501 Salon & Spa

This was my first visit to 501 Salon and it was absolutely wonderful! I had a haircut with Jordan, and I love it! Everyone there was kind, courteous, and professional. It was a truly comprehensive service with several nice, complimentary ad-​ons (a neck massage, an infused warm-​towel to enhance the conditioner). This is definitely my new go-​to salon. I truly can’t say enough about the wonderful service and stylist.

I just recently moved to the Bellevue area and have been in love with all the small shops located on the main drag. I was dying to try this salon and my boyfriend was sweet enough to get me a gift certificate for my birthday. I had a hair cut and all over color done by Ashely. I was a little nervous going in because I hadn’t had a hair cut in well over a year and was planning to cut off quite a bit of my very long hair. Ashely listened to what I want and gave great input. She also gave me some amazing color!
The environment of the salon is relaxed and easy going. The stylist all seem to really enjoy their jobs and get along well. I also appreciated that they were not pushy about buying their products. They hung up my coat for me and also offered beverages. The salon is a short drive from Cincinnati and I would defiantly recommend it to anyone in the area!

Best massage I have ever had! Very relaxing and professional staff! Highly recommended!

I am, after all just a simple man, who appreciates a good hair cut.
When I moved to NKY, I searched a lot of salons/​barbers/​etc. .. I don’t have particularly high standards. .. I just ask for a nice haircut and either no conversation or non-​forced conversation.
I forget who I first had cut my hair at 501, she was fine. Conversation degraded to werewolf and vampire television quickly. .. so that was less than ideal, however, by my third cut, she was no longer there. .. and then I got to have my haircut by Kate.
Ever since, every haircut has been pleasant. Kate is excellent at her craft and takes pride in her work. I think I had the same haircut for roughly 20+ years. .. that changed. Happy for it. Really appreciate her, her business, and the vibe she brings to the community.
Additionally, both my wife and I have had massages performed by Joy. It still blows my mind how someone that petite can exert that amount of force on someone, but it is a life changing experience. I have had the privilege of a few sessions, and a few different variations of massage, all of which were amazing. Its a very consultative process. Very pleasant and the ambiance of the room is very nice as well.
And it goes without saying, I appreciate their scheduling systems, and the way they call and e-​mail you to remind you about appointments. .. life gets busy. .. and its nice for the reminders and to deal with pleasant professionals. Really appreciate the staff who handle reservations and appointments.

Friendly, knowlegeable staff, pleasant atmosphere. What’s not to love about the Aveda philosophy. The 30 minute reflexology was so healing for tired feet. The hot stone massage was relaxing and melted away stress. Nice little neighborhood salon and spa.

My go to salon! I have been going to 501 for a few years now since I moved to NKY. Kate, the owner, cuts my hair and always does a wonderful job. She has also done all-​over color, balyage, and a «brighten-​me-​up» on my hair. I am always pleased.
When coming in the salon, I am always greeted at the front desk and offered coffee, tea, or water. This is a nice touch for welcoming all the guests. With a haircut they always offer a hot towel with scalp massage and either a neck or hand massage. I always go with a neck massage with the «blue oil,» which has a scent of refreshing peppermint. It is so relaxing!
It is great that this salon is locally owned and offers Aveda products which are natural and high quality. I have not yet had a massage, pedicure, or other services but would love to soon. I think the pricing is competitive with other similar salons as well. My husband has also been to Amanda for a haircut and was very pleased. I would recommend this salon to anyone!

I’ve been getting cuts and highlights at 501 for a few years now. I love Kate and Louisa for hair and Brandy and Jordan for pedis. I’ve had many friends go as well who are really happy with their services. January 2015, Louisa did my special occasion hair and make up for my afternoon wedding. Not only did I think of 501 from the beginning, but I researched, and the rates were pretty much dead on with everyone else for wedding make up. Usually, I find 501 to be by far the most affordable salon with Aveda level services. Okay, wedding make up. I made the mistake of using a tanning bed the day of my rehearsal and Louisa blended away all the red blotchiness on my face. I brought in a picture of my hair inspiration and she had it perfect. I wanted to do something a little different than my comfort zone and I was so happy. Everyone here is kind and talented! Oh and yes, Joy does give awesome massages in a great space.

Having had the best massage of my life a few weeks ago I introduced my mom to this little gem for manis and massages last week. Joy is fabulous at her craft and wins the massage therapist award in my book. She takes time to find out what your goal is for your massage and anything you love/​hate. At $ 60 – 80 for a 50 – 60 minute massage (depending on which massage you choose) these massages are a steal.
Salon 501 offers the quality and natural products and philosophy that you can expect from aveda. My only complaint is parking as the salon does not have its own designated area but there is street parking and it’s not a bad area for a little walk!

Went here twice– first time just for a cut and it was great. Second time I went, I got a cut and color. My color was messed up so bad it looked horrible. One side of my part had a lot more color than the other, it looked like I tried to do it out of the box. When I went back to have them fix, the girl was very rude and never even apologized for anything. I left still not liking the color but at least it looked better than before. I never went back and never will. Definitely not what I expected from an Aveda salon — pretty disappointing.

Had a great first time here with Brandy. As soon as you walk in the door they offer you coffee tea or water. The staff is all very friendly and inviting.
Once I got seated she was very patient and understanding while trying to figure out what I wanted. She relayed everything back to me to make sure she understood. I love that the basic haircut package includes a scalp massage and hot towel treatment.
Before she got started with the haircut I enjoyed a nice relaxing neck massage, also included in the haircut. After giving me everything I wanted in a haircut, and I’m pretty picky, she showed me multiple ways to style it and which products to use.
The conversation wasn’t forced at all. Nothin more than friendly conversation. Absolutely no pushiness to buy any of their products. Every step of the way she was talking me through it making sure i agreed with what she was doing was okay.
Basically excellent service, clean working space and they take into account exactly what you want, all for a reasonable price. I will definitely be going back.

Had to write a new review for 501 Salon & Spa after two more recent visits: a massage appointment and a haircut.
The massage was magical; the therapist was so expert and methodical that it was the massage equivalent of tai-​chi. She really listened to my requests and concerns before the massage and I got a lot of pain relief afterwards. There is just one massage room (upstairs) and it’s a private suite with attached bath. You change right in the room so no wandering around in a bathrobe. The only unfortunate thing is that this salon only has one therapist so the available times are very limited (only select evenings and Saturdays).
I also had a haircut there for the first time today. I haven’t styled it myself yet (the true test of a great haircut), but it looked awesome coming out of the salon! My stylist was very attentive to what I wanted and seemed to understand how to work with curly/​wavy hair. She also worked with me, doing several further «edits» to get it exactly how I wanted it. I felt the price was very reasonable as well for a boutique salon.
I still need to get another pedicure there at some point to be able to potentially bump this place up to 5 stars (since my last/​only one there before was so bad), but so far, I am getting to be a huge fan!

Joy has given me the best massages that I have had since moving back to the Midwest. She was very considerate of any concerns or preferences that I had and addressed all of my areas of tension. My favorite part is that instead of digging into my shoulder knots with a lot of pressure, she uses warm compresses and various techniques to effectively remove them without pain. There are lots of tiny little details that make the massage a luxury service including aromatherapy. The price is more affordable than my other Cincinnati experiences. The salon itself is clean and cute. The front desk staff is always friendly. I work in the salon/​spa industry myself and am hard to please. Joy’s skills are just that impressive.

A little pricey but great hair cut! Went to Kate and she did a great hair cut and scalp treatment! She was nice and took her time with me. She even did an additional service in between clients for me. And the place smells soooooooo good when you walk in! Great selection of products from men, to hair, to makeup!

Solid choice of Aveda salons. The reception is always quick and friendly with an offer of tea or water. I love the scalp massage and neck rub that come standard with a cut. I’ve been to many Aveda salons in many different cities and I trust their products and training and 501 does not disappoint. My first experience was a cut and color with Maureen, which turned out great. I went from blonde to very dark brown so it was dramatic but I love it. I’ve been back for a cut and had another great experience.
The only slight negative I’ll give is for waxing, I got my brows waxed and asked that she not make them too thin but then she stripped half of them off! I won’t go back for waxing (check out House of Brows or Heavenly Bodies for that!) but other than that I really like this salon.

I went here to get my hair and makeup done before a wedding, as I was a bridesmaid for my brother and future sister-​in-​law. I was not prepared in the slightest for the sticker shock on just make-​up and hair styling. It was pretty much what you’d expect to pay for a wash, cut, and style, so suffice it to say I was pretty salty about the bride’s choice in salons once I found out how much they were charging for their services. They did a really nice job, but the price almost had me in tears as I walked back to my car. With the tip, I paid almost the same for hair and make-​up as I did for my dress, and that seems wholly unreasonable to me.
As for the good, I had a rather pleasant conversation with the lady who styled my hair. I cringed when she said she loved reading, expecting her to list titles like Twilight or 50 Shades of Grey or somesuch terrible writing. Instead, we chatted about classic novels and several really cool books that we’d stumbled onto simply by judging them by the cover in the library. So while I want to give an extra star for the ambiance and for the fellow book nerd, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.
Were it not for what I feel is fairly significant overpricing on their services, I would be a return customer.

I went to 501 Salon and Spa in Bellevue for the first time today. As I drove by a few weeks ago, I realized that the once vacant corner building was now an Aveda Salon and Spa. What luck since I have been searching for an Aveda Salon ever since moving to downtown Cincinnati. After seeing it, I immediately looked on Unilocal at the reviews. They were all great, so I made my appointment.
The owner bought the old corner brick building and remodeled the entire inside into a full service salon and spa and it looks great. The inside décor is all newly remodeled in a warm and modern décor that fits the modern Aveda Salon. It is a full service salon and spa so they have all the great ‘extras’ that we ladies look for in a salon.
Maggie was the lucky one to be responsible for me today. I warned her that I was extremely picky about my hair and had many demands. She patiently listened to my requests and added comments and suggestions and together we came to a consensus on what to do. She explained why she was doing something and gave me advice on how to style it once I got home (because we all know we can’t do it the same as the salon does it).
This place is great!
Bottom Line: Even though I’m sad to leave my old salon in the suburbs, I think this will now be my new Aveda Salon.

501 is great. Pricy but dammit I’m worth it.

I’m definitely a picky haircut-​getter, and this salon passed my test of approval! After moving to Cincinnati from Pittsburgh, I’ve been on a hunt for a replacement salon and even though I prefer my at-​home salon, this one pleased me.
It’s an Aveda salon, so I knew what kind of products they use (herbal-​y, not chemical-​y), but I was pleasantly surprised that the experience was a bit more salon-​like, with a brief massage using a fragrant Aveda oil.
Kate cut my hair, and I was very happy with the pixie cut she gave me. She seemed to listen as well as intuitively understand what I wanted, which is always best in a stylist. She was quiet, but still friendly.
The salon has a very clean, stylish, «zen» vibe, and although I like salons that are a bit more eclectic, 501 was still very pleasant. It was also great to be able to schedule your appointment online, and to choose a time slot with a specific stylist instead of asking the receptionist.
It seems I’ve found my go-​to Cincinnati salon!

This is a very friendly, cozy spot.
I came in for the first time a few months ago with terribly grown out, bright highlights that looked terrible. I asked the hairstylist, Becky to fix it for me. I asked for something darker but still highlighted. She was able to do a spot darker highlight and darken my bright ones that grew out. It wound up looking so natural but gorgeous!
They have talented people there who don’t push their opinions on you — they truly want you to be comfortable in your own hair
The opposite happened to be the last time I went to a competing salon — and would up with highlights that were way way too bright (and how I got in this mess in the first place)
Cozy atmosphere, talented and professional staff.

One of the things I have to live with is having a great shock of hair as thick as the Ardennes Forest. A week doesn’t go by that an old woman doesn’t approaches me and ask to touch it in an attempt to relive days past when their spouses had more than a pale, bald pâté. Younger women approach me also — alas, not as frequently — but I decline their running of fingers through my locks because my wife would kill me and I don’t want to enable their daddy issues.
These thick curly locks of mine are a genetic burden I’ve compounded for my daughters when I married a woman with even thicker, more glorious hair.
So they insist on nice hair cuts. Oldest daughter came home from an afternoon at the 501 Salon and had not one complaint. Not a single one. And she’s fourteen. She is well-​provisioned with complaints! This piqued my curiosity. How good can they be?
Very good, I learned. Along with great hair I’m incredibly cheap. This is the most expensive hair cut I’ve had. But to call it a hair cut really is a disservice. It was a hair experience. Becky (I think that was her name) took more time on my cabeza than anyone had in my previous 41 years. While I long ago got away from the Jock Chops $ 8 style haircuts, I felt as if she took real care with it. In fact, it felt almost too much to a NASCAR watching guy like me. But hey, I was getting my money’s worth. And then she ended it with a face massage. OK, that’s a good way to send a guy off feeling like a million bucks.
So I get home and my wife and daughters rave about the cut. And others I meet do also. So now I feel like two million bucks.
Yes, I’ll be back. And so will my daughter.