Vici Aveda Institute

If you are looking for a nice place to get your hair and other beauty regimens done, without paying an arm and a leg, I highly recommend checking out the VICI Aveda Institute.
The people that work on you are students. However, they are under the supervision of licensed instructors. The instructors always check in on you and the student, and checks to see that things are being done properly. I have been utilizing the beauty school for roughly two and a half years now, and I am very pleased with the service I receive.
They also have a café area where you can grab a coffee and a bite to eat while your hair color or other treatments are processing.

Initially I became familiar with ViCi probably 10 – 15 years ago when my mom needed a ride. She got her hair cut and permed regularly and she was always treated well.
I will admit I didn’t go there myself in the beginning, for reasons not based on fact but my own snobby attitude, lol. However, as I waited for her each time in their lounge and saw «end results» walk by me as they paid at the counter, I became impressed and decided to give ViCi a try myself.
I am now a regular. I mainly get my hair colored every 4 – 5 wks, with highlights maybe twice a year. (I save SO much money and the results look great; I’m so pleased!) In addition, I will come in for a wash and blow dry maybe twice a month as a treat to myself since the price is so reasonable. I will get a cut about two out of three times (the other at a regular salon) The instructors are always there to do a final check of the cut and will fix any occasional slight unevenness, etc. Truth be told, my one out of three visits to a regular salon really is not necessary.
I give five stars for a well-​run school serving the public. It’s not equivalent to a five star rating of a full service salon, but for the money saved and the results received, I’d highly recommend ViCi

This place is AWFUL. Was in town for a bachelorette party and made a last minute decision to make hair/​make-​up done. I don’t normally trust my hair or make-​up to students, but figured how bad could it be? All I wanted were some curls and a decent face of make up. Oh boy was I wrong. I asked for curls and the girl proceeded to curl my whole head with a ¼ inch barrel. I have long hair. I looked like a doll. I figured she would then brush out the curls but no, she teased the back of my head horribly and put some braids in the front. I looked like a flower girl. And then, the make up. This girl had clearly never put make up on ANYONE ever. The confusing thing was that she was a young, cute girl who clearly knows what was in style, but she made me look ridiculous. It’s criminal that this place allows students to do something they are clearly untrained to do and charges. I ended up having to wear my hair up and took all of the make up off and started over myself. The girlfriends I was with had similar experiences as well and had to redo their hair and make up as well. Biggest waste of money ever.

Being nice by giving this place one star. Went to get my hair and makeup done before a bachelorette party with a group of girls. Are makeup and hair was absolutely horrible. Had to rush home to redo everything before it started. Will not be going back.

I usually go to the Aveda Institute in the Third Ward, but they couldn’t get me in on such late notice. I called Vici Beauty School on Friday at 4 and made an appointment for cut and color on Saturday at 12:30.
I didn’t know what to expect because I had never even driven past, but the building is very nice, with a good sized parking lot. The staff was friendly and I only had to wait a few minutes before my girl came to get me.
The consultation was easy and the student and instructor had good suggestions. The instructor actually did my whole haircut after I explained to her what I wanted. I was a little surprised that she didn’t have the student do any of it. The student did do part of my color, gave me a hand massage, dipped my hands in the paraffin wax, and shampooed me. She did a great job on the things she actually got to do.
They didn’t try to up-​sell me on any products, but it would have helped me for my student to have walked me through some of the products she used and why.

Beauty schools — you help them, and they’ll help your wallet. I first started going to Aveda Institutes in Jacksonville, FL. I’ve always had a great, friendly experience but I go in knowing that it might take more time and that the quality might not be high-​end salon quality. You know what though? I’m not that attached to my hair and if I can help someone with their training and experience whilst being a bit frugal — it’s all worth it.
I recently moved to Milwaukee and I decided it was time to get my hair done again. Without hesitation, I made an appt at the Aveda Institute here in MKE (at Vici Capelli Salon & Spa /​Beauty School). I booked my appt online without a problem. When I arrived, they were prompt to help me get settled in.
Hannah was my stylist. She was very professional and you could tell she just wanted to learn! I asked for a trim and colour, but not just any colour! Ombré! She had never done it before but I was fine with letting her experiment. With the help of her instructor (forget her name, but she was very knowledgeable and patient with her guidance), she did a FANTASTIC job!
No one believes I paid $ 52 dollars for this colour and cut!
Thank you Hannah & your instructor!

My friend and I went to Vici beauty school last weekend for a facial, «manicure» and a haircut. While our facials were nothing short of fantasic, the manicure and haircut services left something to be desired.
First, I highly recommend a facial service here! It was nothing short of amazing! We got the Botanical facial and that hour went by way too fast.
Next were our haircuts. While my student did a fantastic job on my hair cut, she used zero product on my hair even though a line of products were on her station. Not sure if you need to ask them to use product or not, but regardless nothing was used on my hair so it was frizzy when I left. But the next day I styled my hair with product and still get compliments on how great my hair is.
My friend on the other hand had a student who didn’t know how to use her cutting shears and that alarmed my friend obivously. While instructors come around to check the students work, my friend still felt very uncomfortable having someone with only 3 months experience cut her hair. And I also heard the conversations skills of this student left much to desire. She also didn’t wash my friends hair all that well and most of it was left dry. The student that did my hair did a great job on the wash and was very personable. I didn’t speak much though as I wanted her to concentrate on my hair.
Now for the «manicure», this should be listed more like a one coat polish change. My friend and I expected your typical mani service, but as we found out, the students are not allowed to use any instruments on you, so all we got was a 2 min soak, a sloppy cuticle «removal» and one layer of polish. That’s it! Well, our nails were «filed» but that left much to be desired. We left the school and booked an appointment at a nail salon close to the school and paid for an actual manicure.
Despite the botched nails, we’ll be back for facials and body treatments for sure!

There’s a reason I don’t go to beauty salons. Actually, there are a couple of reasons:
— I have very little desire to sit around listening to muzak and/​or Top 40 for a ridiculously long time to get something done that would probably only take me a couple of hours at best to do on myself (plus I generally hate Top 40)
— The price for the services seldom seems reasonable
— It’s MY HAIR. I know what it needs and what it’ll do, better than anyone.
So on that last point, I’ll start my review of Vici Aveda Institute. I first visited when a good friend of mine was studying to become a licensed esthetician here. She needed someone to be a mock client, and I happily obliged (she’s super sweet & good at what she does.) The massage service I got from her was very nice, as was the skin consultation. The facility is clean and modern; the décor is hip & trendy without that «You don’t belong here, commoners» feel to it that some trendy salons project.
Since I was in the waiting room afterward for a while as she finished whatever she had to do & I had a belly dance showcase coming up soon anyway, I decided to try out their student haircare services. The prices actually are reasonable, so I opted to get a simple blow-​out/​flat ironing. They assigned one of the students to do my hair. Even though she looked a little intimidated at first, she seemed eager to do it right. Once a master student/​instructor came over & gave her some guidance, it turned out great. (Sidenote: what’s with that ‘deer in headlights’ look that white hairstylists get when looking at African American hair? It’s not Cthullu, nor will it bite you or drag you under the sea, I promise.)
That was the first & last time I got a great hair service from the Vici Aveda school. Because it looked so good the first time I got it done there, I figured that it’d be my go-​to whenever I wanted a blow-​out. Each time since, it has been a disaster of some sort. Heat straightening of thick curly hair takes time, patience and specific instruction. Each subsequent time I visited Vici, one or more of those elements was missing from my service & I ended up leaving with my hair in a fuzzy straight-​ish ponytail. I would’ve been willing to dismiss the first botched job as just a fluke, but the 2^nd and 3^rd times turned out just as bad. I’ve resolved to just stop trying to recapture that initial magic I got the first time. Which sucks, really.
The most recent time, the student saw she was assigned to me & acted like she didn’t want to do it. Classy. When she FINALLY made her way over to invite me to her chair, I told her the best way to handle my hair… and she ignored it to do it a different ‘quicker’ way. I know she was under a time crunch; one of the supervisors came & notified her that she’d have to hurry up with my service because there would be another client coming that she had to do soon. Great, so she’s rushing cause she doesn’t want to take her time with my hair anyway… and now you come rush her some more. That’s great. When she finished & they asked me if I liked it, I had to be honest and say NO. What I wanted was straight shiny hair from root to tip. What I got was a half frizzy/​half straight-​ish long fuzzball. Into the ponytail holder it went. Even the supervisor’s lame ass attempts to make it better (that were done with a huff at my «It’s not good» comments) didn’t make it look any better. She offered me 50% off of my next service as a consolation. I don’t think I’ll be using that coupon; they obviously don’t want my business and they halfway don’t want to try to style my hair properly in the first place, so why bother?
It’s really a shame, because that first blow out was the stuff of legends.

I discovered Vici when a friend booked a party. Mani, pedi & facial for a discount rate, I think 7 or 8 of us ended up going. The discount off their already lower rates is great, the only downside is that your party will end up being called back separately, rather as a group.
Services I’ve received at Vici Aveda Institute:
* Hair cuts
* Hair color
* Manicures & Pedicures
* Facial waxing
* Body waxing
* Relaxing facial
Downsides are: Services take a lot longer. The students take their time, and depending on the service you are receiving, a teacher/​instructor may be called over several times during the procedure to check on the student’s work.
While some people consider it a risk to see a student for a hair cut (or anything else), I have yet to receive a bad service from Vici. I always go in with a picture of the type of hair cut I want, which helps ensure that I get what I’m asking for.
Body waxing takes a long time, again because you’re dealing with a student who takes their time. But where else can you get full leg, bikini & underarm for $ 80, including tip? Most salons charge at least half that (or more) for just a full leg.
Hair services are done in the large main room, where it gets a little noisy with 50 or more students plus clients talking & working.
Nail services (and some facial waxing) are done in a back room which is a little quieter. They have elevated cushioned chairs w/​foot spas for the pedicures, standard tables for the manicures.
Makeup services appear to all be done in the retail area (where they pimp the Aveda products).
Body waxing, facials and body spa treatments are done in a quiet side room. Table areas are portioned off w/​curtains, soft music is played, soft lights are used. If you’re getting a message, and someone a few tables down is getting a wax, you may hear conversation, but it’s usually pretty quiet.
The main lobby has a café w/​baked treats, coffee & tea. And there’s usually someone there offering chair massages if you show up early for your appointment.
Pleasant, clean environment, I’ve had nothing but great experiences w/​the students, and if you’re willing to take the extra time, you can’t beat the prices.
And sometimes you’ll find a student you gel w/​, and you’ll follow them to whatever full service salon they get employed at (like I did).

For my sister in law’s wedding, she booked us all mani and pedi appts at the Vici Aveda school. It appeared to be clean and the entrance to the salon and school seemed pretty and welcoming. Talk about deceiving.
We were made to wait for 15 minutes before we had someone start to take us back, one at a time, to an ugly and sparse room. And in al side note, they took the bride in last, made her wait by herself for someone to come and get her.
It started off ok, I had a pretty friendly woman doing my nails. At least I had that. My other sister in law, had a woman who complained the whole time about how she hated doing her job. And while doing my sister in law’s pedicure, said «Oh my God! My back is killing me! This is so uncomfortable.» Nice. Is that what they teach in this beauty school? To make the customer feel as if they are being a bother while they are paying to get their nails done?
And if anyone should complain about being uncomfortable, it should’ve been us. We sat in glorified folding chairs for our manis and pedis and were forced to lean forward and up in our chairs and balance our legs in the air, so they could do our toes. It looked like an absurd and extra painful game of Twister that nobody was going to win.
It seemed as if part of the problem wasn’t the girls doing our nails but the school itself. The girls complained quite a bit about how terrible it was and how expensive, how they didn’t get paid for these services, and how they only got a small starter kit and then once items were gone in the kit, they had to buy the replacements. Well, some girls couldn’t afford that, which I understand, but then we get shorted on our mani/​pedi because they don’t have enough of the foot scrub, or whatever else, so parts of a normal appt where skipped because they didn’t have the tools needed. That is not ok when I am paying for this service.
Also they didn’t have a proper display of the nail polishes. They only had one or two rings of fake nails and half of them on the ring were missing. Also, they only had two bottles of the purple nail polish that we all requested, being a bridal party, we wanted the same color for atleast our toes. There were 4 of us that wanted the colors and they didn’t even have 4 bottles to use. That’s the school and salon’s fault in my opinion.
My nail student did a pretty good job on my nails, took her time etc. But others were not so lucky. They had polish on their cuticles, their cuticles weren’t even pushed back as part of the process, the coats were uneven, and the polish just glopped on. Also, they didn’t have fans to dry our nails. They didn’t offer to help pull things out of our bags for us, until we asked. And my person didn’t put my feet in my flip flops before starting so when i went to put them on, I messed one of my nails up. Then towards the end, they literally rushed us out of the room because a class was coming in. So my sister in law didn’t even get a chance to sit and let her nails air dry at all.
Now, I am a pretty forgiving person, as is the rest of my in laws etc that were there. We understand they are students and if it had just been one or two things, we could have let it slide. But it was all that I described and more, and what I cannot forgive is the ridiculous price for this terrible experience.
For a school mani pedi, it cost 40 some dollars!!!
Are you serious? If I am going to pay that much, I will have it done by professionals. I can get my nails done extremely well and have a MUCH more relaxing and happy experience in Chicago for less than that! LESS! To me, this experience and the extreme price of it, is outrageous and should really be revamped, if they ever want people to come and be guinea pigs for students. Something has to change.
And later that day, our nails were chipping already. And it was OPI nail polish, it shouldn’t have done that. I have plenty of that nail polish and it lasts forever. Could it be that it is so old and the salon doesn’t replace them when it’s time? That’s what one student told me while I was there. So, I’m going to tend to believe that’s the case. That and the students weren’t taught how to apply nail polish properly.
Another note to the salon, don’t have the teachers come in and look at the nails and ask for our comments right in front of the student. It makes it very difficult to mention all the problems when the poor student is sitting right there. Also, it didn’t seem as if the teachers really looked at the nails either because they should have spotted nail polish on the cuticles.
I also know of other people who have had bad experiences there as well. Needless to say, none of us will ever be going back.