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AOI Beauty Studio & Esthetics
Category: Beauty and Spas Hair Salons Hair Salons
520 Beatty StreetVancouver, BC V6B 2L3
Neighbourhood: Downtown
(604) 688-2122
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 8 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Street, Validated, Private Lot
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- By Appointment Only:
- No
- Hair Types Specialized In:
- Coloring, Extensions, Curly Hair, Perms
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
7 reviews for AOI Beauty Studio & Esthetics
7 reviews in English
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Review from Eric C.
5/9/2012 1 photo
Loved the 3-4 times I went here during my short stay in Vancouver. The service, friendliness, and expertise were extremely high and wonderfully Japanese. They paid great attention to detail on my hair and always made sure that I as comfortable. Plus, they deliver their service with a friendly sincere smile!
I really looked forward to each hair cut each time! Go here! It's awesome and absolutely worth it! -
Review from Stephanie W.
Vancouver, BC
4/7/2012
I've been going to AOI since 2004, and I will never ever leave as long as Takeshi is there. Prior to Takeshi, I had my cuts done by Kensei who has since returned to Japan. I have referred several of my friends to AOI and all of them have been pleased with the results, and all but one are still returning clients. I lived in Halifax for 2 years and would leave my hair unkempt until I could get back to Takeshi (which was like, every 4 months, but it took effort to make sure I got in with him at every Vancouver visit). I couldn't recommend them highly enough. 2 notes:
1) I once attempted to get a perm with them. My hair doesn't generally take well to curling and the perm was super duper unsuccessful. This was so long ago that I can't remember what they did to remedy the situation since I had paid a decent amount of money for nonexistent results, with no fault on anyone's part, but I do remember being impressed with the efforts they went to in offering other services in lieu of that. (They had offered hair colouring, which I considered but ultimately didn't do)
2) I'm one of those AWFUL clients who don't know what I want and just ask the hairstylist to do what they think will look good, and then grumble about it when it's not what I want. Takeshi does the perfect amount of asking and taking initiative for me and has great judgment about that kind of thing. -
Review from Justin L.
Vancouver, BC
2/7/2012
A couple of years ago I was told that I should visit this salon by a friend after being made fun of for my less than impressive haircuts at great clips. I was a bit reluctant at first as the price was higher but now I realize it's completely worth it so that I look clean and proper :).
As soon as I walked in I knew I made the right choice. The employees here are so friendly that I often feel like I'm being rude (and I'm usually a nice guy!!). They are all Japanese and are extremely polite. They offer to take your coat and in my experience they are never running late. Theres also free parking across the street (ask them for a park pass).
My friend recommended me to see Takeshi and I have been so satisfied with my cuts that I haven't changed stylists since I started coming here. The other stylists are also very good too but i have only seen Takeshi so far (and why change a good thing?). The other stylists are trained by him though and I have seen some awesome cuts from them as well. I have recommended my roommate and other friends who visit me from out of town to see Takeshi and everybody has been completely satisfied with his haircuts and his attention to details.
Now these guys take details very seriously as my haircuts normally take an hour whereas at great clips it took 15 minutes max. They begin by giving you a scalp massage Under a heated pillow which feels pretty neat. Then they cut your hair while it's wet so that they can acquire the proper shape. Afterwards they rinse all the bits of hair out again and then dry it. Now normally you'd think they'd be done but then they spend an extra 20-30 minutes texturizing and cutting more details while your hair is dry. The end result is that it looks great and then it's very easy to style. He explains how you style the hair so that you can do it yourself when you get home.
I've never had a bad experience here and have always left completely satisfied. I highly recommend AOI! -
Review from Julio M.
Vancouver, BC
4/5/2012
Our family normally sees Naoki and Takeshi and their cuts are worth every penny. Super friendly service, great hair cuts that last (no more messy head after a month!) and great patience with our 5year old. Highly recommend this place!
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Review from Erica J.
Richmond, BC
5/16/2011
I need to start off by saying that i am VERY picky when it comes to my hair, because it is something everyone sees right away when they look at you..as it is on ur head and very prominent..
I think I'm probably one of those customers that hairdressers will see in their appointment book and then take deep breaths to calm themselves down about needing to work on me that day =P
With that said, Aoi is my hair salon of choice after trying out a few different places, and I have NEVER had a bad experience here (which is saying a lot because I am the girl who cries if I don't like my hair cut. Ya i know, I'm really mature.)
Pricing at Aoi is tiered based on the hairdresser's experience, starting at $40 for least experienced and up to $50 (if i remember correctly) for most experienced master hairdresser (this would be Takeshi).
I must say that regardless of experience, service is SUPERB. Everyone is very polite and professional, and even the less experienced hairdressers have done an awesome job. They always wash ur hair first and you get a really nice scalp massage with it. All the hairdressers take the time to communicate and work out what you would like to have done, showing you pictures so you can get a better idea before they start. If you aren't pleased with your haircut after you can go back and they'll fix it up for you free of charge (though I've never had to do that because I've always loved everything they've done for me)
I've had three different hairdressers: Mai, Naoki and Takeshi
Mai was the first person I've ever had at Aoi, and I would have gone back to her again but she went on vacation (I'm not sure if she's still there at the moment) but she is very gentle with her cuts.
Naoki is just an awesome person. So chatty and fun to talk to if you like talking while you get your hair done, super friendly and very professional. I was a bit iffy at first because he was a new face at Aoi but I wasn't disappointed at all, he gave me exactly what I wanted and haircuts from him are a bit cheaper because he's less experienced.
Takeshi is the manager of the place and the grand master hairdresser (i'm not sure if this is his actual title or if i'm just making this up in my head, but he is the highest level of hairdressers) I got my hair done by Takeshi last time and boy it was worth every penny. He suggested that I try straight across bangs which was something I've never done before and I was really hesitant cuz I was worried I'd have to shave my head if it didnt turn out well. I ended up loving it SO much I've decided to keep my hair in this style for the next little while.
All in all, Aoi is definitely a great place to get your hair done. The staff are all Japanese and may not be perfectly fluent in english but it is good enough to communicate what you want and I've never had a problem with them in that sense. I've recommended this place to all my friends and I'd definitely recommend it to all you yelpers out there. =D -
Review from Howard P.
Vancouver, BC
2/7/2011
I've been going to AOI for a few years now, and have absolutely no complaints. The service is great, and the staff are very nice, polite and respectful. And above all, they are very skilled at cutting hair. Their haircuts are so good, I don't have to get haircuts as often as I used to at other places. Unlike other cheap salons that use electric hair clippers for half the haircut, AOI's stylists are masters at cutting with scissors and are also great at styling hair. All their stylists are professionally trained and it definitely shows!
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Review from alicia T.
Burnaby, BC
Updated - 2/18/2010
ok... i really didn't want to have to write this, since my experience was pleasant last time, but i couldn't help but be a lil miffed. I called AOI twice this week because i have a very important event to attend and i wanted to get hair extensions (my hair recently got straightened and colored, so it's a frizzy disaster). i tried to make an appointment and asked a few questions about the process (ive never had it done before) and the receptionist was just soooooo not helpful at all... i mean, she seems like a very nice person, but couldn't they have hired someone who speaks a little more english?? she couldnt understand what i was saying, i couldn't understand what she was saying... it was horrible. i mean, i really tried to go back there. but getting thru the receptionist is just frustrating. she asked me to come in for a consultation, and i asked if it was possible to do both consult and extensions on the same day as i did not want to drive there twice (i live far) and first she says yes then she says no. i asked her why? she said its cuz she doesn't know what color my hair extensions would be and they only carry few colors. so if its different she'll have to order. i told her my hair is black, so it shud be ok then she says she doesn't have that many. so i asked her to order more black hair pieces then, and i will make a deposit with my credit card if necessary so that i dont have to come back twice. I mean, how hard is it to match black hair???????? then she says no i have to bring my own hair pieces (why didnt she just say so from the beginning?? whats with the whole matching my color crap?) she says i have to buy the special japanese ones so i said ok tahts fine, where do i have to go buy them? then she says i don't know so i have to come in................................................ ..... this was a conversation that was a result of 2 days of talking. i am now really confused and frustrated. so i can't order my hair pieces thru them, and they dont kno where i can buy the pieces, so what is the point of the consultation???? are tehy going to tell me where to buy the pieces when i go in??? i got fed up so i called someplace else and they told me to come in for consult + extensions on the first day. Aoi, i really tried to come back to your place. i really dont mean to be mean, i mean she seems really nice, but u either really have to send her to esl classes, or train her better...
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/27/2009 First to Review
visited this place becuz i wanted to try the japanese thermal treatment aka straightening perm.… Read more »
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