Asha SalonSpa

I had come across Asha Gold Coast on Instagram in December or so. In January, I decided to see colorist Leah to get my naturally blonde-​brunette hair to a super light, ashy blonde with full highlights at 125. I loved it. It was so light and the color was exactly what I wanted.
To follow up on my color, I went in yesterday for the same thing. I told her and showed her that I wanted the same light, ashy blonde we did last time. As she was coloring my hair, she asked if I wanted the color painted to the root or a bit further down and I told her to do whatever she thought would look best because I truly trusted her. When I went to pay, however, I was charged 20 more dollars because this was balayage. She didn’t AT ALL indicate this to me which also upset me. She did the same thing with the extra 30 dollars for the gloss. Last time, we had toned my hair (which she said the gloss this time around was a toner) so I figured it was the same thing? Furthermore, the salon didn’t book enough time for me as she was rushing with me toward the end of my appointment.
Unfortunately, I’m now left with very gold and brassy roots that don’t blend into the rest of my hair whatsoever. The worst part is I don’t feel like (or even want to) I can go back into the salon to see her and have it fixed since I truly do not trust her or Asha Gold Coast anymore, yet I have gold hair now that I can’t stand nor fix with purpling shampoo as I’ve tried. Overall, I had a HORRIBLE second experience and would not come back.

Sarah cut my hair (shoulder length, straight). I recommend her. She is talented. Overall, the staff at this location are warm and accommodating. The hair cut was nearly half the price of my regular stylist (at MT) and looks much better. Thanks Sarah!

Saw Beth at the SOW location in the burbs but excited that she’s actually at the Gold Coast location– closer to home & work.
First, she’s a tell-​it-​like-​it-​is kinda gal. My favorite to deal with. I wanted to do balyage but she said it wasn’t going to happen overnight but we’d get there by my 2^nd appointment.
Second, she’s very methodical and fast. We made small talk about being California transplants but I was there to get my hair done and I had work to get through.
Third and final, she did great work. I’ll take a pic and upload once I do my hair but I love the color. Beth fixed a previous stylist’s botched job.

Love this salon! See Natalie for a great cut and color! They are now on deleware place. They run on time! The cut or color includes a blow out! Love this salon!!!

Dee did such a great job on my hair! I can’t say enough great things about her. I’ve been searching for a good stylist in Chicago since I moved here in 2013 — it’s been rough, but I’ll spare you the horror stories (hiiiiii Robert Jeffery). She did a great job on my blonde ombré and also gave me a really great cut that added a lot of body to my usually flat hair. Go see her — you won’t regret it!

Service has gone down over years, staff does not space appointments out. I always come on time, the staff is always late.

I’ve been visiting Asha for several years, and I can say with absolute certainty that if you’re looking for a skilled, thoughtful and excellent aesthetician — Mechelle is your lady! She’s a brow, waxing and tinting master, and her ability to care for skin is absolutely unparalleled… Since I’ve begun visiting her on a regular basis, she has dramatically improved my skin in ways I never imagined possible and she’s earned my complete loyalty. She’s the best!

Sarah is fantastic. Super sweet, puts you at ease, conversational and knows how to make you look the best you possibly can.

Love this little diamond in the rough rose is amazing. Great personality and very talented and skilled at her craft for her age. It’s so refreshing to see someone that loves what they do. If you need direction I strongly recommend rose and this establishment.

Asha is one of the best salons I’ve ever been to. Mechelle does a great job on my eyebrows and she is incredible at what she does. I will never go to anyone else in the city if I can help it.

If Mechelle wasn’t at Asha, I would leave and never come back. She is the best aesthetician in Chicago. I use to live in the neighborhood and still travel to Asha to see Mechelle. She is knowledgable, listens to my needs, and even provides great life advice! The rest of the staff however are horrible. I go to Asha a lot, and constantly wait at least 30 minutes for my appointments. This would not bother me if someone checking me in at the front desk told me that Mechelle was running behind, but that has never happened. There is little to no customer service at this place. Most of the time, the girls at the first desk are busy talking to each other to even notice customers are waiting to be checked in/​out.
Word to the management — hire better staff, train them to be professional, and give Mechelle another promotion so that her loyal customers keep returning to your establishment.

Wow… Aretha is a blessing! I almost hate to tell about how amazing she is in fear that I will not be able to get in with her but she deserves the recognition. I am a facial every 1 – 3 months kind of girl and my experiences with her have been beyond relaxing. I will never venture away from her! Thank you, Aretha! You rock!

I’m disappointed in the tactics and the quality of Asha on this go around. I’ve been there before and love the atmosphere and the products (Aveda). I was told $ 60 on the phone for a color wash, then «maybe more», depending on what needed to be done as my daughter needed a correction.
I knew it was going to be more, and when I consulted with the colorist, she mentioned the sum of $ 120 and I expressed concern that it was a lot, especially considering I had to pay for the cut separately on top of that. I resigned myself to the fact that it was going to cost $ 120 +$ 50 for the cut. $ 170 — Total. Okay, I can live with that, although it’s really out of my budget… I had NO idea that it was going to be more than $ 100 more on top of that. ! $ 235 plus tax & tip brought it to $ 280…a kick in the stomach… aaaaand kind of a «bait ‘n switch» if you ask me…
On top of that, my daughter’s hair was still deep red on the hairline and in streaks/​patches throughout her head, especially at the temples and underneath. I checked with my niece (my very favorite stylist anywhere, ever, but too far away to get too) and red can be a bear to get out, but for almost $ 300, I guess I expected too much…
In the end, my daughter is happier with her hair and it does look «better.» But it doesn’t, in my opinion or hers, look like a $ 280 fix… ah, well… groceries are over-​rated…

Heidi did all-​over color for me, and it looks great! She was very friendly and polite and made great recommendations for how to get my hair styled for a wedding I’m going to be in soon. I went when the salon was not busy due a downtown event going on, so it was a relaxing experience. This salon is an Aveda salon, so the products that were used on my hair made it feel amazing! I would definitely go back.

I had a hot stone massage, she was good but I have had better. The service from everyone that worked there was terrible. Walked in and not one hello, how can I help you… Sat in the waiting room waiting for the massage but barely said any words asked if we wanted water, etc. When I come for a massage that you are charging $ 135.00 I expect excellent service that are pleasant people and attentive. These women working there were no were near any of that! We had 5 girls together for a massage made appointments to have them together but had one of the girls with us waiting for 45 mins without ever asking if she needed anything to drink, or letting her know what was happening. After 4 of the 5 of us had our massage the 5^th one finally got in for a massage. Pretty pathetic that no one checked on her until sh had enough and went up to find out when she would get the massage. Peace out Asha Salon & Spa, your massage was subpar and your service was absolute CRAP!

One word. Danny. Best colorist I have ever come into contact with.

Nina is the reason I became a customer here & she has left. I got cuts from Laurie — terrible, the worst! Then tried Sarah — sweet girl but the cut mediocre at best. Need to find a new salon.

I used to come here 7 years ago, when I lived in the area. Coming back for a wedding, I thought I would make a basic deep conditioning and haircut appt. I was early, but the appointment started 15 minutes late– so I had been there 30 minutes by the time anyone said hello to me. The employees all seemed distracted and a little vacant (two were making up definitions of what «asha» meant and others were talking about the value of tattoos in their «industry»). There was also some debate going on about the service itself; generally, customers seemed unhappy.
Some sample dialogue:
Customer — «So, why was it cut like that?»
Stylist — Response mumbled.
Customer — «So, why did you use that brush, even when I asked you not to?»
Stylist — Response mumbled.
The customer above ended up stomping off at the end and the stylist immediately grabbed a couple of the girls that were working to gossip in the back (still within line-​of-​sight to the customers) all the while knowing I was waiting. After he was done talking, he came to get me for my appointment.
I started with a conditioning treatment that was a little awkward because my hair kept getting stuck in the drain. Eventually, we got to the haircut– and while he did CUT it, he told me I could check the layers, which he never let me do. He then proceeded to dry my hair the way that I like it– which is where he could have stopped. He (without my guidance) started curling my hair using a lot of hairspray. He spent 20 minutes I didn’t have on work he didn’t have to do that just made my hair frizzy.
All in, it was $ 150 on a haircut and treatment that made my hair look worse than it would have if I had gone to the Hair Cuttery around the corner. I will never again come here. I can just try to tame the frizzy hair he created and go somewhere else.

First off I love Aveda! Their products are amazing. I frequent many Aveda Asha salons and Ladies and Gentlemen Aveda salons in the downtown area, but this one is my favorite. The people who work here are great and it’s a pretty nice looking spa/​salon in the Gold Coast area. It only gets 4 stars because not all the services are great. Here’s a breakdown:
— Facials: AMAZING… like I said as an avid user of Aveda products and that’s what’s used for the facials.
— Massage: I got massages here several time’s. It takes a lot to give me a good massage because I’m so tense, but I feel like a new person afterwards.
— Brazilian waxes: OMG they do such a good job!!! You definitely don’t want to just go anywhere to get a Brazilian done for safety and pain factor alone. I have had 3 different women give me Brazilians here and all did an excellent job and make you feel comfortable. They even have you do different breathing techniques to ease the pain. I just wish they were cheaper or offered groupons cause $ 65.00 is expensive.
— Hair: Okay… here is why they get four stars. As far as I know they do not have any African American stylists. When I call to explain to them I’m African American with texturized hair and does anyone there know how to work with it. LOL. I had a guy and a women do my hair and each time it looks okay, but they use WAAAAYYY TO MUCH HEAT!!! My hair smells fried when I leave there. I have pretty soft hair and all the excessive heat is not needed an unhealthy, not just for African American hair, but in my opinion any hair.
I will definitely be keeping them away from my tresses, but as for the other services Aveda offers… AMAZING

Awful service, even worse dye job, and the most revolting customer relations I’ve ever come in contact with.
Imagine asking someone to take care of something you love, let’s say a golden retriever puppy. Now imagine they take this puppy, and turn it late-​90s-​Eminem-​bleach blonde. It’s no longer a golden retriever, but a neon yellow retriever. This is what happened to me at Asha SalonSpa Gold Coast.
I had an appointment booked with Julio. I told him I wanted to go a little blonder than I already was, and showed a picture of what I wanted. I came out with bleach blonde hair. Not just bleach blonde, but yellow/​white platinum. Cartoon character blonde. I could’ve been a Powerpuff Girl. Upon my initial tears, this was corrected to a distinct shade of overly-​tanned flesh. Cue more tears. I was then transformed into a dark ginger, which I still hated, but at this point, I clearly didn’t trust Julio to touch my hair with a ten-​foot pole, so I left. What else could they do to me? They’d already stripped me of my essential blondness. Perhaps Julio had a vendetta against blondes, or perhaps he simply hated me for the shark Christmas sweater I was wearing in April, I’ll never know, but he ensured I would not rejoin the ranks of the fair-​haired for several months, if not years, based on the colors he turned my locks.
On top of this, I was in pain the entire time I was in the studio due to the chemicals they applied. Now, nearly a week later, I’m still suffering severe scarring, scabbing, and pain (on top of my now-​poop-​colored hair). When I attempted to contact the salon’s manager to discuss this, I was dismissed and treated rudely. I was told it was my fault. There was no admission of error. I’ve heard tale of salon horrors before, but I can honestly say that you’d do best to avoid this particular salon if you want to maintain the integrity of your hair. Unless you’re a glutton for punishment, in which case, go to Asha SalonSpa.