Toni & Guy aren't all that (Toni & Guy)

Member Name: rrrrachel

Product:	Toni & Guy
Date:	17/03/09 (642 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Handy city centre locations

Disadvantages: Staff can be snooty, and it's expensive

I'd never been to a Toni & Guy before as personally I think spending upwards of £50 just for a trim is a bit of a rip off, and I've always been happy with the cuts and colouring I've had at more reasonably priced salons. However last time I walked past the Oxford branch they were advertising for models for cutting and colouring, so as it's only 5 minutes from where I work I thought I'd give it a go. I spoke to the trainee who would be cutting my hair, and he was really nice, had a chat about the cut I wanted (basically to go from a boring longish bob to a sharper, more graduated cut) and he booked me in for the following week. The price was £10 which I thought was a bargain.

I've had my hair cut by trainees before and always found it fine, although sometimes it can take a bit longer and I find they have to concentrate more so don't chat as much - that suits me as I hate the inane chatter you get with most hairdressers! Anyway I turned up at the designated time and my man sat me down and went through with me again exactly what I wanted. It seemed I had kind of troublesome hair as my hairline was apparently too low for this kind of cut but that was OK, I asked him what would work and was happy to be flexible and have it not quite as short. He got his supervisor over who looked me up and down and promptly started to talk about me as if I wasn't even there: "You could do this... if she wants... then that...then if her hair is so and so...bla bla" I found this a little bit rude as she didn't make the effort to include me in this at all and didn't even make any eye contact.

Anyway he washed my hair which I really enjoyed (very gentle and a nice massage) and then once he got cutting I relaxed a bit. He was cutting it for AGES though, and I mean over an hour, before he even got started on drying. Every time the boss lady came to have a look, I got the same invisible treatment. She was of the trendy 'I'm too cool to talk to you' school, probably made worse by the fact I was only paying a tenner. (I consoled myself with the fact that she was wearing hotpants and tights and looked fairly ridiculous.) I got the feeling I was causing them inconvenience by actually wanting to get my hair cut, and as a result barely said a word, except for nodding gratefully whenever he asked me if it was OK...

I was quite glad to escape from Toni & Guy in the end. I found the staff as stuck-up as some of the other reviewers on here, and although my hair looks OK, I definitely wouldn't have paid 60 quid or whatever. Next time I'll stick to my tried and trusted (and friendly) local hairdresser!

Summary: Don't go out of your way.