Ginger Bay & Spa

A very nice salon. It is on the pricey side, but coming from Philly it’s cheaper than what I’m used to. They use all Aveda products and are pretty brainwashed by them. Aveda products aren’t miracle «cure» products like they will have you believe. They really push you to buy their products and are snooty if you tell them you use another product. My stylist kept giving me ugly looks commenting how much «build up» is on my hair. I felt like I was at the dentist.
Therefore, I was pretty annoyed when she tried to sell me a ton of her products to use on my hair. I already bought some expensive Aveda volumizing spray that she recommended last time (apparently made my hair worse, not better?). I told her I didn’t need any MORE build up, thanks… How rude.

Came here for a hair styling and manicure before the Unilocal Black and Red Ball. This place is tucked away in a shopping plaza in Town and Country. I normally wouldn’t go to such a fancy-​pants salon but my boyfriend’s mom bought him a giftcard to use for his birthday. Being apathetic about all things beauty-​related, he kindly handed me the giftcard to use for later and I ended up using it last week!
When you first walk in they offer to take your coat and offer you coffee, tea, or water. That’s a really nice touch. It’s like a 1^st class experience! Reminds me of the hair and nail salons in Japan. All of the people working in here have those little head walkie-​talkie gizmos on so they can push a button to talk to each other which is really nifty. The hair dryers dangle down from the ceiling so there is no tripping over cords (note to self: I NEED this configuration for my home, haha.)
Regarding price: My hairstyle would have cost $ 65 and the manicure was $ 20, I believe. I can’t comment on the manicure price since I normally go to hole-​in-​the-​wall places owned by Vietnamese folks (seriously some of the most awesomely-​cheap places to get your nails ‘did in STL!) and I usually pay about $ 18 or $ 20 for acrylic tips at those places so maybe $ 20 for a non acrylic tip manicure is steep? I have no clue. It was a pretty darn good manicure, but I don’t know if I’d pay for it again unless I had a special occasion coming up.
I think I am starting to prefer acrylics, and I have no idea why… because they tend to get in the way when I am typing (on Unilocal,of course!) but just FYI, this Ginger Bay location does NOT offer acrylic tips, just regular manicures. If you want a Ginger Bay acrylic tip job, you have to go to their Kirkwood location. I think the Town and Country location is fairly new. They had some kind of little mini party/​celebration thing going on when I got there and there was free food, SCORE. I hadn’t eaten all day, so that was awesome, lol. By the way, Alexis did my nails and she did an awesome job so if you are unsure about who to ask for, ask for her!
A girl named Cory did my hair and she, too, did a great job. At first I wasn’t sure if I really liked it but it grew on me as the night progressed (pun intended?!)…I asked her for a «retro» hair style and found a picture on my phone to show her for inspiration. I realized my hair isn’t going to be the same length and structure as the random celeb pic on my phone, so I didn’t expect her to replicate it exactly but rather get my hair in a similar style. I think she did a pretty good job of adapting.
Also should mention – with a hairstyle, you get a shampoo and conditioner treatment as well as aromatherapy and a scalp massage. Out of three bottles of essential oils, you can pick one for the stylist to use on you. The stylist will rub the oils into his or her hands and then ask you to inhale and exhale while putting the hands near your face. It’s amazingly relaxing! Another nice touch, besides the tea and coat check and whatnot.
Another bonus – they use AVEDA products at this salon so you won’t have to worry about icky silicone in your shampoo or parabens. I wish their shampoo was sulfate free as well but it’s kind of hard to get all of that in one package and still have a super-​effective shampoo. Sulfates (SLS) are the chemicals that make your shampoo lather-​y and bubble-​y, FYI. They help in the removal of dirt. I am a total freak about my shampoo and hair… I’ve been silicone free for over half a year now so I am glad I didn’t have to say no to the complimentary shampoo & condition at Ginger Bay! The scalp scrubbing is amazing. She accidentally sprayed me whilst washing my hair but I forgive her… haha. :P
Only loses one star due to crazy prices and the fact that my stylist kept asking me if I was going to come back and tried to persuade me with coupons to get my hair dyed even when I told her I was not interested in dying my hair since I want to grow out the natural color. It was like being at Teavana or something except not as pushy, ha ha. If you’ve been there even once, you’ll get the joke.
Would I come back? Maybe if my BF’s mom keeps giving him giftcards. Which btw, they had a hard time ringing up. But since the woman at the desk knew I was running late for my event she told me to go ahead and head out and they took care of the giftcard snafu later. At least they are pretty accommodating!
Don’t get me wrong, I love the pampering (ew I hate that word, though, it reminds me of diapers…) and the special treatments but I would rather save my money for other things and go to Custom Cuts (the one in Des Peres ROCKS!) instead. But then again I am cheeeap.