Transformations Hair & Body

I absolutely love and recommend Transformations to any and all of my friends, it is hands down the best place in quality and service! To start, they have fresh coffee and tea options, a really beautiful aesthetic and design to the space, and such lovely staff members.
I’ve worked with Robby twice now and he absolutely blew my mind. I had a blurry vision in my mind of what I wanted, something dramatic and colorful, and Robbie helped me work out exactly what I wanted and I (almost 2 months later) still receive compliments on my hair! I swear by Ellumen as a hair dye that lasts, in vibrancy and in longevity, and Robby (with some suggestions from Lisa) was able to take the colors they had and create a unique set for my hair. I love it and feel so confident in my everyday life with it!
Robby, you’re the best, and I will always come back to you. You’re so talented and friendly, I learn so much every time I come in which is so valuable to me. Cheers to working together again soon!

One of the worst hair experiences of my life! Went here in 2013 and had an amazing cut/​color so decided to go back when I was visiting town in 2015. Waited for 30 minutes while the front desk lady and all the stylists were joking around laughing and being wildly inappropriate. So immature and unprofessional that I was actually feeling awkward just being there. Asked her twice where my stylist was, she said she didn’t know. Finally woman came up from the downstairs and started what became a long stream of excuses and stories and conversation overload for the rest of my appointment. Would not stop talking about her personal life to the point where I couldn’t be more obvious that I didn’t want to talk– stopped answering her all together and she still kept going.
Took no joke triple the time it usually takes for my usual stylist to highlight my hair, did not agree with her methods (she was missing sections not paying attention etc) and it was so painfully slow as she focused on telling stories and would stop what she was doing altogether to focus on her stories that my frustration reached a boiling point and I had to say something. She didn’t even care. Left the dye in too long, it burnt my scalp and ultimately made my hair become damaged and break in the weeks to come.
Still the entire staff in the room was screaming laughing at jokes and making the other customers also feel uncomfortable. I’d never seen anything like it.
It has been over 4 ½ hrs since I got there and I was furious at my wasted day, she washed my hair and the color was barely blonde at all. Horrible hair cut, I got up basically ¾ths done Bc I was so horrified at the experience, I did not tip and I told the front desk I wanted a highlight redo.
I called the salon 2 weeks later as my hair was broken and disgusting furious and left a long message for the manager. You’d think the manager would be embarrassed or concerned– no, she called back to tell me Bc I didn’t schedule a redo right then I couldn’t have one, or my money back, and didn’t apologize once. This place was the definition of unprofessionalism and they lost a customer that day permanently.

I saw Lisa today for a hair color appointment. She did such a good job! My color looks fresh and has dimension.
The salon is really cute. Great lighting and design.
It is a little pricey but worth it. I’ll definitely come again.

Went to Lauren and received a perfect haircut! Had bad experience at Changes where they didn’t listen, and was very impressed by the care and professionalism here! I have multiple hair issues: straight, fine, gray and Lauren did a fine job!

I’ve been going to Transformations for 15 years! My stylist does a fabulous job with my fine hair, both for cuts and colors. The salon is very nicely designed and features local artists work. All of the staff are very friendly.

I usually don’t write reviews, but this is the first time I’ve ever been so disappointed with a service. My review strictly pertains to men’s cuts and my first/​only visit, but I currently don’t have any intention of going back.
My stylist asked me if it was my first time (it was). Pet peeve, at least introduce yourself and say «hello». I thought this was a little rude, but I digress.
I usually have my hair cut pretty short but have been trying to keep it a bit longer due to the cold weather. I showed the stylist a picture of my last haircut (which as cut out of town and had a longer style) and told her that I liked the way it was cut then; a textured medium length top with a gradual trip down the sides.
She quickly glanced at the picture, took her razor, and went ALL the way up the side and a bit around. I quickly stopped her and told her that it looked too short. She said that’s how it looked in the picture. I pulled out my phone again to showed her the picture again and she said that it looked the same to her (she eventually acknowledged that it was different). I wasn’t sure what to say or do at this point because the damage had already been done.
To add insult to injury, when clearing the hair off my neck, she actually blew a good amount of hair DOWN into my shirt. I realize it was probably an accident, but at least acknowledge it or apologize.
To her credit, the haircut still came out looking ok… but I’m disappointed that it wasn’t the style that I wanted. For the price, I expected a much more. I would have gone to a cheaper, local barbershop if I wanted my hair cut this short.
As for the rest of the establishment, the ladies at the reception desk were super friendly and professional. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t even have known my stylist’s name.

I have had my hair cut here twice. I really liked my hair cut from Dee. She’s great. I have recommended her to all of my friends in Ithaca (one of my curly haired female friends also LOVED Dee). I tried a different stylist (I don’t want to name names, everyone has an off day and different experiences) recently and the service was alright. I think I would only come back to see Dee. It’s a nice place, I really enjoy the head messages they give while washing your hair.

I was recommended «Transformations» by a friend and honestly I can’t imagine going elsewhere. Both my husband and I get our haircuts from Brent. He is absolutely amazing! I was stopped on the street while traveling and asked where did I get my haircut. Brent is a great listener, he pays close attention to your requests and does exactly what you ask. And this is not usually the case with short hairdos! Brent is super friendly and will always recommend styling tips and products, if asked. Did I mention his shampooing skills? Oh, I could book an appointment only for that.
The receptionists who manage the front desk and phone is wonderful as well: always helpful and willing to accommodate your needs even on a short notice. I believe this is the best place for hair in Ithaca!

I was very impressed with Transformations. My original stylist was sick, but the friendly receptionist managed to squeeze me in later in the day because I needed my hair cut for a weekend event. The receptionist is SUPER friendly and greeted everyone with a smile. Debbie cut my hair and did a fantastic job. I really like the products they use– you don’t come out smelling like you were at the salon. It was a little pricey, but not too bad.

The only reason I’m giving this two stars is because of Jenny and Amber (she has tattoos and works in the close chair to the window, hopefully I got her name right). My friend and I went here because we had a wedding to go to in Ithaca. Jenny started with my hair and she was extremely personable and attentive to what I wanted. We were scheduled to have jenny back to back but we were taking a while because I had a massive knot in my hair that jenny was trying to get out. We were running out of time so my friend had this short, blonde girl blow out her hair but not before she informed my friend that she really didn’t have time (no one was there). She did it in 10 minutes left product on her scalp and her hair was still poofy and frizzy. My friend hated it so she nicely asked someone to fix it. NO ONE WANTED TO FIX IT. This girl, Naomi ended up blowing her hair out but not before she reprimanded my friend for wanting to fix it. She told my friend that she was ridiculous and that her hair looked better than mine. She tried to brush out the product which is absurd. It just made half her hair stick to her face and the other frizz out more. This is the most unprofessional salon I have ever walked into. During my hair appointment the rude blonde girl came over and essentially accused my hair stylist of taking her curling iron right in front of me. As we were leaving, the blonde girl came over and bitched us out because we didn’t like the hair. It’s disgusting that people run a business this way. They need like Tabitha to come in and takeover.

This is THE place to go if you have curly hair. At other salons, I’ve had a lot of difficulty finding a stylist who truly understands curly hair. At transformations, they’re trained and certified by Deva curl to cut and style curly hair — the experience here is second to none. Jemima did a fantastic job on my unruly, hard-​to-​manage hair, and is without a doubt, the best curly hair stylist I’ve ever come across. I’m hooked! A great place to see the full deva curl line as well!

WARNING: DO NOT USE THIS PLACE FOR A WEDDING!!!
While planning my wedding in Ithaca, I was recommended Transformations by my wedding venue. I decided to book them for some appointments for my family the day before the wedding, and also appointments for the day of the wedding for our mothers, grandmothers, and a coupe other people involved in the ceremony. I called a couple of months in advance to make the arrangements, and called back the week before to confirm that everything was all set. A couple of days before the wedding we even dropped in to talk about the arrangements, and pay for our mothers’ make-​up in advance, which we had given them as mother’s day presents.
The day before the wedding my mother and sister showed up for their hair and nail appointments. They were on a tight schedule to make the rehearsal dinner, but we had made the appointments with plenty of time to make it. Trouble started right when they arrived, as it became clear that they were far behind schedule. In the end, they said they could not do my sister’s haircut because her hair was «too long,» and blamed me for not informing them (which they did not ask). In the end, they had to leave after having only one of the nail appointments completed and none of the hair.
When I spoke to them on the phone to ensure the same problem wouldn’t happen on the wedding day, they informed me that there was another wedding scheduled that morning before ours so they could not guarantee we would be done in time. I asserted that I had made these appointments months in advance, the woman smugly told me that this wedding had been booked first and took priority. When I asked why they would have promised me an appointment months ago that they knew they did not have available, the woman replied, «why would we turn down business?»
I will reiterate: this woman openly admitted to lying about a service she could not provide in order to get money from me.
The night before my wedding I was forced to find other appointments for the wedding day. To this day they have not reimbursed the money we paid in advance for the make-​up applications.
If there is anything important or time sensitive, or if you value giving your money to an honest business, stay away from this place!

I have been seeing Naomi since her time at City Style in Collegetown several years ago (I think I tried just about every salon in town before that). She’s a confident and creative hair stylist who is serious about her work. My hair grows out nicely, which makes it easier to allow more time between haircuts.
Transformations’ staff make it easy to schedule appointments and are always courteous when you’re in the salon. I strongly recommend.

I LOVE this place! Naomi is the best hair dresser in town! I have curly hair and I tried a few other hairdressers and she is just the best! She is attentive, talented, nice and most important– does amazing job. Highly recommend!

Dee is amazing and did a perfect job adding subtle layers to my long hair. Fun, relaxing, affordable and a great cut every time!

I recently tried Transformations for the first time. I’m so glad I did!
Getting a good haircut in Ithaca has always been a challenge, but I now feel like Transformations is my new salon and that Brent is my new stylist.
The whole staff seems professional and the receptionist is very friendly.
My hair turned out great and Brent knew exactly what my hair needed. I’m so thrilled to have found somewhere nice and comfortable (and totally competent) in Ithaca!

Back in Ithaca after a few years away, and looking for a good stylist, I decided to give this place a try. I booked a trim and a brow wax… a trim because I don’t ask for anything major when looking for a new stylist; a brow wax because I really needed one.
I was the last appointment of the day, or close to it. It’s a nice space, physically. Peaceful. The woman working reception was pleasant enough.
My brow wax was good. The same person who waxed my brows cut my hair. She had a nice manner. But – she spent five minutes on my haircut, if that.
OK, yeah, I know; it’s a simple trim. She was competent. But not great. What really knocked it down a star was the price…$ 38 for her to spend a few moments to take off an inch of hair, from an uncomplicated style?
Sigh. Still looking for a good women’s haircut in Ithaca.

Also a great place to pick up Arbonne skincare!

Brent at Transformations is a great stylist. He really cares about his clients, listens well, offers good suggestions and is a truly talented stylist. I have my hair colored and cut by him and couldn’t be happier. He is also a wonderful friendly, warm man and it is always nice to spend the time with him. I have recommended him to friends with every kind of hair… curly, straight, thinning, etc. and he has done a great job with everyone.

A fabulous place for a haircut! The prices are reasonable, and the stylists are knowledgeable and friendly — chatty, but not TOO chatty.
My appointment was with Lisa, and she did a marvelous job with my highlights and cut. What’s more is that she was careful to blend my highlights with my natural color so that I wouldn’t have to get them done as often, saving me mucho time and money in the future. That counts for a lot in my book.
Moving to a new town carries a lot of risks, and I was scared about trusting my hair to a new person, especially after falling in love with the stylist I’ve had in California for the past 4 years — but Lisa did a great job, and I will definitely return.