When I originally called to schedule an appointment to fix it, I was told that I was going to be charged for another full process. This is a huge flag in my book as I've never had a salon make me pay for a mistake that they made. Naturally I rebuttled, however it was settled that I would only pay $20 for the products used (this still made me very uncomfortable, but I'm not a confrontational person so I didn't press it).
I had really high hopes for the Duda Spa after going there with a botched color job from a previous salon. I had consulted with both Deena, the owner, and Lani, the colorist, twice about the look I wanted for my hair; explaining in detail the look I was trying to achieve and providing photos of inspiration as back up. I'm VERY particular with my hair, which I let them know upfront. They explained the process to me and made me feel really comfortable with walking into a new salon and taking a risk. Lani even did a color strand test on my hair to make sure it would pull the right color. I felt very confident going into my appointment and my expectations were very high. Unfortunately the expectations died along with some strands of my hair.
Dee did my manicure and pedicure for my wedding. She did a phenomenal job! She made sure I was happy with how everything looked and really took her time. Very happy with everything!
I've been to the Duda before for massages, facials, manis and pedis during weekend trips to Portsmouth. I had a great experience each time. The Duda is high end without being pretentious.
I had an amazing experience at Duda Spa! I was getting my hair cut from very long to very short and was incredibly nervous about it, but my beautician Lani eased my worries and gave me an AMAZING short cut! She spent extra time with me because she knew what a dramatic change this was, and did everything in her power to make it perfect! The atmosphere and vibe allowed for a relaxing and memorable experience. Will definitely be going back!!
It was my first time going to DuDa Spa. Having high hopes of a signature "spa" pedicure, but leaving disappointed. The lady giving the pedicure was very nice, and did do a nice job but wasn't any different than your normal nail salon pedicure...The stated hour and twenty minute treatment only lasted 50 minutes and there was no extended massage. The hot stones were warm, and the warm towels were cold. When I had called to speak to a manager, I mentioned I just was kindly letting her know how I felt and wasn't expecting to be compensated just wanted to tell her I didn't feel like I got a spa treatment for a $100 (included tip) pedicure. She instead of apologizing, got defensive and was quite rude. She told me that she would talk to the lady who gave me the pedicure and would call me back the following day, and here it is 4 days later with no response. As a new client to the salon, I felt like she did not treat me well and didn't care for the business, I will certainly not be returning.
I'll be driving almost an hour back to Portsmouth in a couple of months for a another appt with Brittany - it's worth the trip!
My appointment was schedule for this past Sunday and I made sure that Deena did my hair instead, as I felt more comfortable with a more seasoned stylist after my experience. Again, she talked me through the process of what she would be doing and I showed her the photo again of what I wanted. I thought I was going to be all set. Not the case.
My original appointment was scheduled from 10-1. I didn't end up leaving the salon until after 3pm...and there were maybe two other clients in there the whole time I was there, so it wasn't like the salon was busy. It wasn't until after my appointment when my hair was blow-dried that I noticed instead of natural looking, sun kissed balayage highlights mixed in with my more natural looking base, I was left with 85% of my hair bleached yellow. When I arrived home I immediately called the salon and spoke with Deena regarding my concerns. Instead of listening to my concerns, she was very defensive and told me "maybe I'll like it if I wait a few days." I knew that wasn't going to be the case but I waited a few days before calling back to make an appointment to fix it.
This time I decided to try out the hair salon, and I'm so glad that I did! My regular hair stylist in Boston moved about two years ago, and since then I've been on the hunt for a new "regular". My hair is very curly and dry and so my options often come down to wearing it frizzy, or packing on the products and wearing it a bit crunchy.
After my appointment I went home and examined my hair with a fine-tooth comb, and ended up having to go back to the salon to process again because I found SEVERAL careless mistakes...including harsh lines of demarcation where the balayaged pieces were, huge chunks of blonde in the front of my face and an overall not well-blended "fix." So I went back to the salon to have her fix the mistakes the second time around. After leaving the salon for the final time, there are still several pieces that aren't blended well, harsh lines of demarcation I keep finding popping up all over my head and just overall careless for the quality of what I wanted. I think it goes without saying that I will not be a returning customer to the Duda Spa.
TLDR: Went to Duda Spa for two color consultations, had to go back two separate times post original appointment to get it fixed and still managed to leave with unkempt looking balayage. Also was charged for the products used to "fix" my hair the second time around. I will not be returning to this salon for any hair color appointments. If you cannot achieve a look a client is going for, or if it seems unrealistic to the client, PLEASE be up front with your customers so expectations do not fall flat.
If you share my pain, go see Brittany at the Duda! She's fairly new to the salon but apparently brings great experience in color and managing hard-to-handle curls. She listened to what I wanted, offered her advice without being pushy, and even cut my layers in stages so that I could see the progress and confirm that 'we' were heading in the right direction throughout the entire appointment. I say "we" because it really felt like a collaboration. This was the first time in a long time that I left a salon feeling like I didn't need to head right home to restyle my hair. And since then I've received several compliments on the color and how full and healthy it looks.
**Before my pedicure I did receive an underarm wax where my hair was not long enough to actually wax, and they did not charge me for this which I did appreciate. The lady who did the underarm wax was very friendly and tried her best. This review does not reflect the underarm wax.
Got curls? Go see Brittany!
The Duda Spa is a US Hair Care Studio based in Portsmouth, Maine. The Duda Spa is located at 53 Green St, Portsmouth, NH 03801, USA.
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