Sapphire Hair Spa in Richmond, VA

Soo my hair texture is soft and curly when wet. If I comb it out it can be very big and fluffy. If I blow it out and straighten it, it becomes sleek. My hair is versatile and can feel thick or thin depending on the style it is in. For that reason, I never had or needed a perm or relaxer in my life because a flat iron works just fine. When I do decide to straighten out my curls, I always visit my go to Dominican salon. Instead of seeing my usual stylist, I decided to give this studio a try. I discovered this salon on Facebook and decided to follow them. One Friday they announced a pop up special for $25 wash and blow outs. Since my hair is curly and long, I usually end up being charged more than a person with a perm. I decided to give them a try and went straight after work. Fridays+hair salons= terrible idea especially for a walk in service, but since I didn't have plans I was prepared to wait and didn't mind. When I arrived there were three hairstylist and a waiting area full of ladies. I only had to wait about an hour and 20 minutes before it was my turn and to me that wasn't a bad wait time for the situation. The girl who washed and styled my hair was Essence. When she began to wash my hair she quickly discovered I was "natural" as the water coated my hair and my curls began to pop. She did a good job washing my hair. Now when it was time to detangle and blow out my hair, this woman had me nervous. I know my hair. I rarely go to salons because I can style it multiple ways myself. Once my hair is washed, it requires work in order for it to be detangled and she was clearly not ready. She was not used to working on a natural head at all and I wish I would've known that instead of being her real life test mannequin. The hairstylist in the chair next to her (Wanda) had to stop working on her client multiple times to demonstrate on my head how Essence should've cared for my hair. For the short period of time Wanda had her hands in my hair, I knew she knew what she was doing and I should've been in her chair. I managed to stay calm and patient as Essence pulled at my hair, reminding myself if I let her do this it will give her experience with curly hair. When she finished my hair she actually had the nerve to ask me if I wanted my ends clipped. I allowed her to struggle with a comb and a flat iron but I am not crazy enough to let her put scissors to my hair. I politely said no thanks not today. Lol My blowout looked good and lasted a long time. Although $25 was a great deal, I would rather go to a stylist with experience. The only name I saw in reviews was Wanda and I see why. A month or so later.... On their website they offer multiple styles, cuts, colors, braids, and sew ins. I wanted two French braids and noticed they had braids listed for $40 on their website. I messaged them on Facebook to see how much they would charge for two French braids. Her reply was they didn't have a stylist to create the style I wanted. I was confused because they have braids listed as a service, they have to braid hair to style a sew in, and they posted pictures on their Facebook page of faux locs and cornrows. She did give me a phone number to a hair braiding salon that had bad reviews so I just said screw it. I gave them a try but I don't believe I will return to this salon. The employees were all nice ladies but they can't deliver for me. If you have natural curly hair and decide to come here for a blow out, I recommend that you get styled my Wanda.