Salon Nathaniel

I had an absolute amazing experience at Salon Nathaniel! From the moment you walk in — you feel warm and welcome. The salon was recently renovated and is top of the line. Every last detail has been thought of. I had my hair colored, cut, and keratin treated by Nathaniel. He is so nice, knowledgeable, and you can tell very passionate about what he does. He took the time to go over exactly what I was looking for and listened to what I wanted as well as providing his professional expertise.
I am extremely pleased with the outcome of all of my services. My color is exactly what I was looking for. The scalp massage while having my hair washed was great; it felt like I was at the spa. The keratin treatment was excellent — I would highly encourage people to get this service! I have long hair that I have to flat iron daily. This service took away the frizz and really smoothed it out. It saves me so much time each day. I would highly recommend this salon.

Today was my third trip to the Salon to see Alessandra. I booked my appointment this morning and got an appointment for this evening. She does an excellent job at making a cut fit the face. The place is always pleasant, coffee and snacks too! Highly recommended.

Salon Nathaniel is everything one would want in a salon atmosphere. The entire staff is so professional and polite. My stylist Reanna is always ready to do something creative to my hair. That being said she always listens to my concerns and never takes liberties with coloring or cutting. This place is simply the best in central CT.

When my stylist left the salon I had been going to, I thought it was time for a change. I scheduled an appointment with Nate, who was the best fit for me according to the woman who scheduled my appointment, since I wanted someone who was good with color and curly hair.
When I went in on Tuesday 2/​3, I explained to Nate that I wanted to match my natural color and eliminate the brassiness from my old color fading a bit. He pulled out the color matcher and even brought in another stylist for a second set of eyes. Totally thought we were on the same page at that point. He then asked if we could put in «a few caramel colored highlights.» After he reassured me that it wouldn’t be drastically different from my natural hair color, I agreed. What I left with was platinum blond highlights, and roots that are a lighter color from the rest of my hair because he didn’t pull the color through (even though it is a different brand/​different color than used on the remainder of my hair, as this salon uses Redken and my previous salon did not). When I specifically asked him to pull it through, he used a totally different color glaze (Redken Shades vs Chromatics that he used on my roots) so needless to say that didn’t really match/​help. If anything, I think he made the ends of my hair darker, so the contrast to the highlights was more obvious.

The worst part of hair color is that you have no idea what is happening until the «unveiling» and by then, the damage is already done. When I got home and saw my hair in «real» light, I was completely distressed. My highlights make me look like I’m back in the 80’s auditioning for a role on Dynasty. I left him a message that very night. He called me back the next day and offered to fix my hair. But when I went in for said fix on 2/​4, it quickly became a no go. I asked him to color my hair to one solid color brown, forget these blond highlights that I never asked for (and in fact had specifically said I did not want). He said to get it all back to one color would require corrective color. However, he was not offering to do said corrective color, even though I only needed it to fix his handy work. So no, I would not be able to leave with hair that was all one color. He offered only a glaze, which from experience I know would wash off in a few weeks, not helpful. Then he started insulting me and telling me how bad my hair was when I came in, and how many different colors it was (not really true, and other stylists did not have trouble giving me the same color all over). At this point, I am crying and then he tells me he’s not going to help me and he’s going to give me my money back. He says he won’t fix it because «he will never be able to make me happy»…true dat, if you can’t restore my hair to what it looked like before you took it upon yourself to revisit the 80’s, I will not be happy! You make the mess, you should be able to fix it! So that makes me an unreasonable customer? Not in my world.
So instead of fixing it, he leaves me to find someone else to fix his mess instead. Which I can’t do immediately, so I went to Walgreens on the way home to stock up on Gray Away… to help hide my hideous highlights!!! Thankfully my old stylist of 15 years was able to fix me the following week. Amazing how she made my hair all one color… something Nate was unable and/​or unwilling to do!
I’m sure his rebuttal to my review will be that he refunded my money in full, which is 100% accurate. He gave me my money for the services and gratuity, and offered to buy back my products that I was not happy with, if I bring them back in. Frankly, I don’t really want to go back in to an establishment where the owner had me in tears, so that part I will probably not take advantage of, so that’s on me… I guess. So in fairness, I did not ultimately pay for these services with money. But my hair certainly paid the price for our «miscommunication» as he kept calling it.
The kicker of the evening was when I told him he was definitely getting a negative review on Unilocal,if he was unwilling to fix my hair. Refunding my money was not a satisfactory outcome for me. He said (in a super snotty voice) «oh like you do with every salon you go to?» Okay, it’s weird if you Unilocal-​stalk your customers. And as of that point in time, I had only reviewed one other salon that cut/​colored my hair, so not even sure what he was talking about. Maybe if he spent some time figuring out how he could fix my hair to look like what I asked for, instead of stalking me on Unilocal and fabricating fantasies of how I spend my days torturing salon owners everywhere with horrible reviews, we would have had a better outcome.
Bottom line: let the photos speak for themselves. Do you want your hair to look like this when you request brown color and agree to a few «caramel colored» highlights? I certainly did not.

**Update** ALSO READ LAST SENTENCE… PRIVACY INVASION!
My original review was followed by the owner of the salon & as you read, Nathaniel apologized, mentioned a reimbursement & welcomed my son back for a cut free of charge. My son who’s 18, called to make the appointment & asked for Nathaniel. They put him on hold & then came back to say, «WE DON’T FEEL COMFORTABLE SCHEDULING YOUR APPOINTMENT.» When my son asked why, they requested that «I» call them.
Hmmm…1^st of all, I’m NOT THE CLIENT & never stepped foot in the salon… I just posted my review on here based off of my son’s experience & what I’ve observed (he also doesn’t have Unilocal). Why do «I» need to call when they dont even know who I am & my son is a MAN? What do I have to do with him getting a haircut? I just shared a review & he’s not underage, he’s 18 so it seems like they are more interested in a review.
Shortly after posting this, I received an alert that Nate went back & edited his comment by removing the part about welcoming my son back free of charge. That is extremely shady!!! He did this after I posted what he did on here… I even have the letter he mailed to my house explaining how he would fix the problem including the free cut which he refused to do when my son held him to it. After sharing my experience with others, they too had a similar experiences.
2 bad cuts totaling $ 78. Also, Nate, NO ONE gave you permission to google me to get my 1^st and last name to then mail me a letter especially when I NEVER stepped foot in your salon or gave you any of my info… thats just WEIRD & an invasion of my privacy!!! Beware folks…

Amazing salon. They really listen to me and collaborate on giving me great looks every time ! I always look forward to my appointments. The atmosphere is fun and cheery. Ive been going here for over 20 years and will continue for the next 20! The staff is super attentive and make me feel welcome.

I’ve learned of the salon from all the media coverage it has gotten from all the support they give to the community. When I first walked in I knew I was in an exceptional salon because of how warm and welcoming all of the staff was. I was treated like a guest in their home. The services where just as extraordinary as they went the extra mile always ensuring I was getting more than I expected. The salon was also the cleanest I have ever seen. Im glad to have found my home for my salon needs.

I absolutely love the staff at Salon Nathaniel! I have been here a few times when I am in the area and love the service.
Great team!

Salon Nathaniel is, in my experience, the best salon in New Haven County. The entire staff is courteous, professional, and most importantly — talented! Reanna is my stylist, but on occasion I have sat with other stylists there, and I have never, ever, ever been disappointed.
I work with the public in a very image-​centric atmosphere, so a good haircut is crucial to my occupation. I won’t trust this mane with any other team!

I’ve been going to Salon Nathaniel for years! I love the impeccable service at this salon. From the upfront pricing (before they touch your hair) to the hand and scalp massage while you shampoo, it’s truly a top notch experience at affordable prices! Recently, I told my stylist that I needed a new look. He listened to my suggestions and created just the cut and perfect color. I highly recommend getting the Keratin Treatment. It has transformed my hair completely. I suggest this salon to everyone and I get so many compliments on my hair daily!

I have a regular stylist here and I am pleased with the service. Everyone is friendly and accommodating.

I cannot write enough positive things about this business. I’ve been a loyal customer to Salon Nathaniel for many years. I’ve been to both Karen and Nate, and they’re both fantastic. Not only are they wonderfully talented stylists, but they genuinely care about their customers on a personal level. They will make sure that the style you leave with is one you’ll be happy with, and something that you can maintain on your own. The owner Nate has a very high standard of quality and customer service, and it’s clear that his entire team shares that same standard.
I no longer live in the area, but when I come back home to visit family a couple times a year, I make sure to always secure an appointment. If you’re looking for a new place to try, don’t hesitate!

I am not huge on getting my hair cut and I usually wait months until I think it’s necessary. Well, I had a job interview a couple of weeks ago and although I had planned on getting my hair cut, I procrastinated and waited till the day before. I called and they didn’t have any appointments, however I explained the situation and they were able to fit me in within the hour. I walked in and it looked very clean. I was greeted by Alyssa and another stylist. Alyssa did a great job with my hair and I looked better than I had in many years. Although I usually go several months without getting my hair done, I have to go to my sisters wedding next month in Los Angeles. I will go back to Alyssa a few days before I leave for the wedding. Although everything worked out well and I was happy, I was surprised to see it was very quiet when I was there. I was the only person there for about 30 – 45 minutes.

I have been a client at Salon Nathaniel for years. Although I usually go to Nate, all of the stylists are outstanding. From the moment you walk into the door, you feel special. The staff is friendly, the environment is inviting, and the service is outstanding. In addition to serving its clients, salon Nathaniel is dedicated to the community by holding fundraising events and participating in local events.

I’ve been going to Salon Nathaniel for quite some time now. The service is excellent and the staff is extremely friendly. Most of the stylist know me be name and who ever is siting at the desk, they always welcome me warmly. They take the time to explain what they are going to do, or if they are going to use a different product. I’ve never walked out the salon unhappy.