 5 stars is for Julie. I should have written this earlier and then waited a month and got my hair done by her again. So now I absolutely have to write a review for her.
I came in with faded red hair an old blonde balayage and roots that were grown out to half of the hair length. I wanted to do a dramatic change. I wanted to go from this faded red to a platinum blonde with a beautiful pastel pink. This process took 3 days of appointments and Julie was right there with me the whole time to make sure I was getting exactly what I wanted while keeping my hair as healthy as possible since bringing it to this light of color would be damaging. She did an amazing job and was incredibly patient and friendly the entire time. the blonde had beautiful dimension and the pink ended up being the perfect pink color that she mixed herself.
I recently came in to get the roots and color touched up and again she did a wonderful job getting the color I want and the look I was going for. I will definitely have to find out where she goes when she graduates, which is coming up very soon.
I also want to thank the teacher that helped she was wonderful and so friendly and helped throughout the process as well as the front counter staff. She was incredibly welcoming and remembered who I was when I came in every time and even when I came back for the touch up.
Thank you!

I am a 2015 graduate of Avenue Five Institute, and I can honestly say that if it were not for Miss Terri Christian of Avenue Five, I would have never known such a passion towards the industry existed inside of me. I mean don’t get me wrong, I went in to this looking for a new career and nothing more or less. I was gifted with sooooo much more than what I expected. This amazing soul took her time with me and showed myself the «ins and outs» of the Sassoon technique, in which I can now confidently say that I have mastered, and also taught me how to instill confidence within my work that has influenced so many other outlets of my life. As a matter of fact, I feel so confident with my skill set that I attained from Miss Terri that I am now looking in to the educators program to attend in the near future at Avenue Five. That’s not something many post-​grads are ready for right away, and it speaks volumes that I’m now ready for that next big step! Bottom line, this school is «THE SCHOOL» that you’ve been looking for if you’re wanting to dive head first into the cosmetology industry. Trust this statement, Baldwin/​Paul Mitchell/​Bella/​Aveda are no match in comparison to the education and guidance that Avenue Five Institute offers you. Take that next step and give admissions a call! You can thank me later ;) Last but most certainly not least, my shout out: Thank you soooooo much for EVERYTHING that you’ve bestowed upon me Miss Terri, and I will forever aspire to live up to your amazing talent and energy. You’re a golden soul, and one hell of an educator

Had an amazing bayalage color, cut, keratin and deep condition treatment from Deborah! She was very thorough and although my appt was a little longer than I expected (about 10−4pm) Deborah did not seem rushed or try to hurry the process. I got a lot done and my hair has never felt this healthy. So happy I tried the school! Can’t beat the price either. My jaw dropped when it was so affordable! Coming from San Diego I used to pay $ 150 for the same kind of treatment. Look out for the groupon too. $ 24 for $ 40 worth of service. Don’t be afraid to book your appt!

Avenue Five did a great job on my belayage! I was really happy on how well the student did on my hair. Also, its awesome how it was only half the price of what I would get at a salon. It took about 3 hours to finish my hair, but she was very careful and plus I have dark hair. It took longer to process and lighten my hair. The institute is very open and busy. I am a happy camper! I’ll have to try the other services they offer like facials.

Just left Avenue Five, I’m so pleased with the results of my hair cut and blow dry.
Alexa did a fantastic job! Her instructors were also awesome. You can’t go wrong here.
I wish I brought cash with me, as they don’t provide an option to tip when paying with card. So next time I’m in, I’m going to have to give Alexa an additional tip to make up for not giving her one today.

Great 1^st time experience with hair service! This is my go to place for facials.
Went for a haircut, highlights, lowlights, basically the works, took 2.5 hours, perfect timing in my opinion. After discussing what I wanted, the stylist consulted with me to reconfirm, (we) discussed with the instructor because my opinion mattered. I am so pleased, the price is perfect, the salon staff is professional and I never felt like I was in the wrong hands. I will be going back.

I’ve been going to this place for over a year now. I trust no one with my hair and I was having some issues with growing it out and having it still look good. I’m glad I came here because they knew exactly what they were doing and if they didn’t, they weren’t afraid to call their teacher over~Big Shoutout to Terry «Scissorhands»! You do great work!~
Hard to beat great service and price for a shampoo, cut, and dry (about $ 12).They also provide excellent service with their Global Keratin Treatment. It takes about 5 hours but then you have beautiful silky hair for about 3 months. Do it. It’s worth it. I’ve recommended this place to all of my friends.

Called to just ask a question about their services and the woman who picked up was so rude. She was super unfriendly and talked to me like I was stupid. I quickly changed my mind about even going here. Please work on your customer service!

Recent transplant to Austin. Used to get single process color, gloss treatment and cut for under $ 60 — in a big city from my beloved stylist of 8 years. Massive sticker shock here — $ 165 for same process? My needs are simple and dull — no highlights, no special cut — heck I only need a trim every other month as hair is darn healthy. Decided I needed to find something more economical. Ready the reviews on Paul Mitchell, Aveda and Avenue 5. This school seemed to have the best reviews by far.
I was not disappointed. Made appointment on-​line and got phone confirmation. Arrived and was greeted promptly and in a cordial fashion. Stylist/​student arrived to collect me quickly. I was there on a Saturday and was not crazy crowded. Music playing was 80s on 8 so I was happy — nice mellow background to an almost 3 ½ hour experience.
Stylist was a wee bit hesitant BUT instructor Bo/​Beau was fantastic!!! He talked her through what she planned to do (based on her chat with me), why she was doing it and what were the benefits of said option, He was really focused on her learning how a salon would treat a client.
Very happy with my color/​shine. She was really uncertain when cutting my bangs so instead of chopping them to bits — she asked for help and I got exactly what I wanted.
The appointment is NOT quick but it was $ 40. Yep, you read that correctly. I will absolutely be back.

First time here and came in for a cut and color. I knew going in that it can take a few hours so that was no problem. I had an amazing cut, I love my long layers and the color turned out fabulous. Really had a wonderful time with Kristina and her teacher Denise was very professional. Everyone was very friendly and the salon is kept very clean. Really looking forward to my next visit!

If you don’t mind a haircut that lasts about 3 hours (they are students after all), I most definitely recommend Avenue Five. They are so friendly and professional, the only real give-​a-​way that it is a beauty school are the teachers walking around and monitoring. I’ve not once had a bad haircut there, unlike other schools I’ve gone to, and all of their services are wonderful. I’ve taken both friends and family there, and they loved it as well. A great place for a great ‘do.

Charging way too much for their schooling,
Never any real teachers to advise students, Natalie is the best teacher they have!!, on top of tuition they want more money!!! Don’t go to school here if you can avoid it!!!

people are nice and friendly, but my oh my… place completely butchered by hair… i mean how hard is it just to cut men’s hair. took a shower to evaluate my undercut. Yea… looks like a buzz cut with a patch a hair on top. MEN!!! avoid at all cost.

Hate to admit it, but the cut quality is slipping. Both of my recent cuts here have been a mess, and the layers are downright shameful. Both cuts were supervised by an older female instructor with dark hair who seems to be always wearing a shawl. She looks at the terrible layers I’m given and puts her stamp of approval on them.
Can’t say I’m all too motivated to go back. My hair is a mess and now I have to pay someone else to fix it.

Pro: My haircut was $ 12.
Con: It took an hour and a half. Maybe longer.
Pro: My haircut was $ 12.
Con: It was slightly terrifying. Okay more than slightly terrifying.
Pro: My haircut for $ 12.
Con: It was crowded and noisy.
Pro: Did I say my haircut was $ 12 and it was good?
Why are haircuts so expensive in Austin? I have short hair and get it cut frequently, so the idea of a $ 70 haircut is cray cray. In my search for a cheap (er) haircut that wouldn’t leave me looking like GI Jane, I stumbled on Avenue 5. While it set my nerves in edge, the whole experience was positive. Listening to the exchange between the instructor and student about whether the student thought they could do it or not was scary, but just remember the instructor is there to teach or take over at any point. And, if you’re like me, you’ve had haircuts that were BAD and EXPENSIVE, so suck it up and give Avenue 5 a try.

Becky, Becky, Becky. Such an amazing person Becky is!
I came here to get glammed up for the Unilocal Golden Age party and was so lucky to have been paired up with Becky.
First off, the shampoo. Seriously… I needed a cigarette after that shampoo. That is the best shampoo experience I have ever had! The girl knows how to massage a scalp I tell ya.
After a blow dry came the curls. She took a little strand at a time, curled it with the iron, then pinned it in the circle. While my hair was setting we went on to the makeup. 50’s glam it was. She gave me amazing cat eyes. Then she brushed out my hair and made it look amazing! I was ready for my close up!
Thanks to Avenue Five for having the $ 10 hair and makeup special. It made it so much easier for me to get ready!