Avalon Salon & Aesthetic Day Spa

It’s a real bummer that this place closed (and even more of a bummer with the shady circumstances surrounding their close); I tried calling to schedule an appointment earlier this year and got a voicemail saying they were moving to the Kenwood Galleria and to leave a message. After a little googling I found out that nope, this place is likely not going to be reopening any time soon. Luckily I was able to track Sydney down over at Tanya’s in Hyde Park. I’m giving it 1 star because of the seriously unfortunate way this place shut down.

Avalon is a great salon with a really relaxed atmosphere. I went in today looking for a change for my hair and they didn’t disappoint. I believe the name of my stylist was Nicholas. I decided to do ombré blonde, since I am really bad with upkeep. He was really patient and helpful while I was trying to decide what I wanted to do to my hair. I liked that he was more concerned that I would leave happy than trying to get me out the door.
The other staff was really nice as well. Everyone would smile and offer you a beverage. The atmosphere is really peaceful. My only regret is that I will be moving a week after finding such a great place.

Fair warning: I’m blonde. For all of you non-​blondes, this means I’m VERY picky about my hairstylist, as I have had some wayward «professionals» make me brassy, attempt to make me look like a Playboy bunny, etc. I also have long and thick hair. This makes stylists cringe at the sight of me walking in– you can see the calculations going in their heads about how long it will take to blow dry. This all being said, as my go-​to girl has «retired» for the time being, I have been on a full-​on hunt for the past 6 mos or so for a new colorist.
I called Saturday afternoon in a panic over my too-​grown-​in-​roots. (I normally go every 6 weeks for a partial highlight– it had been 3 since my last one. See rant on Mitchells.) Avalon is one of the only salons in the area with Sunday hours, which is pleasantly surprising for a 9−5ver such as myself. In any case, I expressed my desire for someone with experience in blonde hair I got an appointment with Megan the following day.
Megan was FANTASTIC. V sweet, she met me out front and was immediately warm. She sat me down, actually listened to what I wanted done, then went to town on my highlights. She spent a little extra time, but it was worth it. She also gave one of the best scalp massages during my shampoo that I’ve EVER had. Instead of being rushed or dismissive of the blowdrying afterward, she even asked if it would be okay to curl my hair. (With the time involved, I have NEVER had a stylist ask this. EVER.)
Afterwards, she offered to give me a peek around the salon/​spa area, as she knew it was my first time there. I happily made my next appointment for 6 weeks out, and think I may have found my new colorist.

I have been going to Avalon for 4+ years. Christy is an amazing hairdresser, I have always been completely satisfied with her services! I do lots of different styles and color with my hair, so her versatility has astounded me. I have had pedicures, manicures & facials done here, as well. It’s a beautiful salon with a very friendly staff. I highly recommend Avalon Salon!

I have a friend who will only go to Avalon and will only go to Elizabeth C… one of the master stylists at this place. I have met Elizabeth on several occasions and knew that she would be the one to cut my daughters hair. My daughter is 11 and Elizabeth was great with her. She gave her the exact haircut that she wanted with a little tweak and explained perfectly the little tweak and the reason behind making the change. My daughter LOVED her haircut. We will absolutely be back to see Elizabeth and the rest of the amazing staff at Avalon again!

I walked by this place lots of times and probably would have never visited if not for a spa gift certificate from a friend. I’ve used multiple services — manicure/​pedicure, brow waxing, hair cut, wedding style — and was pleased with all of them.
They did the updos for my bridal party and all but one bridesmaid was pleased with their style. The staff was VERY accommodating to an extremely late (hour+, stuck in I-​75 traffic) bridesmaid. They got us all done and out the door with time to spare.
I really liked my stylist (Jen) and would go back, but a recent move puts Hyde Park a bit out of my reach.
Also, they have shellac manicures, which seem to be a hit. Mine lasted for a little over a week.

Facial Faux-​Pas! Do NOT go here for a facial!
I decided to try Avalon for a facial and was very disappointed. The experience wasn’t a bad one, but not the best either. It felt very amateur. When the lady left who was giving me my facial, I stood up to get dressed and saw the tubes of product with lids open, half curled up like a tube of toothpaste sitting on the counter that she used. I was shocked to see that they use Biore and other common brands that you could find at any drugstore. Very disappointing and not professional. I’ve had facials elsewhere that I’ve paid the same amount for but they used professional skin care products like skinceuticals.

Avalon Salon & Aesthetic Day Spa has such a zen atmosphere and lots of positive energy. I might never have thought to stop in, but heard from the girls at BeautyFirst that they carry Jane Iredale make-​up and skincare products. After checking out their JI stock (they have a decent selection, but can also order anything you need if it’s not in stock), I made a mental note to come back and try their Shellac Manicure and Solar Pedicure. I saw Emily for both of those services yesterday and found the entire experience to be very enjoyable and relaxing. Emily took the time to offer me a beverage (very important in this heat!) and make sure I had a top-​notch manicure and pedicure while we had fun chit-​chatting about current celebrity gossip, etc. The Solar Pedicure in particular was amazing, and I really enjoyed the sweet almond and sea salt treatment and shea butter foot/​leg massage. I was also surprised to find out that Emily’s a California girl, because I too, am a native Californian and just relocated to the Cincinnati area a few months ago. Very neat girl ~ and a clean and beautiful salon/​day spa! I highly recommend and will be coming back for more mani/​pedis and possibly facials too! It’s also worth noting that Emily doubles as a hairstylist. Come see her at Avalon Salon & Aesthetic Day Spa!

I had received a spafinder gift card; and Avalon is one of the few spas in town that takes it.
I waited about 15 minutes past my appointment, but the staff was very apologetic and it was a Saturday afternoon.
The Citrus Pedicure was divine! Emily kindly got me a glass of wine and a stack of magazines and went to work on my feet. After an hour of scrubbing, filing and polishing, my toes have never looked better. The salon was clean and the staff was very friendly. I would want to try out other spa services — but in the meantime, I would highly recommend Avalon for a mani/​pedi!

Avalon started out as a place I raved about to my friends. I was happy to find a new salon that I loved – from the music to the haircuts. However, my first time, while it was great… was the last great experience.
I set up a cut and highlight and the girl was sick the day of. While this was fine, they called to say they could fit me in at noon. Then they called back and moved me to 130. Then to 2. I was fine the first time being moved, but after a while I was annoyed. My hair turned out great, Loved the stylist and loved the color.
Then, I made an appointment to get my eyebrows done a week later. The SAME THING happened. They called me 30 minutes before to cancel my appointment. No one explained why, just was not longer able to do it. UM NO. You lost a customer. You better try to get me in again with someone else if you cant explain why my appointment is being cancelled.

After a week on my feet in steel toe shoes, those feet were in some desperate need of pampering. Enter Avalon Salon & Spa. The fact that a friend had relocated out of town before using her gift certificate here, so passed it on to me was also a motivating factor for this choice.
From the moment I walked in the door I immediately felt calm and relaxed. The atmosphere is very inviting, as is the staff. I was immediately greeted and offered a beverage. Tasty water with floating orange slices? Yes please!
The entire salon was very nicely decorated in that upscale, classy, yoga-​ish manner, that makes you feel both ritzy and at ease.
The pedicure service itself was excellent, and the stress on my feet from the previous week quickly vanished into bubbly, scented water. The nail technician (is that the right title?) was very friendly and did a fantastic job. I appreciated that when I mentioned there were 2 different nail colors on offer that looked identical, one of which I’d like but didn’t care which, she asked if we could run an experiment and compare side by side. Of course we can, I love nerdy stuff like that! (Our conclusion was that there was no difference, just a marketing strategy with two different names.)
Overall I was incredibly pleased with the service, and would go back even without a gift certificate!

I am new to the area and finally had reached the point that I could not tolerate the ridiculousness of my hair. So, I went in for a haircut. Emily Vandervort was my stylist and she did an excellent job sculpting the pyramid of hair that I was sporting (supporting?) into something decent.
Initially, I didn’t like my style – the Chrissie Hynde/​Jane Fonda look is just not me. I have this sort of curly hair and once I styled it myself, it looked like a mushroom mullet. I called Avalon two days later for a «redo.» Emily fixed me right up, and didn’t charge me for the fix. I really appreciate it, because now I have a style that I really like. I finally have my curly hair back!
The staff at Avalon is very friendly and the location is great – plenty of parking. The prices were reasonable (for me – I was used to paying $ 60 for a haircut) and you just can’t beat the service. Emily even does free bang trims!
I highly recommend Avalon. I will be heading back in a month or so.
So – follow up. I went back to Avalon in December for a cut before the holidays. I booked with Emily again. This time, my haircut was a disaster. It was WAAAAY too short and despite my repeated pleading and reminders, I still walked out of there with the tapered mullet (this time it was more Hilary Clinton – but that is because at the end of the cut, I looked like Jane Fonda and so I asked her to get rid of the long tapered pieces). But still – the next day the fringy pieces were back! I was heading out of town the next day, so I couldn’t go back for a redo. I ended up cutting the offending mullety part myself.
My haircut made me look weird in all of the Christmas 2010 photos.
Needless to say, I haven’t been back.

Until May 29 of this year, I was a to-​be Missouri bride in a Cincinnati world. All the magazines and checklists of what to do to pamper yourself to ultimately be «the most beautiful bride ever» were somewhat overwhelming to me.
But then, I went to Avalon. The people there were nothing but sweet. I came in with a whole lot of «I’ve never done this so…» just insert miles of questions. The staff just smiled and answered every question in ways that not only answered my questions but established a bond. They didn’t speak at me, they spoke with me. They asked me questions in return, hoping to get me to the penultimate of my aspirations.
I had my first wax ever. Rita Kaya cheered me through the experience, saying she charges extra for tears. It actually wasn’t bad at all. They use a dark wax for faces and other areas that can also act like a wax strip, so it’s less painful. I was curious and she was open to telling me her whole story of how she came into this line of work, her passion and the process I went under. It was fun and fascinating. Maybe some eeks sprinkled within.
I had one of the facial packages with Lynsey. She was really careful in what I was telling her. I had my facial very close to my wedding day. A great deal of the oils that are commonly used in facials break the skin out before full effects can be reached. She used special oils to prevent this.
She also spoke about her career passion and how the salon treated her as an employee. It’s great to know that she feels she is growing and being cared for by her employers, many are not as lucky.
For the life of me, I can’t spell the name of the wonderful woman who gave me two spray tans, trial and then a real go for my wedding. She was super nice and as others have mentioned, the results are natural. I never felt uncomfortable. In act I rave to anyone that it’s something to try. My husband even jumped in, trying a spray tan for our wedding! Lynsey performed his spray tan, and she even recognized him as my fiancé, at the time, from our conversation.
A spray tan is $ 41 for natural look and about 10 days of tan. Some think that’s pricey, but for me, it was totally worth it.
My only gripe, spray tans are super popular there. I made my appointment months in advance and a woman showed up nearly 30 minutes late for her appointment, which pushed me to leave late to get home for the rehearsal things for my wedding. But that’s usually the norm, people run late and the whole day gets pushed back.
Overall, it’s aroma. pampering. A treat or those deserving treating! I definitely love it.
Here is there website for more information:

They actually know how to cut curly hair — well the manager at least — he’s fabulous and I love the salon. They’re really great!

if i could give 10 stars i would. love, love, love this place. as soon as i walk in the door, they treat me like a queen. the staff always go out of their way to make sure that everything is enjoyable.
their facials are divine. i have gone to four of their esthicians and all are wonderful, especially stacey. their massages are wonderful as well. ask for melanie or danny.
christy for hair is my new hero. she did my husbands hair and it is the best cut that he has ever had. i also had her for a cut and she is AWESOME.
i am extremely anal about being taken on time and they have always been prompt. that is more than i can say for some other salons that i have reviewed.