Touch of Style

Qui is absolutely fantastic at cutting straight hair. After moving to Ayer, I struggled to find someone as skilled as Qui, whom I had been going to for 20 years. I made the drive back to her salon because she is truly worth it.

I frequented this salon on and off for years without any issues, mainly because it was near my nail salon. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars instead of none. I never had a consistent stylist until about 2 years ago when I started requesting Qim, the owner. After she did my hair and added highlights around the holidays, I left a generous tip of $40. During my second visit with Qim, I asked her to charge $100 to my card and gave her $45 in cash, including a $30 tip. However, upon checking my records, I noticed that she had charged my card $115 instead of $100. Despite this error, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. On my third visit, she left the foils in for too long, causing damage to my hair. When I brought up the overcharge, she responded by saying that other clients tip her more generously and offered to return the extra amount. I agreed, thinking everything was fine and needed another haircut. However, within seconds of starting the cut, she abruptly stopped and said she wouldn't finish because people might find the style ugly. I was shocked and asked her to at least blend the uneven lengths, but she remained silent and refused to complete the job. I left feeling bewildered, drove to another salon for a quick fix, and ended up with much shorter hair due to Qim's botched attempt. I had to wear a hat for months to let it grow out. It took nearly 6 months for my hair to recover. Today marks a year since that incident, and I hesitated to write this review. Many people urged me to share my experience to prevent others from going through the same. I believe Qim was unhappy because I asked for the $15 overcharge back and because my $30 tip wasn't deemed sufficient. As a person with a disability on a fixed income, I felt she didn't want to deal with my situation.

I'm rating this place with just 2 stars because the haircut itself was well done. However, the vibe in this salon is quite strange. When I asked if I could leave a tip on my card, they said yes. But then, during my son's haircut, the woman at the front desk kept insisting that I must be his aunt. I repeatedly told her I wasn't, but she continued to make the assumption, making things awkward. When it came time to pay, I swiped my card and asked to add a tip. The woman then told me that the owner prefers tips to be in cash, but she made an exception for me since it was my first visit. This confused me, as I had inquired about this policy before receiving any services. Additionally, there was a strange odor in the salon, and my clothes retained the smell. I don't usually leave negative reviews, but I wouldn't recommend this place. The stylist was good, but the overall experience was uncomfortable.