Yemaya Spa & Hair Salon

Yemaya Sea Point – A Deeply Disappointing and Unwelcoming Experience

I’d keep your point that you simply had not budgeted for thousands of rands of additional products, while avoiding implying we know they “need” to sell them. My visit to Yemaya Sea Point for a highlights treatment was unfortunately a very negative and stressful experience. I have been to other Yemaya salons a few times, although not for hair services, and the service and results have always been excellent. My experience at the Sea Point branch was completely different. From the start, I felt unwelcome. The stylist never introduced herself or asked my name. She first asked whether I wanted the highlights blonde, to which I stated very clearly that I wanted them to look very natural – not blonde at all, but soft and subtle. As I was using a Hyperli coupon, I was also informed that the salon had been advised not to use Hyperli. Being told this as a customer arriving with a valid voucher did not exactly instil a sense of trust or calm. Both the stylist and her assistant were blunt from the start, and I increasingly felt unwanted and unwelcome. I was then given option after option for additional treatments, despite repeatedly saying, “I only want the service I bought.” I was also questioned about the products I use – from toner and shampoo to various other products – with each seemingly being disapproved of, followed by recommendations for very expensive salon products. These products were then brought over, displayed to me and placed in front of me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a salon recommending its products, but I simply had not budgeted this month to spend additional thousands of rands on expensive hair products. I had booked and paid for a specific service, and repeatedly made it clear that this was all I wanted. The continued focus on additional treatments and products therefore made an already uncomfortable experience feel more like a sales exercise than a relaxing salon appointment. I also do not simply assume that being offered refreshments is part of every salon service. However, I noticed that other customers were being served coffee, while I was never offered even water. During the wait for the highlights to process, I asked whether I could perhaps have a cup of tea. The response was simply, “I don’t think we have,” after which the request was ignored. After my hair had been rinsed, I asked the assistant again whether there was any chance of either tea or coffee. She did not even respond, and this request was also simply ignored. On its own this may seem like a small thing, but in the context of how unwelcome I had already been made to feel, it added significantly to the experience. The greatest disappointment, however, was the actual result of the highlights. They are extremely harsh and look heavily bleached – exactly the opposite of the natural, subtle result I had very clearly requested. I communicated my disappointment and specifically asked whether this was genuinely the most subtle result they could achieve. The stylist simply rep****, “Yes.” I am not a hair expert, but I do know that processing time is one of the factors affecting the degree of lightening, together with the product and developer used, the starting colour and condition of the hair. Professional guidance from both Wella and L’Oréal confirms that lightener development time is determined in relation to the desired degree of lift/result and that the hair should be monitored during processing. What concerned me even more was that the highlighting mixture had already been prepared when I arrived, before I explained that I specifically wanted a very soft, natural result. It was not changed after that conversation. I therefore cannot understand how my very clear request for subtle highlights was accommodated in the process. Whatever went wrong technically, the final result certainly did not reflect what I asked for. I entered Yemaya with natural brown hair that I loved and that was in good condition. I left with hair that is now predominantly blonde, harsh and unnatural-looking. Quite frankly, I feel like I look like a zebra. I understand that results can sometimes differ from expectations, but what makes this particularly upsetting is that I was very clear from the beginning about what I did NOT want – and that is unfortunately very close to what I ended up with. Finally, it was Yemaya’s choice to participate in Hyperli and to actively offer discounted services through the platform. I would strongly suggest that they reconsider doing so if customers using these vouchers cannot be given the same welcoming, attentive service as any other paying customer. Based on my experience, I was left feeling very much like a second-class customer because I was using a Hyperli voucher. A discounted service should mean a discounted price – not discounted care, courtesy or quality. A deeply disappointing experience, particularly given the excellent service I have previously received at other Yemaya branches.