Vidal Sassoon Advanced Academy

Looong wait… Very loud music. The student who was cutting my hair was not bad, although quite slooow, BUT the tutor (avoid absolutely the Yellow room) had a rubbish taste. She decided that I’d have a square cut, even if I was asking for a layered one. I came out looking like a clown. Now I have to get another cut to amend the disaster.

see my review of Vidal Sasson Brooks St. I believe the address listed above is wrong. It should be the 56 Brook Street, Mayfair London, W1K 5NE. Make sure you verify where you are going when you make an appointment as I made a mistake of going to the Grosvernor St and I did not see the Vidal Sasson Academy. I was directed to go to Brook st. Luckily it is just 2 blocks away so I was not later for my appointment. Hope you enjoy your experience as I did mine.

I went here twice when I was studying abroad in London. I had a hair dresser in the US tell me to get my hair cut at Vidal Sassoon, because London is the hair capital of the world apparently. Of course, I couldn’t afford an actual salon cut so I decided to try out the schools. Heard bad things about the Davies Mews one so I decided to try out the Advanced. So glad I did.
They gave me maybe the best cut I’ve ever had in my life. Granted, I’m into crazy colored hair and edgy cuts so it’s probably not for everyone, but even my conservative dad loved my hair when I sent him a picture. I had super long, thick Asian hair and the teacher said it would be better short than long. He got the student to chop off all my hair until it was chin length but kept one bang my original length. Then they dyed my hair red and blue black. It looked awesome.
Now, 3 years later I still have short hair and I’m never going back.
The process is long. Both times I went for cut and dye and it took around 4 – 5 hours. I was always the last person to leave the studio, probably because the dye took so long. It seems like the teachers cut more of my hair than the student, which is all good in my book. They listen too, since I said I didn’t want a bob and the teacher said he wouldn’t dream of giving me one. The second time I went my stylist didn’t show up, and so they said if I rebooked I’d get a free haircut, which was awesome. And then they emailed me coupons.
I’ve tried out the VS Academies in LA and Shanghai and although they’re also very good, they don’t compare to this one. Love the Advanced Academy and I still wish I lived in London so I could get a haircut.

In my cheap ass paid-​nothing fash-​pack days, I had hair cuts by Dove at advanced academy all the time. Various haircuts have been called «fruit salad», «rainbow» and ‘OMG why is it so freaking short, it is NEVER going to grow back” by my family. Nuff Said. It’s ok to be kooky when you work in fashion and fashion forward is supposedly your «middle name», not so ok if you hold down a semi– proper job. If your life mantra is not «whatever, hair grows back»; you don’t care about having super asymmetric hair, buzzed cuts on one side and about 10 different colors simultaneously thrown on then please don’t go. It will SERIOUSLY only make you cry because they sell it like you are going to come out with kinda normal looking hair. And you don’t. You see all those über cool pictures of haircuts that you’d not want to have on the walls? You are basically the guinea pigs for that.
Get in with the guys and be a demo model. Life is much better when you are a demo model and not some poor soul having your hair dried for about 3 hours because the student «couldn’t diffuse hair properly” — I felt so sorry for that girl who went home with her hair utterly fried. Also having your hair cut by a person not being taught (even if they are technically capable) is a better. They have a vision of what they want to do so it generally turns out more coherent. You also don’t have a chance seeing what’s happening so you don’t freak out until about 2 hours later when people show you the pictures they’ve taken of your brand new hair cut– yes the one you haven’t had a chance to see yet. Oh yeah, your hair cut will only take 2 in front of an audience instead of 5. Bliss.
I see nothing wrong with their academy. I’ve stopped working in fashion 5 years ago and now I still only get my hair cut at Sassoon, I have a fab relationship with the hairdresser and a lot of respect for the sassoon technique. I now basically have the same thing done to me except I get the choice of not having rainbow colored hair and pay an extortionate amount of money for the privilege of being a guinea pig. They’ve convinced me from paying nothing to paying a lot for my hair so they couldn’t have been that bad!
Finally a breakdown of the Sassoon academy system as I understand it:
Normal (Davis Street) — People learning how to cut hair. You will come out with vaguely looking (if slightly badly cut) hair.
Creative– This is teaching people to transfer advanced haircuts to the salon environment. A few colours, asymmetry but basically what you get if you get pay for an advanced hair cut at a salon. Students have established techniques. You still might look a bit twattish but at a bearable level.
Advanced– Any frigging thing goes. Can’t guarantee you will come out looking normal. In fact, you’d probably look like a shoreditch twat. Sorry. You’ve been warned.

Great place to go to when you’re short on cash for a haircut.
Since it’s a learning facility, make sure you have the whole day to be there. I was there for about 5 hours. But it was incredibly cheap considering you get a wash, cut, dry and even color.
However, if you want a regular haircut and nothing artsy (as these students want to test out latest techniques) then maybe you should stick to regular salons.

With a good, thick head of hair you find people using you in order to get their hands on it. I have been grabbed off the street on many occasions by Vidal Sassoon stylists looking for hair to chop into.
Perfect so long as you are not fussed about handing over your locks to a stranger to recreate in a «creative» style. Nor do you mind sitting in a chair while 20 hairdressers crowd around and are explained the exact method of sectioning perpendicular to the crown that was used and the angle at which to pull the hair away from the head.
It does take up a large amount of the day, however, you pay nothing and get a cutting edge hairstyle from a really experienced hairdresser. Should they like you and your hair you could be asked to come back and dod paid presentation modelling.
It seemed perfect to me, that was until the day that mid presentation in which I had requested that he keep it quite long, my blasé stylist gave me bangs. Not only bangs but one level with my cheek bone, the other in line with my eye. Then came the panic attack and I left the stage.
Had it not gone that one step too far, I would probably have gone back. Needless to say that not even the payment incentive has got me back in the seat.
However, if you are looking for a hairstyle that has not hit the streets yet, that you can have re-​cut and dyed every month and not pay a penny for then Vidal Sassoon Advanced Academy can sort you out with everything that you could wish for.

My attraction to the Vidal Sassoon Advanced Academy near Bond Street in central London was quite simple: this was the only place I could find during my poor student days to get a haircut by an exceptionally well trained hairdresser for the price of a vodka tonic. Twice I visited Vidal Sassoon’s renowned training academy for a haircut during my first year at uni, both times emerging with a classically chic bob that would doubtless have made Mr Sassoon himself proud. Well they say the third time’s the charm, but for me at Vidal Sassoon it wasn’t.
My third visit saw my hair was tended to by a girl who was part of a group of students training at the academy from Japan; none of whom spoke English, necessitating communication with my stylist via a translator. Long story short: something got lost in transation because my request for a simple bob saw me leave with an asymetrical crop, head shaved up the back, so short it’s taken me almost three years to grow it out. My fatal error? Making an appointment at the ‘Creative’ academy as opposed to the ‘Classic’ academy by mistake.
Allegory aside, Vidal Sassoon’s training academy really is a Godsend for the stylishly cash strapped. Rather than being staffed by beginners, most trainees are simply working hairdressers who have returned to the Academy to hone their skills, learn a few new haircuts etc. As such, you’re getting a bona fide professional haircut for a fraction of the usual price. Just make an appointment in advance, be very clear with your stylist and for God’s sake, avoid the ‘Creative’ salon like the metaphorical plague.