L’esprit Academy

Needed a quick fringe trim and saw that they take walk-​ins. Was escorted in by one of the instructors and promptly seated with one of the students. The teacher and student worked together and the outcome was lovely! Very happy with my bangs and can’t believe I walked out with such great work for $ 4 (including tip). Definitely will go back!
The only reason that I didn’t give five stars is because of what I observed outside. There was a student napping on the couch in the waiting area as I walked by the front window. Luckily I ran across the teacher taking trash out and asked if they were able to do a trim. The instructor rustled the student to move when taking me to the waiting area. Seeing that almost put me off from coming in.

I’ve only gotten hair cuts here and they’ve went great!
To start off, my hair is pretty manageable and I’m a pretty patient person in general. If you go in knowing you’re working with students, you’ll enjoy the experience more. They really put in a lot of effort for a good cut and seem pretty quick to ask an instructor for help before doing something their unsure of. Given that, too, the instructors check off before you leave so you won’t ever leave with something messed up!
Prices are great since it’s a school. You definitely get more out of it than what you pay for!
My only issue that I took a star off for is that it can take a very long time. So just be aware and plan ahead.

I completed the Esthetics program at L’Esprit last May, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I’m finally working in a career I love and after passing my State Boards with flying colors, I felt confident and ready to start working in my field.
I gave four Unilocal stars because there are some imperfections with the way the business part of the school is run, for example the exit portion upon completion of the program. However my teacher Kate gets a 5 star rating from me. She is the reason I felt prepared, and empowered starting out in this industry. The knowledge she gained from years of experience in the Beauty field and working in Medi-​Spas is what allowed me to learn information that wasn’t necessarily learned from the Milady book. She was always there to answer as many questions as we wanted to ask, and she patiently and professionally answered them all for us. If she didn’t know the answer, she’d help us find it. I have met many other women in the Esthetics field now that I’m working, and not many people had great things to say about their program. I’m happy to be able to say I had a great experience!

I graduated from L’esprit Royal Oak and went on to obtain my esthetics license. I am now in a great entry level position as an esthetician working witb Dermalogica products.
My experience in class with my instructor (Kate) was great. Any time one of the other instructors worked with us (which was rare) we definitely learned from them as well. All my skin care questions were always answered incredibly thoroughly. Hands on ways of learning were progressive and fun. The instructors made sure if anyone needed extra help they were accommodated which was really admirable.
Sally (one of the owners) was so encouraging and open to helping any way she could. I really appreciated the chats we had.
The one star I left off was for administration issues (everywhere has them).
Attending school to become an esthetician has been a great step forward for me and I think whatever path you decide (hair, skin or nails), will be yours too!

Students beware! If you’re looking to join the esthetics program I warn you to not waste your time. There is only one teacher, Kate, and she is not in class half of the time. The school itself looks glamorous and nice… But don’t be fooled. I can’t speak personally on the quality of education for the cosmetology part but I would suggest doing your research before getting stuck in a contract that is impossible to get out of. The school seems to be ran by a 20 something year old. The owner is never around and almost impossible to get ahold of. I’m trying to switch schools only because I can self study at home and save $ 13,000. It’s a drag to sit in a small room and do book work off of a trolley for 7 hours a day. I am a cash paying student and they want 6,000 $ for a month of school that my teacher wasn’t there ½ the time. I was there for 4 weeks without a book. I should have known when my teacher missed my 2^nd and 3^rd day of class. Live and learn I guess.

I love this place, they do shellac and have the awesome foot spas My peddy included the hot towel wrap and the sugar scrub for my calves. The place looks just like a swanky spa/​salon and students are very professional

Nicole (via Livonia’s campus) was fantastic! Her technique during the shampoo and conditioning was very thorough and relaxing. She gave me exactly what I wanted in a haircut, and the style was a nice change of pace. I’ll be definitely visiting L’Esprit again!

I visit Megan for a blowout once a week. She is amazing. For the $ 10 price there is no other place in RO who can beat that.

Thanks for an awesome pedicure

Everyone here does an amazing job giving you the exact style and cut you want. They are super professional and use products that high end salons don’t even have.

I had a GREAT experience at the salon last night! I was a bit nervous since it has been about 2 years since I last had my hair cut or coloured. I walked in expecting to make an appointment for the following day and they decided to squeeze me in that night. I was lucky to have Audrina as my stylist and she did an AWESOME job. The consultation was great! We talked for a bit about what I was looking for and how we could go about getting the right color and cut — super helpful and patient. The instructor, Christine (sp?) was also insanely helpful and made sure everything was in order. I know I gave Audrina a workout with my massive amount of hair and she did a great job with the blowout as well — even though she had to stay late! Thank you so much — I love my hair!

I’ve had three services done at L’esprit: a pedicure, an eyebrow waxing, and yesterday I had my hair colored. I walked away with a good feeling about my services and knowing I wanted to write them up on Unilocal! (I met the folks from L’esprit at a Unilocal event, actually!) But I wanted to start by mentioning that when using a school for treatments like these, there’s a couple things to keep in mind:
1. You will not be in and out. Which is fine. It’s a school and whatever the students are up to — you are their project. They’re going to take their time. It doesn’t bother me, but I’m pretty low key about these things.
2. You are going to be serviced by a student. This means they’re new. Again, doesn’t bother me, and the instructors are VERY good to give feedback and guide your services experience. But they don’t have everything down. Your hair might get tugged. They might get a little sloppy, as they don’t have the muscle memory yet. It takes time and you’re helping them with that. (P.S. if you’re getting your hair washed, remember to wear clothing that can get wet — it’s bound to happen here or anywhere else!)
3. It’s more about work and less about pampering. If you’re high maintenance, maybe go somewhere else. I was offered a cup of water and everyone was very nice… but they’re a school. Over my shoulder I was listening to an instructor talk about finger nails and the different types of medical issues that can befall them. Gross to some! But I totally enjoyed it AND it made me respect the staff so much more because I knew exactly what they were teaching their students. (I don’t think they knew I was listening.)
OKAY SO. To the review part. I really enjoyed my time here. I typically don’t treat myself to stuff like this and dye my hair at home. But the price is right and I like the idea of helping someone learn. They’re very clear with the paperwork about what you’ve gotten yourself into. I’ve gone to a couple other beauty services schools around town. Some were nice, but I’d probably consider them more for a spa day OR on the flip side they were a crazy circus. When I’ve visited L’esprit, they were nice and low key.
When I went to get my hair done yesterday, they were very careful about helping pick a color, which I appreciated. Because as I said, I don’t do this much! When they started mixing the hair color, they let me know that I had a bunch of hair and odds are they’d need extra color (which I did) and that it’s $ 10 extra for that. They let me know pretty upfront and I was fine with it. I do have long-​ish hair and we used every bit of the goop to color it. And then, drum roll, my hair looks great! When my eyebrows were done they looked good and save a little sticky gunk leftover, were totally professional. My toes looked fine, too. My hair was done with an appointment, my eyebrows and toes they took me as a walk-​in. I had to wait only a half hour.
SO if you have some time (3+ hours for my long hair to be dyed) I’d give them a shot. At this point I haven’t had any styling done there, but I’d trust them to do it. Oh — and one more thing. If you get someone you like, odds are they might not be around next time. L’esprit is apparently a serious business program that is somewhat accelerated. Happy primping!

Not good as all the stylist are students. If that’s OK them go there but don’t go for anything special. The haircut will be luck of the draw. People are nice though.

Since my bad experience in January, I have been contacted by the school’s manager, and they have done everything they possibly can to make up for the situation! I recently returned to have a mani/​pedi.
The student I worked with was AMAZING and immensely talented. The instructor was both attentive and supportive. The salon manager even came by to apologize in person for my bad experience and make sure that I knew they were taking it as a learning opportunity.
I appreciated their strives to make the bad situation better. And I will be returning again for more nail art :)

I found this place through a recent Unilocal event, and decided it was time to give it a shot. I wanted to get a facial, and have had luck with school salons before. I booked my appointment, and made it in this morning.
When you walk in, it’s like every other salon and presents a professional appearance, which I liked. Everyone here’s a student, and is supervised by a teacher while doing their stuff. I signed in and the girl walked me back to the spa room to prepare me for my facial.
I really enjoyed my experience. I was there for about 2 hours total, and the experience was wonderful! Very relaxing. I got a good steam, masks, and a massage as well. the only thing I didn’t get was extractions, since I have a whitehead on my face. LOL. I asked her about it and she said that they aren’t trained in those tools yet, but if I made an appointment, I could get an instructor to do it for me. I kind of wish she would have just grabbed the instructor and had her do it then so I wouldn’t have to make a second trip.
I will be back in the future!