AVEDA Institute of New Mexico

I’ve gone to the Aveda Institute in Florida for years so I thought I would try the one here. I brought my formulas for low lights and highlights with me. I like a very natural look for my dark blonde hair. The student I was scheduled with did not show up so they put me with a less experienced one. It started well and the student was great. She was pleasant and professional. The problem turned out to be one instructor. My highlights were looking pretty light so I asked the instructor if they were okay and he assured me that when they rinsed the color from the lowlights would help tone the highlights. That made sense to me. But he came back by and wrote done another formula for the student to tone my hair. That concerned me because I know that toning usually happens when there is a mistake (on my hair). He left for lunch. While she rinsed and tone me another instructor came by and questioned the color. As the blow out progressed, I had no highlights – only deep brown hair. When I asked what could be done, they took me back to the sink and rinsed me with some very awful color remover that made us all gag and burned out eyes. It fried my hair. After that, some highlights showed up but hair was still a deep brown that does not complement my freckly skin tone. They agreed to schedule another free appointment for highlights but on second thought I worried about more processing to fry my hair. A professional confirmed to me that I should just live with it and wait it out. Agh! I do not blame the student… she was only following her instructors directions. But I do blame the instructor, who was pleasant but clearly not very tuned in. Accidents happen but its awful to have your hair fried and then have to live with the awful results for a few months.

Great prices and services are supervised by instructors. Some students have more skill than others, but so far, I’ve never walked out of there bald or scalded due to chemical process miscalculations, or anything. In fact, my hair looks pretty dang good when leave there which is a shock, because it is no small feat to tame my Fraggle Rock hair. Services include cuts, color, styling, manis & pedis, and sometimes gels.
They treat you to infused water or tea while you wait, and students often give hand or back massages with services.
Walk-​ins are accepted, but they do get busy and might be booked for the day. They take credit cards, but I think tips need to be cash.
There’s lots of products available for purchase – hair products, makeup, and herbal essence type things that are a bit ethereal for my taste. There are plenty of testers, so you can try new products before you plunk down yo’ cash.
The salon is clean. Lot parking is available.

MY 50TH Unilocal REVIEW:
I’ve been to Aveda Institute for quite sometime.
Most recently the stylist that’s been working on my hair is amazing! She always offers a pre-​treatment
aka: Stress Relieving Ritual which includes: neck &shoulder massage, scalp massage or a hand massage.
Today my choice is neck and shoulder…
aaaahhhhh… So relaxing!!! just a few moments to unwind from an otherwise busy day!
I’ve been coming here more than 3 years now
Prior to this amazing stylist I’ve never been asked before if I’d like a pre-​treatment.
wth!
My hair usually turns out good no complaints.
However my stylist SHELBY… is more than I can ask for! Not only has she discovered the correct color of my hair and highlights but she also tames and styles my wild mane!
when she styles my hair I get so many compliments!!!
thanks shelby!!! once you complete your schooling at Aveda you will go far in life with your hairdressing talents!!!
Way to go Aveda!!!
Way to go Shelby!!!

I had some time to kill while I was carless and made a manicure appointment here. Only $ 10 for a «normal» mani plus tip. Cool! I asked how long it might take and was told up to NINETY MINUTES. Whoa. I booked anyway and had a sweet student take care of me. I’m used to a wall of nail polish choices but was presented with limited options at the station. They use OPI Polish and there were still plenty of colors I liked. It did take an hour but she did a very thorough and professional job.

A few days ago I went in for a trim and shaping of my hair. I went in with hair down to my chin and left with the entire back of my head shaved to a 3 (no, this is not an exaggeration).In the beginning everything was fine. I showed him the picture and everything was great. He seemed to understand what I wanted in my haircut and I really wasn’t worried at all. As soon as he started cutting I could feel his hands get shaky and nervous. Obviously he was a student and I wasn’t going to say anything. The instructor was near by the whole time and really seemed to be showing him good tips on how to achieve the correct shape. Then after some work he hands me a mirror so I could see the back of my head. And he had literally SHAVED the back all the way up to where the hair on the top/​back part of my head is less than an inch long. I was obviously horrified and almost started crying. Another instructor (different from the original one) came and tried his best to fix the cut and make it at least bearable to leave the salon. The man who fixed it was very sweet, gently and made the situation a whole lot less horrific. They didn’t charge (the least they could do). I went on to tell one of my friends about the situation (giving her the name of the young man) and she said that the same guy unrightfully cut eight inches off of her head (she went in for a half an inch trim) and also left in tears. I understand completely that this is a learning environment and that it is absolutely reasonable that nothing is going to be perfect which is why I had issues deciding to write a review. I think my advise would be to be ridiculously clear. Also don’t be afraid to stop and ask questions. because now I have to wait another six months to get my hair back to the same length that it was at when I went into the salon.

Based upon first-​hand experience, I am giving 5 stars to Aveda Institute of New Mexico. I lived in the ABQ metro area the summer of 2013 for a paid, Federal internship, and visited the institute for 3 services. Those services included a brow shape & wax and color retouch. I had service appointments in each June and August of that summer. My experiences here at this Institute were in stark contrast to the one I had at Aveda Institute Phoenix with their Cosmetology Team Lead, Color Specialist, and Aveda certified Educator (Angie Perino Nelson). In fact, after that incident, I phoned AI-​NM in tears to discuss with them why my hair had turned white and then yellow, and if it was fix-​able. The Educator on duty was very sympathetic and knowledgeable. He practically held my hand over the phone.
When I went to this institute, I spoke at length with both the student and the educator about both what I wanted and what I didn’t want. I even brought photos of myself on my lap top and a ruler. I had my unique Aveda formula in hand, as well. After discussing my wishes, the student proceeded with confidence. After each visit, I walked out a happy woman with great color and brows. The Educators here are very knowledgeable and know their stuff!
I believe this institute deserves 5 stars because the students listened to me, asked me questions about my hair, and then delivered. The front desk customer service experience was some of the best I’ve experienced at any kind of establishment. Since it is a school, it did take a long time for my service, but it was worth it because it is so inexpensive.

Would be a much better experience if the students were reliable. Unfortunately, many don’t listen, they are late for appointments, they just don’t show up for appointments and how can they learn a thing if they are not present. The female instructor with the long extremely curly blonde hair condones this behavior. When I complained to her I was told, hey, these are just students. Is this a good role model. for students? After two years of complete frustration, I had to find services elsewhere. I only had 3 appointments in 2 years that the student was on time and ready to work. That is NOT what I call a great track record. And since the prices are not that much different than a full service salon, I prefer to spend the extra $ 20 and have some grown up give me a great cut and vibrant, fun color.

This is pretty great as far as beauty schools go… The trick is really to get small services done until you find someone with real talent and then keep booking with them!
Sometimes this happens because it is a beauty school after all: I came a couple of months ago for all over color, and i had a less than great experience: the all over color came out much darker than the color swatch, and also my natural roots dyed slightly differently than the rest of my hair, which I asked her to be mindful of beforehand. When I tried to talk to the instructor and student together afterward to address and fix it, the instructor was extremely rude and basically told me I was crazy and the color matches exactly.
Fast forward two months, I booked a root touch up with a different person (Leslie) who identified three colors– my roots, the stripe of different color (see– I wasn’t crazy!) and the long growth color which has faded slightly from before. New (different) instructor agreed and came up with a formula to get everything to match my long growth. It came out an exact match– I’ve paid $ 100+ for dye service at a regular salon and gotten bad color like my first visit to the institute, which is so frustrating Because it’s not beauty school anymore! So it’s really gratifying to find someone so talented so early in their career and be able to afford regular dye service with no regrets! Go Leslie and her blond instructor! You guys rock!
Ok now fast forward to yesterday. I had another wonderful experience. I booked a makeup application before getting professional photos taken, and though I waited 40 minutes, a student offered to do my hair while I was waiting – just a quick twist– but he really wanted me to be happy with my look for my pictures! All just out of kindness and his passion for styling! My makeup application was good and when it came time to pay another instructor very sincerely apologized for my wait and offered me a goody bag instead. I was shocked that the people I encountered seemed to care about the clients as if this were a salon and not just a school. It was very impressive. Also while I was waiting numerous people asked if I could be helped, and I watched many happy clients walk out after their services with smiles and rebook appointments. If I were in the beauty industry id want to be associated with a place like this!

Hope is extremely talented at what she does. She goes the extra mile to make you feel comfortable during the facial service. She knows how to put you at ease and comfort you with silence too. She is clean, informative and the ambiance of the facial room is perfect! She is pretty amazing (and she is still a student) and I can’t wait for my next service with her. Since she is at the Aveda Institute (294‑5333) the prices are very reasonable. She also does waxing, body scrubs, and makeup. Call and make an appointment people! Thank You again for one of the best facials!