Vuu’s Beauty School

I’ve been here on more than 10 occasions. It’s a good deal on an okay haircut, but the service here is awful. You walk in unacknowledged, sometimes for 10 minutes at a time. The English of the students isn’t always great, which led to one of my haircuts being pretty much everything I didn’t want (and communicated). The interview I had the day after was extra fun as you can imagine. They also close early without notice, and I’ve been turned away twice because of this. I’ve had to run to the ATM multiple times, because their card reader sucks. In the year or so I’ve come here, they haven’t done a thing about it. I wanted to support a Vietnamese business, but it’s just too much.
Never coming back. Pay for a real haircut and people that’ll actually greet you. I wish I could discourage you more.

It’s a beauty school — so not a whole lot of ambiance is expected. But, this place has zero ambiance or effort into décor. That’s okay though! I can forgo that for a decent manicure.
I called ahead and asked if they could fit me in for shellac. They said yes. Then when sitting at the table I asked for a manicure (with shellac). She said she would do it, but she actually just gave me a regular manicure. I was already there, however, and for $ 7 it’s not a big deal. I’ll take what I can get for a last minute appointment.
In fact, even with all of that I still would have gone there again. The manicure looked beautiful. But. It’s lasted less than a week. So, needless to say I had a lot of hope that it would work out but the poor longevity of the manicure is ultimately why I decided I couldn’t give them a good review (combined with the other issues as well).
After she finished my manicure, her and a friend just up and left the salon for the night. Didn’t even tell me goodbye or how to pay. And they also didn’t provide me with a nail dryer. So I just sat there, awkwardly alone, waiting for my nails to air dry. There were two others working and they didn’t provide any help either. Finally I had to just generally ask into the air — «Where do I pay?»
Overall, bad location, poor service, it’s worth the extra money to go someplace nicer. There’s also an above average language barrier which I think caused the original mix-​up with shellac vs. regular.

I was in Seattle for a wedding and was desperate for a manicure before my friend’s big day. After a massage nearby, Unilocal led me to Vuu’s Beauty School. Since I had a few hours to kill before the rehearsal dinner, I thought why not. The young lady who did my nails was careful and meticulous. It took longer than an usual manicure but it lasted two weeks before chipping (including 2 flights, 2 weddings, and an inadvertent hike). If I lived close by, I’d totally make this my regular manicure spot.

I have been there twice and was satisfied with their trimming service both times. Their students were extremely careful with my hair but it always takes them over 30 min to deal with it. I am a patient person and I do support experimental education, so taking too long is no big deal for me. Kim is an excellent stylist and she always ends up fixing her students’ work. She gets my hair done in 2 minutes and it looks so much better than her student’s work. If you are a patient person and want to work in budget, I do recommend this place. FYI there are way more male customers which makes me uncomfortable

Kim is a joy and can find a workaround when needed! Everyone is very nice and works to please! Space could use some remodel but is VERY clean!

TL;DR: Guys, if you want to cheap haircut and don’t care much about your look, give this place a try… maybe
LADIES: #treatyoself! and go somewhere better! you deserve that much!
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So, I am that type of girl who doesn’t believe in paying $ 50+ for a haircut, so what do I do? I filtered for 1 $ sign hair salons on Unilocal and found this place. I was suspicious at first because this place only has 28 reviews but it’s still a 4.5 star place right?! New city, new me, let’s be adventurous. Besides, I have A LOT of hair and it’s getting loong (my own definition, it’s only about armpit length), and I am only looking to thin it out and trim the split ends… Such a simple task, no one can’t mess that up!
WRONG!
First impression — this place looked like a mess. Bad omen #1. As I walked into the salon, one lady was complaining about how her haircut wasn’t turning out the way like the picture. Methinks: I better not have the trainee who gave her the cut. And guess who I got? That same trainee! Talk about karma. I’ve no idea what this trainee’s name was since she never introduced herself or bothered to converse with me throughout the 1.5 hours I was there, watching my hair being tortured. So, let’s just call her Van. Van took me to get my hair shampooed in COLD water! I had to ask her to turn the water warmer. Not sure if my dog is being treated as a loyalty or what, but the shampoo Van used smelled just like my dog’s shampoo. Another uh-​oh.
So on to the haircut, I only had 2 asks — 1) thin out my hair, no layers. 2) cut 2 inches max. So Van began her magic. She just kept on cutting and cutting and cutting. When will she thin out my hair?! After 30 mins, she was still cutting, so I asked can she just thin it out, but she said she’s not done yet. Okay, you are the pro here, so I wait. Another 15 min passed, she finally put down her scissors! Thinning time?! She then started straightening my WET hair using a flat iron without putting any heat protection on! My hair hasn’t touched a flat iron in at least 2 years! :O When she finally done with that… is it time to thin out my hair? NO! She picked up her scissors again and started cutting my hair yet again and refused to listen to my plead to stop.
At the same time, I can hear Kim (the owner/​instructor) chitchatting loudly with her other students in Vietnamese. She then started talking on the phone while trimming a customer’s hair! She never once bothered to take a look at what Van’s doing all these time!
My friends would say I am easily the friendliest and most patient person they know but I finally told Van to stop because my armpit length hair is now only reaching my chin. I must stop this madness before she start chopping the other side too. Van finally agreed to call Kim. When I told Kim that Van had cut at least 4 inches off when I asked for 2 max, she didn’t believe me until I showed her a pic I took at their bathroom before the cut. She attempted to fix it but it was way to late. Kim, being the big person she was, comped me for the shampoo which was $ 2 only. o. o?!
Long story semi-​short, thanks to Van’s lack of knowledge and Kim’s lack of attention as an instructor, I am now sporting an uneven neck length hair on one side of my face and and zigzag/​dog bit looking neck length hair on the other. The little amount of money I saved ended up being used for purchase of flat iron, hair spray and hair heat protector because my hair just won’t stay straight at short length.
So ladies, don’t cheapen yourself out! #treatyoself yo!
P. S. seems like a lot of middle aged guys come to this salon and leave happy. :S

Gotta give it to Kim. Very friendly and definitely a good time. The great haircut is a bonus.

It’s been two days since my first visit to Vuu’s for a gel manicure and omg, I have never seen my nails look this gorgeous! (See pic of red nails and gold party nail). THe ladies are super sweet and friendly, unlike other nail salons where you feel like a number. They fussed over colors for my skin tone and my girl was extra cautious and gentle throughout the whole experience. In addition, it was amazingly affordable at just $ 15 for the gel manicure!!! The only thing is you have to have plenty of time. I was there over 2 hours which stressed me out as I wasn’t expecting it to take that long, but really for the price, it’s a terrific deal. My nails are trimmed beautifully, the color is rich and hard, haven’t had a single chip yet, and the hand massage was at least 20 minutes, very relaxing. I would highly recommend going here for a great deal and to have a service from a very professional, detailed manicurist. I’ll definitely be back!

Great haircut for the price. I have been a regular for more than a year and never had a problem.

I am new to Seattle. I have had my Haircut there twice, and both times they did an AWESOME job! And you can’t get much better than $ 9 for a haircut and shampoo! This is a MUST VISIT place to get your Hair done. The students are great, The teacher’s are some of the best hair stylists I’ve ever had touch my hair, (and in Southern California I’ve had some of the best, most expensive haircuts Ever, and these guys easily rival them!) Also Kim, the owner, is SO nice and friendly. She helped me find a place to live, another teacher helped me find a job, these people rock, and to top it all off, you end up with a killer haircut. What more could you want? :)

Great price for a hair cut. If you spend under $ 10 there’s a charge for using a credit card, so I got an eyebrow wax too, and was pleased with the results.

Just did my hair… reddish brown… live it!!! Kim the owner is very friendly.

I dye my naturally dark blonde hair platinum and I went to Madame Vuu’s for a root touch-​up. I was very happy with the quality of the work done (it was the most beautiful and delicately done bleach I’ve ever had, they didn’t even need to use toner) and the attitude of everyone there. Unfortunately I had to wait over an hour to get into a chair, and then the process, which at every other salon I’ve ever been to took only one hour from start to finish, took over three. I will be back again, but I will plan to be there all day in the future.

I love when people remember you. Ms Kim, the instructor not only recognized me as soon as I walked in – she remembered the haircut I wanted! This after not having been back for about a year. I was very impressed and immediately felt welcome.
So to start my long layered cut, my hairdresser Richie proceeded to give me the best shampoo ever. I sometimes wish I had the kind of hair that needs more maintenance, just so I can get these head massages more often. Richie was super courteous and very very focused on making sure that I was okay, explaining what she was doing and asking questions so that she knew what I wanted. I definitely felt from the beginning that she had everything under control. Not something you’d expect from a student, so my haircut went very nicely. And quickly, maybe an hour altogether after Ms Kim made her slight adjustments.
My hair came out wonderful. And it was better *after* I washed my hair and styled it the way I normally would. AND it cost $ 11, though I definitely gave a really good tip.
Couple things keeping me from giving that final star: the place could use a little more cleanliness and organization, maybe a desk person who just handles calls and payments? I called to make an appointment and got no response, and paying was a bit awkward since Ms Kim was upstairs or something and Richie wasn’t sure how much to charge, and really it should be someone else handling the register. Also maybe a more professional attitude from the students and teachers. I understand that we are in the ID and a lot of the clientele is Asian. However, I really think that constantly talking in a different language is a bit rude and I myself always tried to be mindful of that when I worked in front of customers. By all means speak that language with the customer if that is where they are comfortable, but among yourselves, try and speak in a more universal language specially when there are customers and other students who won’t understand you.

The hair cut in here really good. I just random went there because its all the way down in chinatown. The price is really good deal for a college student like me. I realy satisfy with my hair and the color they chose for me too. They have a manicure too they are so nice to the customer. The women did for me is really nice. The price for men like 7 bucks for men and 9 bucks for women.

I was helping a friend moving to U district, then I figure I need a haircut. Saw this place and decided to come in. The place has two section of manicare and haircut. It was not a long wait even though the place was busy. One of the student gave me the haircut, she was very sweet and asked me at first how I want my hair to be done. After explaining to her, she did the job very carefully. The instructor walked around and checked on the students and will jump in if she need to. I ended up with a very nice haircut, the instructor did a little fix on my hair and it looked even better. The hair shampooing was like a massage, very relaxing. The crew are very nice and friendly. Definitely recommend this place. Price is reasonable, 7 $ for male. Definitely will come back and become a regular customer

I’m a college girl on a budget and paying $ 15+ for a hair cut is out of the question. I honestly expected my hair cut to be 50% of a hot mess, but I was surprisingly impressed. My hair came out exactly how I wanted it.
The only con is that the language barrier may be apparent, depending on which student you receive. Mine understood english fairly well, but I HIGHLY recommend bringing in a photo if you want a specific hair cut.
The speed of the hair cut also depends on the student. Mine was fairly fast (30 minutes) but my friend’s was a tad longer. If you’re on a time crunch, I suggest not coming to this salon.
If you receive a student who is struggling, I think the teacher comes by and fixes your hair for you. That’s what happened to my friend.
Vuu is a great, cheap hair salon!

I went all the way to Seattle for a haircut and manicure. Strange I know. It wasn’t really part of the plan but the whole no haircut for 9months in order to grow it long finally pissed me off enough. I’d always wanted to get a cheap haircut from a student so decided to take the opportunity walk into Vuu’s
UPSIDE
— super duper cheap haircut and style ($ 10) and French manicure ($ 8 — but she gave me a $ 1 off just because)
— whilst it’s a student cutting your hair, their teacher came at the end to help tidy my hair up and teach her what she should be doing
— with their limited English ability they manage to come across as super friendly
DOWNSIDE
— communication is a problem when trying to describe how you want your hair cut. I came prepared with photos and advise you do too
— the manicure is very simple (no fan to dry your nails with) but still done well
— my haircut took a bit longer than normal, not that I was in a rush. Not for the time poor or impatient
OVERALL
Happy with my haircut. It’s no longer a thick mess of please grow 10 cm in the next week so I can have long hair again. Nails are pretty and girly. My bank account is happy I spent less for both compared to just getting one of these back home. WINNER!

I’ve been there 2 times. The first time I went, the student cut my hair poorly and luckily an instructor came in and patched things up a bit. It was still a very bad haircut regardless. After that experience I swore I would not go back again no matter how cheap the prices are. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t keep my promise and visited here again half a year later.
My hair had grown too long and all I needed was a buzz cut. After my last experience here, my salon of choice became Kim’s Hair Salon — located 5 mins away from Vuu’s. However, I decided that a student could give a simple buzz cut could they not? I found out the answer to be not.
I went there and told the student I wanted a buzz cut. She then proceeded to cut my hair with scissors 1 cm at a time. I’m thinking to myself «Ok, and just be the patient, she’s still a student.» However, she kept cutting at this rate for a half hour before I realized that she probably had no idea what I wanted so I searched for a picture on my phone and showed it to her. No way she could screw up now right? Wrong again. She continued her 1 cm scissors cut for another 20 min before an instructor came. Thank goodness, an instructor, and right? Wrong again.
I told him and showed him the pic I showed the student and 15 min later, voila! A totally different haircut than the picture. I understand if there’s language barriers — no problem — but cmon now, how much more help can I offer when I showed a picture!
I’m serious this time, I’m not going back here for sure.

I called the school twice to make an appointment but no one answered, so I just walked over to test my luck. They were able to help me right away, but maybe that’s where my luck failed me.
I came in for a pedicure and it took over an hour. The woman was very slow and spoke pretty much no English. She did not ask if I wanted my nails round or square, so I assumed she would do them square because really, who does round anymore? Well, she does. So my toe nails are VERY round. And uneven, meaning that the big toe nails don’t even match. When I expressed my concern about this, I got a lot of fluff about how the woman that did my nails does them for all the big stars in Vietnam and she’s wonderful at it and is a professional and is so great at it and knows all about it and is great at it. That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t help me grow my now uneven, round toe nails out any faster.
As a consolation, she took $ 3 off the fee.
So, before I leave I ask where I should go to dry my toe nails. They had no fan or a UV light, so they gave me some flip flops (which normally cost a dollar but she was giving them to me for free… like that would change my opinion of the place).
To top off the experience, the top coat wore off after 2 days of being bare foot.