Salon Review - Olive's Salon and Day Spa

Web address: www.olivestextures.com
Address: 1198 Boylston Street
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467

Telephone: 617-734-3944
Hours: Wed 10-5, Thurs 10-6, Fri 10-5, Sat 9-1, Sun 10-2

Stylist: Maria

I’ve actually been to this salon before but wanted to write a formal review. The salon was founded by the late Olive Benson, a pioneer in the ethnic hair care industry. She created the “off the scalp” technique of relaxing hair and has received numerous awards and distinctions for her work. Olive’s salon has its own line of relaxer and styling products.

Décor/Ambience

The salon was nicely decorated. It had a nice spa-like ambience. It is located in Chestnut Hill, a quiet affluent suburb of Massachusetts.

It is apparent that the owners spend a lot of time and money trying to make the salon look and feel very upscale. Even the website is well done and frequently updated.

Photo From Olive's website

Products

Olive’s uses and carries a diverse set of products. I didn’t see the usual suspects like Keracare, Kenra, and Mizani. Instead, they seem to like a wide range of lesser-known products like Essations, Italy, At One Botanicals, ORS and Razac. A lot of these products are easy to find and budget friendly.

Pricing

Click here for pricing info.

Customer Service

Olive’s has phenomenal customer service. I showed up on time for my noon appointment and the front desk person greeted me cheerfully. Instead of waiting 15-30 mins to be seated, I was immediately escorted to the chair as soon as I arrived. My stylist’s assistant, based me thoroughly. As soon as she was finished, my stylist, Maria, was ready for me.

She relaxed me with the Olive’s relaxer, Universal Textures. It’s a great relaxer and, in the past, has always left my hair strong and healthy. After the relaxer processed, they shampooed and conditioned my hair. Maria applied a leave-in and set my hair on blue bouffant mesh rollers and sat me under a Pibbs dryer. After I was dry, she gave me a trim and straightened my roots with a boar bristle brush. When I left my hair was shiny, bouncy and smooth.

Overall:

I highly recommend this salon if you live in Boston. I really like this salon for a few reasons.

1) The stylists are extremely knowledgeable and committed to healthy hair. If you ask questions, they will take the time to educate you on proper hair and maintenance. They will give you tips and design a regimen for you. They know all about protein, correctives, porosity, elasticity, etc.  I’ve only had Maria and Diana do my hair and I would HIGHLY recommend them both.

2) They use healthy hair styling techniques. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them do blow outs or use a flat iron. Most of the clients are roller set with the roots lightly blown out on low. The big mesh rollers provide more tension than magnetic rollers so the roots and hair are pretty much straight after a set.

3) This salon sets the standard for customer service. Unlike most salons, where I have to wait forever to see my stylist and then wait until she finishes another client in between styling, I was in and out in under 3 hours. This includes the 1 hour and 30 minutes I sat under the dryer. So, they gave me a touchup, roller set and trim in 3 hours. I love salons that respect a patron’s time.

4) There is a nice family ambience at Olive’s. It’s very warm and inviting. The staff jokes around and catches up on the latest gossip and news. They take an interest in your life and remember tidbits of info from your last conversation. The stylist’s seem more like sisters than coworkers.

5) Lastly, you get what you pay for. The prices might be a tad pricey to some but it’s worth it. The technique and products used are great and you definitely will not spend all day in the salon!

Comments

[kini130]

Thanks for this...when i go home I will definitely go there!

[Ings]

People of Boston do NOT sleep on Olive's!!
Are they expensive? yes
Does it take about an hour to get there if you're coming from the red line? yes

Because I'm a recent college grad and not made of money I only go to Olive's for my touch ups, but if you follow their mantra and use minimal heat (just wash, set, sit under the drier - no blow-dry & no flat-irons)the combination of your hair treatment and theirs will lead to beautiful hair. Not only will your hair be the envy of all your friends, they will take such good care of it that random women with completely different hair than yours will complement you on it!

Example: I was at church (maybe a week after my Olive's appointment) and at the end of the service the woman sitting next to me said "Your hair is so beautiful and healthy ! I just thought I should let you know that I love it!"

Do you not go to Olive's expecting to come out with a "hairstyle" set into place. They are not about that. They are about the health of your hair - you will leave with bounce, shine, and the strongest ends ever. breakage? i don't think so.

Now that I've taken 10 minutes to rave I will shush and get back to work.

Macherie: I agree - I dont like my style when i come out of the salon but the shine and the bounce is amazing.

[Shakeena]

What is the "off the scalp" technique?

[Ings]

re: Shakeena

The "off the scalp" technique is how Olive's applies chemical relaxers to the hair. If you have a chance to go to the salon, look closely at the people around you that are getting touchups and you'll see that about 1cm of hair (closest to the scalp) has little to no relaxer on it. It's great for people with sensitive scalps because the chemical does not come in contact with your skin.

Macherie: Go head Ings! Its really a great technique - I wish every salon would do it.

[twnz&1mo]

I love the "do" on the young lady on the advertisement and would like to "attempt" it. Can someone tell me how it was done? I'm thinking flexi-rods, but what else...

Macherie: Good question!! I have to get my hair done for graduation and will make an appointment there. I will ask the owner.

[Tiffanita]

My mother and her friends went to Olive's for years. Their hair always came out so nice. Olive also used to contribute to Essence magazine a lot too. I used to go to one of the stylists from Olive's, but I went to her house and called it Olive's basement, lol.

[Dr. Ali Syed]

Thanks for the review. I'll be sure to check them out.

Also, have any of you tried Salon Red & Spa on Newbury? I hear good things about them.

[BlueJay Deva]

I used to go to Olive's religiously.
I had some bad experience with one of Olive's daughters, screaming and acting crazy and never went back.
For great quality and training I really liked Monica Todd Salon on Tremont Street.
MUCH easier to get to, and Olive trained stylists.

www.monicatodd.com