Curltopia

Very rude salon. STAY AWAY!!!
Traveled out of state to get a «curl certified expert» to cut, color and style my hair. After waiting over 30 mins after my appointment time without even being greeted warmly the «curly hair» expert told me she was ready for me. She asked me what I wanted but didn’t provide curly hair technical knowledge I was hoping to get. She then told me I had to go sit back down because she was still styling another client??? After another 15 mins of waiting I finally left. I’m shocked at the treatment I received given the cut and style of curly hair is very expensive. Looking around the salon there were about 4 other people waiting about as long as I was!!!
This salon charges you for a no show appointment but is not respecting the patrons time. I did get a call back with an apology and saying I would get a discount if I came back but it’s too little too late.
What a horrible way to absolutely ruin a Mother’s Day gift!!!

I had an appointment with Nova on May 6, 2016. It was awesome. I truly had a wonderful experience and I told her she’s officially my hair chick. She understood my hair and gave me good tips for maintenance. I’ve gotten so many compliments on my hair. I love the ambiance there and everyone was friendly.

I visited this salon a couple years ago, and I was thoroughly disappointed. The only reason I’m giving them two stars is because my twist out was well done… even through it wasn’t what I came for. The selling point for this place (for me, at least), was that they are able to educate us curlies on what prodcuts, techniques, and treatments may and may not work well for our hair. My stylist was working at least two other clients at the same time as me. I got very little attention, I was there for hours, and no direction was given about maintaining my hair. I have not been back since.

I had an appointment with James today and I have never felt better leaving a salon! I have very curly hair (mixed boticelli w/​coil curls) and everyone I have ever asked has been afraid to give me layers so my hair just ends up looking very boxy and boring. I told James what I wanted and he immediately knew what to do. He gave me layers that started in the back and framed my face. I have never been happier with my hair. He also gave me tips on how to style it in the future (very low maintenance styling technique which is perfect for me because I don’t like spending too much time on my hair). I really, really loved this place. Everyone left looking like a rockstar so I will definitely be back!

I’ve been to his salon twice and it gets better each time. They are masters at cutting curly hair and color! Today I came in for highlights a little nervous about the outcome and wow was I surprised ! James was my stylist and he did an AMAZING job. Not only did he make me feel comfortable about getting highlights for the first time he also gave me great styling tips! He really cares about how his clients feel about his work and that is absolutely the kind of attitude you would want your stylist to have. 5 starts to curltopia and to James my hair is on fleek and I love it

I was really disappointed with my experience at Curltopia. My stylist was Jackie.
Plus: They took me last minute. The ambiance is nice and clean.
Negative: I have 4c hair, therefore, when I comb through my hair I start from the tip and work my way to the root to prevent breakage (I thought this was common knowledge in the natural hair world). The stylist combed through my from the root to tip, which is a BIG NO-​NO. Even after I told her to comb from the tips to root, she responded «I’m detangling your hair» and continued combing very aggressively. At that point I should have gotten up!
I requested a twist out. During this process, she sprayed my hair to re-​wet. On many occasions, she sprayed my face without apologizing or recognizing the fact that she did this!
Lastly, never once did she come to check to see if I was ok when I was under the dryer.
I paid $ 70 for the style and left completely disappointed/​deflated from the experience. The worst part is the style didn’t even last (which was my number 1 request upon sitting in her chair). I will never go back to this salon and I would highly recommend against using Jackie.

The salon is under new management. The atmosphere is pleasant. This was my third visit to the salon for a deva cut. I had been very pleased with the previous results. I thought I had received a good cut this last time, but boy was I wrong. My hair was a disaster. Very uneven and choppy. I did not realize it until I had my hair flat ironed to rock a straight style. Unfortunately, I am not happy and will not be going back. Z was nice enough but who wants to spend $ 80 for a service with terrible results. Additionally, it was my understanding that a deva cut was cutting each curl. That was not the cut I received. Also Z used Design Essentials products in my hair which was also a disaster. I had her rinse the products out after I had sat under the dryer for approximately 1 hour and went home with a wet, chopped up head of hair. NO THANK YOU. Beware curly’s. #ijs

Beware of price gouging new stylist. I have been a client of Curltopia for over a year and have had a wonderful experience till today. My 12-​year-​old daughter received a touch-​up and trim for 140 dollars (which was less than impressive, I might add). I received the same exact treatment for 90 dollars from my regular stylist a week prior. My hair is 4 times as long as my child’s but yet the price of her visit was alarmingly more than my visit.
When trying to explain my issue with the receptionist, her response was anything but pleasant.
Moral of my message: Nail down a price before sitting in the chair. It may be costing you more than you think.

MAYBE I got a good cut. Hard to tell cuz they completely changed my cut– a TRIM became INCHES. A solid request for length became almost a reverse bob which I flat out said I didn’t want. Yes, I can gather it into a ponytail– BARELY. It had a 3″ one before I went in. And, they completely changed the curl pattern of my hair, now I have ringlets everywhere, and they BAKED it so some of it has the natural curl fried out of it. I don’t know why stylists can’t seem to listen to clients!

Had a wonderful experience on my first visit here, and that began at the door with the receptionist’s great customer service. Nikki was my stylist, and she was very personable while also extremely professional. I look forward to scheduling my next appointment.

If I could give this place zero stars I would. I’ve seen it in the area for many years so thought I’d give it a try. Made an appointment for a Friday. Stylist was Nova. She walked out with horrible looking yellow blonde cornrows. I saw about two other stylists and their hair looked a hot mess. One with an old press and one with box braids. How do you do hair but your hair is a mess? I’ve been natural since 2003. I’ve worn my hair in a TWA, twists, big Afro, pressed, etc. My hair is now long and thick and healthy and I wear it pressed most of the time. I just had a baby so my hair had not been washed in a month. This Nova chick washed my hair ONCE before slathering it with conditioner. SHE DIDNT ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS about how I’d like my hair styled, if it was natural or permed etc. she just began washing and running her mouth (talking about baby daddies, children, her trainer, etc with the stylist next to her– so annoying). In the meantime, she was off and on taking breaks between cleansing my scalp because she was running her mouth. At one point she stopped and flicked her pointy witch nails and water sprinkled all in my eyes. To that end she said sorry sarcastically and handed me a towel. The wash felt like a toddler was trying to clean my hair. And then she commenced to slathering it with conditioner. I’m like, I only get one wash? You can’t even get a good lather with the first wash. Furthermore, I knew my hair want clean not only by the horrible wash job but especially since she only attempted to wash it once. That’s cosmetology school 101. She said they only wash hair once because it strips oils. Save that approach for your clients who wear their hair in Afros or twist regularly and thus wash their hair at least once or twice a week. When I made the appointment I was assured that they were comfortable with blowing out hair and flat ironing it. Look, I’ve been getting my hair done biweekly since I was five years old. I have never seen such lack of skill in a stylist. Needless to say, I left after she washed out the conditioner. I knew where this was headed and wasn’t about to further waste my time. I’m a professional, successful woman. I own a home in Smyrna. This is not the kind of salon I’m accustomed to. I would NEVER go back (even if I wanted a twist out or some other «natural» style). Did I mention her hair looked a hot mess and her demeanor was ghetto? Good luck if you go there. I begged my stylist to squeeze me in (she was initially booked and thus the reason why I tried Curltopia). Stay away from this ghetto salon!!!

Zipporah was wonderful from beginning to end! I showed her pics and she made it happen. It didn’t take her near as long as I’m used to spending in the salon either. So excited about returning!!!

2^nd Update: I was informed by the new owner that Trish & Flavia were no longer the owners. The new owner offered me a deal to give them a try. I’ll try them in a few weeks.

So usually my experience at the salon is pretty mundane and straight forward I may spend 2 hours tops there, but my last visit was far from my normal experience. This time I made an appointment for my cousin and myself because she wants to transition to natural hair so I brought her along thinking how fun it would be, but it wasn’t. Usually I always get Nova to do my hair but she was booked full so we went with Stacy, it was an utter mistake. She stuck me under the dryer for way too long and honestly took her precious time doing our hair it was ridiculous. Once I finally escaped the dryer she sorta seemed to have no clue were to start with my hair which is funny considering she’s a «master hairstylist» she was always asking the other male stylist what to do and then she took one snip at my hair and I immediately declined her doing my hair. After I decided I was done, her and the other male stylist kept trying to pressure me into layers which was hilarious, I finally told them there was nothing I wanted done and to focus on my cousin luckily she did better with her, but all in all avoid Stacy if you are a black woman with natural curly kinky thick hair, its not her strong suit whatsoever. Please book Nova she’ll have you in and out in a timely manner and she also educates you on curly hair plus she cuts hair amazingly!!!

Stay away from this place!!! The stylist at Curltopia are not well trained for color or cuts especially Deva cuts. The people who made the salon wonderful like Taz and Stacy are not longer working in the salon. The salon is owned by the white woman who schedules the appointments and she over book the stylist and they rush on your service. How do I know all this? I had a terrible experience. Last year I went to Stacy for a color and it was amazing. I went back for another color and cut and she had left the salon. So I took the risk and allowed another «master stylist» to color my hair. This stupid girl put bleach on my hair and sat me under the dryer to rush my process and my hair was coming out in the sink. As a result, I had to do a big chop which was the death of me because my hair was pass my shoulders. Off course I didn’t pay and this situation almost resulted in the police being called. If you are on the fence about trying this salon… please continue to do your research. This place is horrendous. Also if you are on their email list, they are sending out coupons for free services. That is a clear indication that this salon is not doing well and it is not the prestigious place that it once was.

Curly hair, don’t care! Been going to master stylist Staci for 5 years now. She’s knowledgeable about textures, complimentary products and education.

I visited Curltopia in 2012 and had a wonderful experience. Ashley was my stylist. She was nice and not too chatty, which I like. I wanted a trim, but after inspecting my hair Ashely said that I really didn’t need one. She ended up «shaping up» my hair, which made my hair fall nicely in my daily wash and go style. My hair was cut dry and then washed.
She was very patient with my hair through the wash and detangling process. She then applied some DevaCurl styling mousse to my hair. I sat under the dryer for a bit and wash finished!
Overall I had a very pleasant experience here the ⁴⁄₅ stars is related to the products used in my hair. My hair is 4a and I usually used products that are super moisturizing and relatively heavy to keep my hair in place. By Ashley washing, conditioning and just adding mousse (all DevaCurl) caused super shrinkage and made my hair feel dry. Had my hair not been cut dry I would have thought my hair cut was shorter than it actually was.
Once home I cowashed my hair with Tresemme Naturals and applied EcoStyler gel as usual and my hair looked fabulous! I got so many compliments!
I will return to Ashley for sure the next time I’m in Atlanta for another «shape-​up». Nice work!!!

Two years later and I am now a regular at Curltopia. I tried going somewhere else for color once and it didn’t compare. I’ve found someone who does my color perfectly. I get asked about my color at least once a week, so I think that speaks volumes.
It’s still expensive, however, so I ONLY get color. No styling for me. But the color is worth my loyalty.

Went in for a «big chop». Was told by the stylist that I had «thermal damage» and needed to wait three more months… Their ploy to have you come back (i think). Wasted $ 90 bucks on a rod set i could have done at Home.
Following week went to a different salon and discovered that I had no thermal damage and my hair was just fine. Was able to cut off remaining relaxer. My hair curled just fine.
To Add insult to injury the receptionist/​owner is rude. I refuse to support an establishment where the patron is rude to her customers. I recommend going to natural expression salon. anywhere but here! At least the stylist taz will not make up reasons to have you come back!!!

The first thing one might notice about this salon is that everything about it is professional and crisp — particularly when compared to many other salons. I called and made an appointment very easily — the person who I spoke to was pleasant, polished, and professional.
When I arrived for my appointment, I was greeted quickly by my stylist and she started working on me right away (so pretty much no waiting). The salon itself is clean and attractive. All of the equipment appears to be in good working order. They offer you drinks and there are magazines awaiting your perusal should you find yourself under a dryer (as I did). The bathroom was very clean (always a plus).
Now for the parts that were a bit neutral/​not so great or me… I asked for a trim. I got a full blown haircut. I’ve waited several days before my review to make sure I thought about this rationally. My stylist was very sweet. I gave her a bit of information as we talked. One, I don’t wear my hair curly and I never «big chopped.» Over three years ago, I simply stopped getting relaxers. And I did so under the care of a few stylists (the main person I went to relocated and then another stopped working to take care of her kids full-​time). So I was getting regular trims and my previous main stylist let me know when I was «all natural.» I also let the stylist at Curltopia know that I really wasn’t sure what to do with my hair. I usually wear my hair in a bun and that was how it was when I arrived.
So I never big chopped. And I wear my hair pulled back. I clearly had heat damage (as I do straighten sometimes) and I needed some help. Hence my visit to Curltopia.
So, the stylist I saw at Curltopia gave me a trim. An extreme trim. I can now no longer easily pull my hair back in a bun. It takes a cocktail of barrettes and bobby pins. And that irritates me. I’ve had many, many trims by stylists since I started transitioning and I had two great stylists (the one that moved and the one that became a full-​time mom). They were able to successfully trim and style my hair (I would get a lot of compliments on their work) without making me feel like I lost too much hair. Black women being «afraid» of haircuts is not new (so I don’t understand why my stylist did not exercise more caution when cutting my hair). And I am typically fine with a trim and it has been YEARS since I’ve had an issue with a haircut.
So, overall, my stylist cut off way too much. And if she felt she needed to, she never told me why or gave me a «heads up» before she started cutting. She didn’t give me an explanation like,“Your hair is soooo damaged, I’ll need to take off a lot. Is that okay?” Sometimes it’s all about setting expectations. I’ve had stylists who would communicate with me, BEFORE CUTTING, how much they were going to take off (particularly if it would be a lot). This stylist did not do this. She cut. Too much. And she could have communicated with me more before she started cutting. That is not too much to ask given how much you pay for services at Curltopia.
So I’m a bit frustrated, because when my hair is not straightened, it’s hard for me to figure out what to do with it now since it’s so short. It is much harder to deal with now, given how short it was cut at Curltopia. I am a runner. And I work a lot. So I’m pressed for time when I’m trying to figure out how to deal with my hair. Ain’t nobody got time for putting in loads of gel, bobby pins, and barrettes to keep hair smooth and laying down.
All that aside, when I left Curltopia, I was pleased with how my hair looked. I had the rod set — and the set was a good one. Also know that even with no waiting, if you get your hair set, you might be in there a while. My appointment was at 8:30 am. I left just before 2 pm. That is not really anyone’s fault, but it would have been nice to have been reminded, as the stylist and I were discussing options, that if I chose a style that would require me to be under a dryer, it might take a long time to dry.
The other thing I’ll say is this… while my hair was cut too much, it was a very solid cut. The woman who cut my hair is skilled. But it was just cut too much.
I MIGHT return to Curltopia, but if I do, I will see a different stylist. Another friend goes to Curltopia and recommended her stylist, so I might just try someone new. If you go here, just make sure you communicate your desires and ask questions before things like cutting begin. Be extra cautious.
I won’t say my stylist’s name, because she was a good stylist. The only thing I’ll say is that she was a junior stylist. I struggled with this review, because my hair did look good when I left. But, again, my hair is too short for my taste, and I think the communication around my haircut could have been better.