I just got a free haircut at one of the very best places in San Francisco, Joseph Cozza Salon, after finding out that they give free haircuts on their Wednesday training nights and are always looking for “models” (which just means anyone who wants to get their hair cut). During the cut, stylists-in-training are closely supervised by master hair stylists, which means the process takes a little longer (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours), but other than that, there’s really no downside.
You get a consultation at the beginning and input into how you would or wouldn’t like your hair to be cut. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised that they actually took about 30 minutes of that time to scrutinize and come up with ideas for cuts that would fit me personally, which in all honesty is probably more time spent than all the other times combined that I’ve ever been to a stylist. To give you an idea, regular haircuts for women at this salon start at $70 and go up, and I’m pretty sure a cut by the stylist who supervised my trainee would have easily run into the three figures. Joseph Cozza also does coloring on Wednesday training days for $25 as well.
It turns out that if you live in a big city, there are probably several high-end salons that offer this kind of opportunity. Here are a few links:
- Allure’s list of salons offering training nights
- A long list of salons in NYC offering free haircuts
- Some Chicago area salons offering training nights
And if you don’t live in one of the cities listed, note that several of those listings are chains, so it might be worth calling one in your area to see if they do something similar. Gene Juarez, Aveda, and Tony & Guy are a few that I’ve seen listed that offer training night hair cuts at discount or for free. There are also many beauty schools that offer free haircuts, though one big difference might be in the level of experience the trainee has had. These opportunities are a great way for students to stay stylish as well as under budget, or a great way of being frugal without showing it. And if you do happen to get a cut you don’t like, remember it all grows back!
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An
Gene Juarez does this in Seattle, but it’s definitely not free, and it’s not even *that* cheap (something like $40). I’d be really wary of going to a beauty school, but I’m just picky that way. I’m fine with a particular salon’s “advanced training” schools, though.
Kind of reminds me of one of the grad schools I applied to, where the dental insurance “plan” consisted of going over to the dental school and letting the students there do the work. I’m all for learning, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to a dentist who isn’t fully licensed. Cutting hair is one thing, inflicting pain is another…
mapgirl
Vidal Sasson usually needs hair models for their students. Expect that it’s going to take a long time, but it’s very cheap compared to their regular prices. This is an advanced training school, so your ‘student’ is already a licensed cosmotologist, so don’t worry that it’s going to be really messed up. It’s not.
cari hensen
I am a stylist willing to re locate and need information to find a salon with salon training, please.