Paul Mitchell The School Sacramento at MTI College

Today I had my first experience at Paul Mitchell. When I called to make my appointment I was advised by friends to ask for a «phase 2 student». Not to say that «phase 1» students are incompetent, but my request did make me feel much more comfortable about the appointment. The student styling my hair was (Rebecca) Rexa and the professional stylist accompanying her today was Nikki. Nikki did a really great job ensuring that Rexa went about the best way to style my hair by giving her tips and helping her out with the process. Nikki was also very informative about the process that students go through to graduate, and it was interesting to find out more about this program that I knew so little about. Due to a bad salon experience I am very nervous about new stylists touching my hair. My anxiety diminished after Nikki and Rexa went over the different steps they would take to color my hair, and confirmed with me the look that I was going for. I did not once doubt Rexa’s ability, and I was able to relax in my chair at the salon. Students here are very attentive, watchful and confident.
People need to remember that these stylists are students and this is a learning experience for them. Students are not getting paid for these appointments, so make sure to tip! Expect to be at Paul Mitchell for longer than you would at a normal salon as the stylists work slow and carefully to make sure it looks great in the end. Paul Mitchell offers low prices for the public that you really can’t beat.
In the end, I had a new and fun experience at Paul Mitchell. I’ll be back for sure! :)

THESE PEOPLE/​COMPANY DESERVE NEGATIVE 10 ZERO STARS! I unfortunately made a horrible decision and got my hair colored here. They refused to color my hair how I wanted it done. The student ripped out some of my hair and continually burned my scalp with her blow dryer and it takes hours and hours sitting in their uncomfortable chair (s) to get anything done. A few of the floor supervisors and the main supervisor are EXTREMELY RUDE AND UNPROFESSIONAL, I don’t understand why they still have jobs. As much money as they charge, save yourself the headache (literally) and seek out a PROFESSIONAL hair stylist.

I was referred by a friend to go here and see Sasha Lytvak. They were able to accommodate my schedule & get me in the same week. The newly redesigned building looks amazing! My attention is always caught everytime I drive by on my way to work so kudos to that! Inside seem very sterile & organized/​They have many chairs to accommodate many clients.
The quote (for hair color, hair cut & style) was super cheap to begin with and when I came they were running a fundraiser — for $ 5 I get to spin the wheel for a prize. sure enough I got lucky and had 50% taken off of my hair color service! It was the cheapest I’ve ever paid for a full hair service. Not only that, Sasha did an amazing job with the color correction and making my hair healthy again (as you can see from the before & after picture lol what a disaster!)
Since it’s a beauty school the students take a lot longer to finish because not only are they more careful, they also need to get clearance from their professors for almost every process/​step. I’m an impatient person and not knowing that I was going to be on that chair for a total of 4 hours is a very bad situation (for the people around me, that is…) lol Sasha is such a sweetheart that I wasn’t as aggravated than I normally would be :) So, if you’re planning to go here for a full service do not make plans for the next 3 – 4 hrs!
Overall — my hair is happy, I saved money, I am impressed & I will be back.

First off, this is a place of learning and building technique. So of course it’s going to take longer than a regular salon and there is a higher chance that you won’t be satisfied with the end result of your hair BUT you already knew that before walking in! I got my haircut last week, she washed, trimmed 2 inches, layered and styled my hair for $ 12!!! It took about an hour and 15 minutes but I think it was totally worth it. I expected my hair to look just ok since it was so cheap but it actually looked good and I was a very happy customer. Ill be back soon.

I’ve come here in the past. You never know who you’re going to get. I got lucky this time. I came in to cover my bright reddish hair with a chocolate brown. I got # 172 Gabriela, She was AWESOME! She gave me a hand and arm massage and covered my hair with a rich chocolate brown color!!! She has a great personality and kept me entertained through the whole process. I also loved her instructor, Cassandra. She was very knowledge and patient and let her student figure out what steps to take. They also had a wheel to spin for prizes. It was only $ 5 to spin each time. All the prizes were worth well over $ 5 plus it all goes to charities, children’s, veterans.
I spun the wheel twice. The first time I won a deep conditioner treatment worth $ 18 and my second spin I won 50% off my color!!! Yay
Very happy

Get ready to spend all day here. If it’s for a dye, it’s not cheap here, same price at a regular salon. Mite as well as save time and get better results at a regular salon. Believe me!

Really impressed with the place. Annoyed by the construction in front (construction dude was a bit of a dick…) but that’s not the fault of the school. They did a good job.

Kayla #158 was awesome! The color was perfect and she was very sweet. My friend who cuts hair for a living recommended going there and I am very grateful to him. It is so nice to have your look amazing.

Very disappointed after having such great service with Katelyn who’s a PRO with rollersets and Kirsten who’s a PRO with the curling iron. Today, I walk into the school and am confronted by the lead staff informing me that KAYLA (phase 2) doesn’t want to do my hair because she ‘feels uncomfortable ‘. When I asked why, the lead tells me that I called Kayla timid. Lol! I could continue going here but Kayla has totally made ME feel uncomfortable so I rather stay away so I don’t go off on her. First, Kayla tells me her personal business of how she got her things stolen and how there is drama at her McDonald’s workplace and at the beauty school. I asked her what she was doing about the fact that her belongings have been stolen and people look in her things and take them. I encouraged her to stand up for herself and try not to be so timid that people walk over her! I told her how my daughter and I rollerskate and she OFFERED to give me a FREE pair of skates! I had one curl that wouldn’t dry after a rollerset and I had her use a blow dryer to simply dry that one curl. I could tell she felt uncomfortable but I assured her ot was good and better than sticking my entire head back under the dryer for one measly curl. I then COMPLIMENTED her on the job well done and TIPPED HER! I AM very open spoken but I have never used fowl language or treated ANYONE here with an ill intent. I will not be silent about this and for a long time customer, it saddens me. Kayla, you are in the WRONG business if you can’t handle negative criticism of which I didn’t even give you! You are also in the wrong business if you SHARE your personal business and can’t handle friendly advice! You should get a job where you don’t handle the public so you are not afraid. I do not like when lies are told about myself. I did not say ANYTHING to you that was wrong and because so, I will not be nice here. I am bothered when people attack my person for no reason. The conversation we had left on a good note and to go back hearing you made up lies about something I didn’t do saying I used fowl language and called you timid like for no reason just to be mean is WRONG. I WOULDN’T DO THAT! I ENCOURAGED YOU TO SPEAK UP FOR YOURSELF, HOW DARE YOU! It’s ok, Katelyn is gone anyway. .it’s been real.

First time here and I made an appointment to return for a cut and brow wax! Kerstan is the best!

Gabby does a good job, this is my second time with her. She does a thorough job, she does excellent coloring. Will continue to refer my freinds here. Very affordable.
Thanks Gabby #172

Horrible huge waste of time! Saw the groupon for the haircut, style, and perm. I’m not one to really ever get my hair done but recently have been interested in a very loose wave perm as my hair is hard to curl. Before purchasing the groupon, I called the school to make sure that they would be able to do this and the receptionist assured me that they could so I went ahead and purchased the groupon. I made an appointment and when I went, I was basically instantly told they couldn’t do what I wanted and that the receptionists don’t really know what they are talking about. This was very irritating but I was so excited to get my hair done for once that I asked if I could get a haircut and color instead and just pay the difference. The instructor told me that I would have to get my groupon refunded directly through groupon and pay in full for the service. Total crap. I know they could have figured out a way to make this happen. And to top it all off, the instructor was super unprofessional. When I didnt jump on the idea of paying almost $ 70 to have something done that the groupon should have been able to be used towards, the instructor laughed awkwardly, said «…okayyy…I have other students who need me» and walked away. Seriously?! I will NOT be returning!
NOTE: I want to add that I do not think the student was at fault for any of this.

Had a bad hair color experience with Erica 63! I didn’t want to go back to have them try to correct it.
Michael was kind enough to give me a call & make things right by giving me a refund. Thank you Michael Zimmerman!

After losing 50 pounds, I decided to top my transformation off with a change of hair color. It had been 25 years since my only visit to a salon had taken place.
I purchased a Groupon which is how I became aware of the Paul Mitchell School. I had my hair cut, styled and dyed by phase 1 student Brandy122.
She did a great job and was very careful and conscientious. The instructor was on hand and demonstrated some cuts.
The hair color is beautiful. I went from brunette with lots of gray coming in, into a dark red head, a copper red head with an easy to take care of layered cut coming out.
I am so happy I did not opt to try and dye my hair on my own like I was contemplating. I found out from them that my recent henna experimentation could have had disastrous effects mixed with certain dyes. I could just envision a melted, smoking head!
I am so glad I decided to try Paul Mitchell The School as I am very happy with my transformation and recommend Brandy 122.
Karen Burns

I went yesterday to use a groupon I had purchased for 20 foil highlights. I just wanted to get my roots touched up to help cover the outgrowth. I have to say, for a cheap touch up in between seeing my normal stylist, it was definitely worth it. The gal, Tory, did an excellent job. I was very pleased with the outcome. And I paid $ 10 more for her to tone it, which helped remove the brassiness I had. The main reason I’m giving 4 stars is bc I was there for 3 hours — and it would’ve been longer had she completely blow dried and styled my hair— but I opted out of that. For the price, and considering they’re students, overall I was pleased.

It was my first time getting hair done at a school and by a student who is about to graduate next week. Danielle aka Dani was my hair stylist, and I have to say…
She is awesome

I had a good experience but I only had a haircut $ 12 and it was only a trim, so probably anyone could have done it. –1 star because student did not cut my bangs (for some reason) and then when her instructor came over, she said that she did, and I didn’t bother to correct her because — she was clearly preoccupied with some very serious life issues (that I will not write here) that she was telling me about while she was cutting my hair (a relative of hers had just been diagnosed with cancer. Plus, I usually just cut my bangs myself when they need it with my special shears, and the length was okay at the time.
Overall, a better place to go for the price (if you need a quick trim) I definitely would not trust them with any kind of color (or any other beauty school, for that matter.) They are, after all, a beauty SCHOOL.
I have used other Paul Mitchell «the school» beauty salons for color in the past — I applaud the young lady (previous Unilocal review) who exposes them for using harsh chemicals. (Just because something is «natural» doesn’t mean that it should be used on your skin or hair… a.k.a. cancer causing…) Heck, arsenic is «natural» but it’ll kill ‘ya if ingested…(see my point…)
I had previously been at another Paul Mitchel «the school» hair place where they had used P.M. Shines (a product they heavily promote) on my entire head of hair. While I admit — the hair did look good :) haha. It smelled like chemicals the entire time of the semi-​permanent life of the product (12 weeks… then it eventually washed out) I would be wary of them (even if everyone’s doing it –highlighting their hair, etc.) doesn’t make it beneficial/healthy…Research your options and don’t just follow the fads! AGAIN, just because everyone’s getting highlights/​lowlights whatever… does not mean it’s healthy for you (plus, it’s expensive — I think most young women *in this day and age* would be wise to spend your money on other things than being a slave to the fads/​trends. like paying off debt or saving for your future.)
If I had a better option for a cheap haircut (friend/​relative?) I would probably go there. As I said, my hair is wavy and long so it doesn’t exactly show if there’s any mistakes made.
3 stars because the instructor and the student were both very friendly & personable. That doesn’t always happen in the hair industry. ;)

A final update.
The Unilocal rating will remain the same based off of my initial experience, perhaps if it hadn’t been for the CPS threat towards my husband who had been waiting in the parking lot with my children (doing nothing wrong), as well as for the ignorant remarks about our country towards myself, an Army vet/​spouse, then I would’ve changed it to reflect the initiative to resolve the horrible experience I went through but those were the tipping points for my family and I, and needs to remain for other people to read this review.
As for the attempts to correct the issue, I appreciate all the effort put forth by some of the members of this business particularly a Mr. Zimmerman. I was refunded in full including the amount I paid towards the Groupon via a check.

I figured I would save some money by going here, even though it meant having a student practice on me — I figured it was just a cut and it would not be a big deal if they cut too much! I booked my appointment online and they called to confirm. I got a couple of texts reminding me of my appointment as well. I got there ten minutes before my scheduled appointment, and my hairdresser Ashley (phase two, and an honors student I believe) came and got me shortly thereafter. I showed her a picture of what I wanted and then she had me sign a form saying I knew she was not a certified hairstylist. Her teacher or whoever, someone higher up, came by to discuss my hair with Ashley and she suggested I get a scalp treatment as well since I had a lot of product buildup, saying it’d cost $ 17 plus the additional $ 17 for my cut (had been told it would be $ 15, but not a big difference!). I figured I might as well do it since my hair was looking greasy because of the buildup.
Ashley’s assistant, whose name I am not sure of, then showed up. She was probably very new to the floor since she looked pretty nervous. She was super nice though and Ashley suggested she give me a hand massage (ahh, bliss) while she did my hair. The scalp treatment consisted of her brushing out the top of my hair section by section with some specific kind of brush, then she applied a peppermint-​y cream into each section too and massaged it in. Then her assistant gave me a wonderful hair wash and massage, then she had to leave. Ashley then trimmed my hair about an inch and then painstakingly blow dried my hair. She spent a lot of time on it and was not rushed at all, and another customer behind me told her that she made my hair look beautiful. She then trimmed my bangs. After that she took me to pay and schedule a next appointment.
I would highly recommend this place. I spent $ 46 in total, which included scalp treatment, hand massage (not sure they do this for everyone, she probably wanted her assistant to get some practice), hair wash, scalp massage, haircut, blow dry, style, and a tip. Nice! It took about two hours. Plenty of parking, I parked in the school parking lot on accident but they said it was fine. Pretty much a great salon for a great price.

I came across this salon because I saw how amazingly cheap it was on groupon! My housemates and I were a bit skeptical because it would be students doing our hairs and not professionals. However we are college students on a tight budget, so why not!
This review is for Noemi. She is FANTASTIC. She’s been a student for more than a year so she really knew what she was doing. She was friendly and constantly gave feedback! It was my first time getting highlights and she made it a great experience! Her student leader, Kendra, is also extremely helpful. She came by often to check up on her students. I would definitely follow Noemi wherever she goes after she graduates!
The only downside was that it took three days to get a cut, all over hair dye, and highlights. I don’t live the closest so it was a hassle for me to keep coming back. They do not take hair appointments at night after 6:30, so it only left time to do one thing each night. But for the price I paid, I am not complaining too bad.
One of the leaders, Sen, the only male leader it looks like, really messed up on my housemate’s hair. He told his student horrible instructions! All she wanted was some ombré which the groupon should have covered. Instead, he told his student to lighten her entire head (REALLY BAD FOR THE HAIR) which costed her an extra $ 25 on top of her groupon. He was hoping that it would make the ends lighter than the rest of her hair. WRONG. It made her entire hair ORANGE and DEAD. I do not blame the student cause she was going to do it the right way, but there’s only so much she can do if her instructor told her to do something else.
All and all, I had a great experience cause I was lucky enough to get an awesome student and student leader!

I’ve been going to The Paul Mitchell school for haircuts & colors for a few years now.
The main reason is because of the cost. It’s $ 10-​$ 15 for a cut and $ 25-​$ 30 for an all over color. The price is based on whether the student is phase 1 or 2. The phase 2 students are more advanced, are towards the end of their classes. They tend to be better overall.
They obviously use all Paul Mitchell products which are top of the line in my mind. I love all the products I’ve used.
They give you a head massage when they shampoo your hair and it is beyond relaxing.
The atmosphere is clean and professional. Seems just like a normal saloon.
The biggest thing is it take ALOT longer.
Every time I’ve gonna in for a cut and color I’ve gotten there at 5:45 and left at 10pm.
Last night I just got a cut but was still there from 6:45 — 9:30. And it was just a basic trim & some layers.
But with that said the service is for the most part fantastic and I go in expecting it taking a long time and just grab some magazines and enjoy the process.
I would not go here if you are in any sort of crunch for time. It takes so long cause they have to get everything approved by their teachers and there are only so many teachers to go around.
I’ve only been here at night since I work during the day, so day appointments may be different.
Overall, I love going here. I have always loved the results, even if they did take up my whole evening.