Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Charlotte

On December 15, 2025, I visited Aveda as a paying client for a bleach, tone, and color service. ( I am a Esthi student ) Photo timeline: • Before photo: taken one week prior to the appointment my hair was healthy, full, and retained its natural curl pattern. • After photo: taken one month post-service visible breakage is present at the nape and front hairline. Although I have never studied cosmetology, I have bleached and colored my own hair in the past without experiencing this level of damage. I arrived at 10:00 a.m. with a pre-approved plan for ginger hair with black "fox tip" ends. I was in the salon for nearly 10 hours, yet the service was incomplete. Bleach was left in my hair for approximately THREE HOURS STRAIGHT , causing scalp burning, and I was later told the salon was out of the ginger color. During the service, an instructor named Lexi (or Alexia) made dismissive comments, refused to involve additional guidance, and laughed when concerns were raised. At various points, three cosmetology instructors were present and supervising while these chemical services were performed. Despite this level of oversight, prolonged bleaching, scalp burning, and the resulting damage were allowed to occur. Despite incorrect color placement, chemical damage, and an incomplete service, I was still charged!!! I reported this to Director Kourtanya on December 18, 2025 and was promised follow-up, which has not occurred. I’m sharing this so others can make an informed decision. The photos speak for themselves.

I’ve gotten my hair colored by Lilly a few times now and I absolutely love her work. I’ve never walked out of the salon unhappy, I’m always in love with my hair. I 100% recommend going to her if you’re looking to get your hair colored and styled. She worked a miracle on my hair to get it from black box dye to the gorgeous red in the pictures.

This school has been extremely disappointing and unprofessional. Within one month, four instructors quit, largely due to overhead issues and the director not treating instructors fairly or with respect. When instructors leave, it falls back on the students, and we are left without teachers and without proper education. At one point, students went weeks without an instructor, which directly affected our learning and preparation for state board. You can’t expect students to succeed when there is no stability, no guidance, and no consistent instruction. There is now a male instructor for the esthetician program, and during student services, privacy is not respected. When performing services such as bikini waxes, back facials, or facials, students are not allowed to fully close the door it must remain cracked. This makes students extremely uncomfortable and does not provide the same privacy that clients receive. Instructors are allowed to knock and immediately walk in, regardless of the situation. This personally happened to me while I only had on a bra, and I felt very uncomfortable. I expressed my concern to the director and even have it on voice recording, but I was told this behavior is allowed because it is considered "supervision." Instead of my concern being addressed, the instructor reported me to the director and stated that I was being disrespectful. The director who is kind but not understanding sent me home based solely on his statement, without properly hearing my side. Because the situation was not taken seriously and I felt my boundaries were ignored, I later felt forced to take legal action to protect myself, even though I genuinely like my instructor and only wanted mutual understanding not defensiveness. Overall, students are not treated fairly, you barely learn anything, and when you speak up about concerns, nothing changes. Instead of providing the support students need to pass state board, the school continues to become stricter without offering proper instruction, structure, or help. I would not recommend this school to anyone who values their education, privacy, or overall well-being as a student.

My facial with Anastasia was very relaxing. Every step was explained clearly. Attention to detail was great Nice, calm environment and very professional I left with my skin glowing and feeling clean. Excited to come back for another treatment.

I could give zero stars, I would. I scheduled a 5 PM appointment for an eyebrow wax and tint, but waited over 30 minutes before anyone even acknowledged me. When someone finally did my service, it was the worst brow job I’ve ever had. No instructor was present to supervise or provide feedback to the student. When I raised my concerns, the instructor seemed completely indifferent. I left feeling like I wasted my time and money. The lack of professionalism and oversight here is deeply disappointing, and I genuinely feel bad for the students who aren’t being properly guided.

You will not find a beauty school that keeps up with trends and education like Aveda. The curriculum is up to date and you spend over five months able to take clients which is crucial for becoming a hair stylist. Beauty school is beauty school, you are in a school environment and there will be issues. If you are able to look past all of drama and catty parts people always talk about on social media and look at your education as an opportunity and make the most of your experience you will have an amazing time. You have educators that have worked at New York Fashion week, educators that have been mentored by the North American Creative Director for Aveda, educators with over 20 years of experience giving you information. If I could stay longer I would.

Keiah really took her time with my blowout & I’m super appreciative!! She was very patient with my thick, natural hair and made sure that she washed and conditioned my hair properly. She also took her time with blow drying my hair out in sections! My blow out even came with a nice trim. I didn’t feel like she rushed through my hair, at all. I was a little worried because of past experiences at other hair schools, but Keiah really showed out!! This was my first hair appointment here, and I will def be returning. I’ve also been here for facials with Briana, and those services were great! The staff is also on point - Jareema at the front desk - is super nice and kind. The instructors are also nice. My only concern is the parking… it’s a mess. The garage is $5 every 30 minutes, with a daily rate of $28, which is insane. The street parking is hit or miss. I wish they validated at least two hours of parking for clients, or at least worked a better deal with the managers of the garage.