Paul Mitchell The School

The Esani beauty school is like a hot dog– nothing great, but acceptable if you have no money.
After years of going to Esani for blonde highlights and a haircut — hey, I was a poor college kid!– I finally went to a real salon a few months ago. The first question out of my new hair stylist’s mouth… «Did you purposely dye your hair yellow?»
Esani is fine if you’re okay with poorly dyed hair and a mediocre cut. I’ve never come out of the school feeling completely satisfied and I ALWAYS feel like I need to rewash and restyle my hair after leaving. (When it comes to curly hair, they really have no idea what they’re doing. They’re the people who put ketchup on hotdogs!)
Now that I have a real job and a bit of money, I’m on to bigger and better salons. You could say I’ve moved from hot dogs to kielbasa…

There is only one reason to go to Esani. They’re cheap! After patronizing the place for several years — what can I say? I wanted to save money! — I think that services, accountability, and common courtesy have fallen to the wayside.
– Everything is hit-​or miss. Many students (i.e. Shay) have an exalted sense of their limited abilities.
– If you make an appointment with a particular student, he or she may or may not show up. And … you may be sitting in reception for awhile before you realize they haven’t booked anyone else for you.
– It’s important to get a good teacher. Many on the floor a) don’t give a damn or b) aren’t particularly talented. The good ones leave. I do recommend Jamie (who’s great!) and Dallas. There’s one instructor walking around Phase 2 — a dumpy Paul Mitchell graduate, whose name I don’t know — who should be ousted.
– If you’re just getting roots touched up, you’ll probably be fine. But not necessarily. I’ve seen some disasterous dye jobs leave the joint.
– Haircuts? Hmmmm. I wouldn’t risk it. Definitely not, if you have curly hair.
– You may be in the seat for a looooong time. But realize, you’re working with students and they’re conceivably learning their craft. On YOU! (Your hair may come out good, it may not. That’s the price you pay, for working with students.)
– And if you’re not pleased, and politely complain when you’re there next time… you may be kicked out. Seriously.
Caveat emptor.

Sorry but I was disappointed from the get go. I give it one star for the nice guy that tried to fix things once we arrived. I requested an appointment for my daughter online after a friend recommended this place. I waited several days and never heard back (strike 1). I decided to call the school and make an appointment with the stylist the friend used. We would have to wait a week for the stylist to be available. We check in the day of the appointment and 15 minutes later someone comes over to us to say our stylist is absent and they would try to find someone else. Hmmm, a phone call before we arrived would have been appreciated (strike 2). After half an hour we were still waiting with no stylist. Someone (the nice guy) came up to us to let us know they had found a stylist available; he was there and finished with his client but they couldn’t find him (strike 3). After a week of waiting to make an appointment and almost an hour sitting there with no clue if we were getting services, we just walked out. I think perhaps the school forgot to teach the curtesy and customer service part of the program. If they care so little about how to handle things before you sit in the chair, then perhaps we dodged a bullet in the amount of care they give you once you are in the chair. I don’t think I would risk anything other than a simple trim at this place.

As i walked into the salon to get my locks snipped i was thinking about how all my haircut experiences have been bland and uneventful. i realized THEY dont want you to have great hair. THEY dont want you to get some baddie’s number with a single, trademarked, Beiber hair flip. luckly i was referred to the fine establishment of Paul Mitchel’s beauty school. i was taken to my seat by a woman that goes by the name of Mannie. She took me to the shampooing station and massaged my scalp as if she was blessed up with the hands of an angel. once the shampoo was out of my hair (took two tries but even numbers are always better than odd numbers she must’ve known) she began to carve my hair into the mona lisa of male hair. so soft its as if my dear friend mannie plucked each individual hair from the heavens and placed them on my scalp. i came out that place with baddies begging for my number. you bet ill be back to this institution for every haircut i have until i no longer have hair. i would buy a toupee just so mannie could cut my hair. bless up

Really loved my wash, trim, and style with Marie today! Will def ask for her on future visits!

Came here again for a haircut because I didn’t really want to go out and try and find a hair salon again. As always the prices here are amazing, for a regular haircut it is only $ 15 but the time you have to spend there getting a haircut is about 2 hours. I know they are still learning and it is a hit or miss for me. Some stylist like to interact with customers and some do not provide any conversation at all. If you want a decent haircut for a very very nice price, this is definitely the place

Paul Mitchel is great, but the Esani school is hit or miss. There have been times in the past when I have waited one hour before being seated and end up getting a two hour haircut, which should NEVER happen. Luckily for this review, the last time I went was on a Wednesday and there was only a 5 minute wait. The good thing about this teaching school is that the instructors are walking around constantly, guiding the students. This gives the student more confidence and the customer too. I like how they wash your hair before cutting it, which is a service you would pay extra for anywhere else. Overall, don’t go here if you’re particular about your hair or if you’re pressed for time. I do recommend it for the more adventurous and those who like to help others learn!

Great appointment. Totally enjoyed my experience. Shakur was awesome. Loved the hand massage and scalp massage. Perfect color and trim.

I was more than pleasantly surprised when I went in yesterday for my first time. Candace H gave me a blowout and I left feeling completely confident and ready for my baby shower. She was so professional, inquisitive about how/​what I like re: my hair, and friendly.
The only downside was waiting 20 minutes when I had an appt.
I will definitely go back for blowouts with Candace.

Have had a cut in my monthly budget that last 6 months and have been going to Paul Mitchell lately. Of all 5 experiences I only had a marginal visit with one stylist. All the other times have been great. Attention to detail and all stylist are managed by a supervisor-​each step of the way. I have long hair and do a mix of highlights, low lights etc. Takes a while but more time than money right now. Definitely recommend.
Julie

I have been going to Paul Mitchell for over a year and a half now and have had some good and some bad experiences (one being my hair needing to get chopped off as a «rescue»). However, this last time will be my last. It took over 20 minutes to attend to me, I was told the person in phase 2 I was meant to see was leaving early. Then I was told they found a phase 1 to help me, but that switched within 5 minutes. I was going for a root touch up, my color formula had previously been put in the system, but they said they couldn’t find it. the instructors that had helped before said they didn’t remember and were borderline rude. After color and blow dry, I still had a lump of color at the nape of my neck, so had to use a towel and water to try and get some of it off. I also had blobs of color on my neck when I got home. Sadly, I was not impressed. I got my color done, at a good price, but not sure it was worth it.

I absolutely LOVE Paul Mitchell the School. I have been getting my hair done here since 2005. Originally I started at Paul Mitchell the School Atlanta, however I moved closer to Esani about 2 years ago and started going here.
I always get great color and cuts. I haven’t had a bad experience.
I see people complaining about wanting complicated cuts (you’re going to a school)
I see people complaining about the time in the chair.(again.you’re going to a school)
Paul Mitchell the School makes trying out hair cuts and colors a no brainer for me… If I want to drastically change colors, it will not cost me hundreds like it would elsewhere. I typically get highlights and cut for $ 48
However I have gotten the PM Shines, and Awaphui Treatments in the past.
If you are not one for color I HIGHLY recommend getting a Clear PM Shine. It brightens your natural color and adds soooo much shine. I didn’t color my hair for 1 – 2 years and just got PM shines to add vibrancy. It’s not permanent. The Awaphui treatment is great too, especially if your hair is damaged from constant dyeing, heated tools etc. It restores your hair.
I sound like an advertisement. but I recommend this place to all of my friends and I am definitely a happy client!

I had a hot store back treatmemt with Dee Love. She is awesome with great smile and attitude. The treatment was very relaxing. I def recommend her for your service!

You can’t beat the price for the service you receive. My sister takes herself and girls here all the time. Their hair has grown so much. I have taken my children here a few time. It usually take a while for their hair to get done, but it is a school. Everyone is so very friendly. If you get a stylist you love, just ask for them over and over until they graduate. :)

I am really really torn on the star rating to give them. I have been here at-​least 6 times over the past few years and had both some amazing and horrifying experiences. The first time i had a wonderful experience, I believe the instructor was Carla and she was like a hawk overseeing the entire process, and the student was great. After that it kind of went down hill. The last time i actually had service here the girl ended up bleaching my hair, which i asked her not to do, because she was too busy talking to 2 other students that were already off, planning their night. I asked for an instructor and she disappeared for 25 min. then left it on for over an hour so the hair came out stark white, I am a very very dark almost black brunette and to have practically white streaks in my hair was not a good sight. An instructor ended up taking over for the girl and fixing it the best he could but it was a 4 hour experience, and not one i like looking back on.
This last time i went i made an appointment, i was going to try color again, i was in a time jam and had a vacation upcoming. They made the apt, i got there 30 min early and then was told that my apt was too late, the color cut off was at 1pm and my apt was for 2 pm. I asked how this happened and they didn’t really know– they mentioned that i might try to go to the mastery next door, which i didn’t know existed– and that they would try to get a percentage taken off my next visit. I let them know that i was pretty much done.
I did end up calling the mastery and they had an appointment, they are a full blown salon, I let them know what happened ext door and they only charged me the price i would have paid next door. The job they did was awesome and i made a follow up appointment. They made up leaps and bounds for the mishap next door. and gained a new client :)

My first time and the haircut is nicer than what I got at Great Clips or other mid-​range salons. Dallas, the hair stylist was friendly, always asked if what she was doing was what I wanted and her supervisor checked up on her progress a number of times. One negative is they need more then just bench seating in the front area. At one point clients were left to stand cause there was no seating left. Also, if you are going to tip the stylists please be sure to bring cash because they do not put the tip on your credit or debit card. I had to write a check for the tip! The place is busy in the mornings which is for the most part when they take clients. Afternoons are reserved for training and classes for the students. I will be back for sure and I will ask for Dallas again while she is still at the school.

I need to revise my review. I have been here several times now, and the two other time I was here went fine. Long and drawn out, but fine. My last visit here is why I will not return.
I had come in about 20 min early for my appointment thinking that they might take me a little early. 30 minutes later than my original appt. time, I still had not been called. I go to ask the guy at the front if they had forgotten me, and he says” oh, I forgot what you looked like, I thought they called you already”… Really?!.
Ok, so maybe i’m forgettable. i guess…
So then the girl cutting my hair, she was ok. What got me though is when I asked about a brow wax… I know, I know, what was I thinking getting a brow wa done by a student? but I was in a pinch and thought I could kill two birds… Was I WRONG! now, i’m no professional but I’ve had my brows done enough times to know that what she was doing was wrong. It just didn’t feel right. So she does one brow, applying wax way to wide, so much so that it gets into my freshly washed and cut hair. Then proceeds to pull the wrong way. lt felt as though she was ripping my whole damn brow off. I look and sure enough it damn near was. I tell her to stop, she says let me even it out… No!!! «Well, whats wrong with it?» I say «I just don’t think this feels right, plus your pulling the wrong way» she says «oh well we haven’t learned this yet»
WHAT?!
I say” now I’m going to have to spend more money to get this fixed“
no I’m sorry, nothing.
I then proceed to the front where she whispers something to the guy, and the guy says $ 37 when the instructor who makes you sign the release for services says $ 32. Now $ 5 is no big deal, but after I told him about the butchering that hapened, he still charged me for it.
I promptly made my way out the door and to another salon for repair, luckily they were able to salvage my brow and although thinner than usual have my other brow match.
Sorry Esani, but I will not be back.