A visit to the salon for my wife was on the list of discussed and approved expenditures for the weekend. A few hairs on her beautiful head had dared to turn the wrong color, and needed to be taught a lesson. She called around gathering current pricing information as well as potential time slots, finding she would be paying somewhere between $70 and $90 for a single all over color.
She then remembered the name of another salon that had been used by our neighbor to have their daughters’ hair done for homecoming a few weeks prior. The salon had done a great job, and was very reasonable. The salon was actually a cosmetology school, thus the people doing the work were students.
Cosmetology schools offer services because the best way to perfect your craft is to practice. Since the people performing the services aren’t experienced or even licensed the cost is significantly lower.
How much cheaper are services at a cosmetology school? I wanted to find out, so I compared the prices of some common services between the school close to my home and a well respected, full service salon:
Spa Manicure:
- Cosmetology School: $13
- Salon: $23
Spa Pedicure:
- Cosmetology School: $28
- Salon: $42
Basic Facial:
- Cosmetology School: $31
- Salon: $67
Haircut (Women):
- Cosmetology School: $11
- Salon: $30-$45+
All Over Color:
- Cosmetology School: $32.50
- Salon: $49-$68
There are many other services available, but these are some of the most common and very clearly illustrates how much cheaper it is to have services done at a cosmetology school versus a full service salon. Specifically for my wife’s hair color, she is charged towards the higher end of the range at a full service salon as her hair is very long and thick. While she is normally charged close to $70, she had it done at a Cosmetology school for $32.50.
My wife had her hair colored at a cosmetology school for less than half the cost at a full service salon!
As mentioned the reason the services are less expensive is because the people performing the services are relatively inexperienced students. A person looking for spa or salon services must keep this in mind if they choose the less expensive cost of a cosmetology school.
Some situations where a cosmetology school might be a good fit:
- Uncomplicated service : If you’re looking for a basic haircut, or your coloring is a single color (no fancy highlights or abnormal colors).
- Age of Client : If you’re taking a young one for a service and wouldn’t mind if the outcome wasn’t perfect.
- Perceived Value: If you simply think that salon prices are outrageous, the product you get from a cosmetology school student may provide a much better value.
Some situations where you might consider an experienced professional:
- Life Events : If it’s your wedding day, or some other very important life event, and everything has to be perfect.
- Client Expectations: If you are getting spa treatments as a way to treat yourself, be pampered, and relax.
In my wife’s case, while her hair is long and thick, she only wanted an all over single color. It would only cost her $32.50, and she had confidence that the student would be able to do it to her satisfaction because the student was under constant supervision of an instructor.
Returning home from her appointment, her hair looked great, and so did our weekend budget thanks to the low cost of having her hair colored at a cosmetology school.
Have you ever had spa or hair services done at a cosmetology school? How did it turn out?
Schools are a great option for lower cost hair color! They are closely supervised by their instructors.
I live several miles from the nearest Cosmetology school, and have found the local, no-frills, low-priced salon to be a good option for haircuts, although they don’t do coloring there.
Yes, I have! I used to go to the cosmetology school for my services all the time. It was a great way to save money!
Ms. FP has been going to an cosmetology school for her hair needs and it’s been great so far. She doesn’t do a lot of complicated stuff with her hair and doesn’t want to drop the big money on a fancy cut.
For myself, it’s even easier. Ms. FP cuts it for me! Originally started out doing that just to save time – I hated waiting at the barbershop to sit in the chair and then have to awkwardly talk with the barber for 15-30 minutes. I think most men can easily have a spouse cut their hair for them, if they’re willing to take that risk and have a spouse who’s up to try it.
For me, it might have been cheaper, but the time commitment was horrible. Both times I got a cut and highlights (I have very long fine hair) it cost 50 with tip. The downside, it cost 3-4 HOURS. Every step had to be checked by an instructor. On the flip side, my style might cost 90$ for the same treatment, but she only takes 75 minutes to do it. (Actually, I have seen her do 2 people’s hair at the same time. It was pretty cool to watch.)
I’ve only had one good experience at the cosmetology school, and that was when my high school best friend went through it later in life. She had been cutting/coloring my hair for years so she knew exactly what was going to happen. It still took an hour for a haircut, but it was time well spent with the old BFF. Had it not been her, I would not have had such a good enjoyable time.
So while it may be cheaper, depending on how you value your time it may not be worth it. The time saved by going to my stylist is worth it by far.