R&R: Robes & Repose: Review: Fiorio Salon Yonge Location

Spa: Fiorio Salon (Yonge location)

Address: 1470 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4T 1Z6

Website: www.fiorio.com

E-mail: yonge@fiorio.com

Phone Number: 416-964-1229

Hours of Operation:

Monday, Wednesday, Saturday: 9am-6pm

Tuesday, Thursday: 9am-8pm

Friday: 9am-7pm

Closed Sunday

Parking: Several pay parking lots around…Best part? It’s right across the street from St. Clair subway station! As a TTC-er myself, this was HUGE!

Super close! This is from the Yonge St. exit at St. Clair Subway Station.

Service Received: Highlights (T has long, blonde hair)

Price of Service: $170 (including tax, before tip)

Cleanliness: Great! Very bright and airy, meticulously cleaned hair stations.

Fun and Free Extras: Yummy latte or cappuccino while under the dryer! I had a latte…and they even had decaf!

For a little more LOL, nearby:

GoodLife Fitness
Lots of fun restaurants around the neighbourhood! One of T’s favourites for brunch: Absolute Restaurant & Café, http://www.absoluterestaurant.ca/

The Review:

So before I get into this review, a quick background on T and her (my) hair! I have long, naturally dirty/mousy blonde hair, and have been getting it highlighted since I was 13 (when I also tried out the pixie cut…a lovely look on some people, but let me tell you, NOT a good look on me!! I hide those pictures religiously…).

Moving on, my hair's natural colour is a pretty dull, but it picks up highlights really well, and the roots are light enough that I usually go 2-3 months between hair appointments. I’m originally from Ottawa, and had been seeing the same hairdresser in Ottawa FOREVER…even through university, when I didn’t live in Ottawa! Now I am living in Toronto to stay, and have been on the hunt for a new hairdresser ever since.

My requirements? Able to do great, natural looking highlights and not too pricey. Apparently, this is more difficult to find in the city than you would think!! I’ve been to several different places, and have learned that just because a salon in Toronto is expensive, doesn’t mean that it’s good. I left one salon (more expensive than Fiorio!) with a gigantic chunk of hair in my bangs with no highlights…right where I could see it, every day. I know it’s just hair, but…really?

So, Fiorio on Yonge street. Fiorio is a chain of salons in the GTA, and even has a hair salon school where you can get your hair done by student stylists! I’m considering testing that out for review purposes to let you all know if it’s the ideal scenario for great hair for those divas on a dime…or if it’s a disaster waiting to happen! I’ll keep you posted J. Anyways, the salon is massive! If you are looking for a place to bring a large wedding party, this is it. I swear I counted over 20 chairs AND they also have a spa attached! The stations are very impersonal, but this may be standard for bigger salons like Fiorio? Previous salons that I’ve been to, each stylist had ‘their’ station and would decorate it with cards from clients, etc. Oh, and the brand of shampoo/conditioner/styling products they use is Kerastase! Very nice.

My colourist – Fiorio has their employees specialize between being a colourist only, or a stylist that does haircuts and up-dos – was a Level 2. Level 1 at Fiorio means they have 1-2 years of work experience, Level 2 is 3-5 and Level 3 is 5+, with increasing prices for services accordingly. In short, she was great! The highlights turned out beautifully, and look super natural. I also noticed (I’m weird this way) that she placed all the foils in perfectly organized rows around my head…I was a fan of that. I’m not sure the organization makes a difference in how it looks when it’s done, but it certainly impressed me!

The only annoying part was that when she went to brush out my hair, she pulled through the knots really hard! It hurt…though when I finally had to say something, she was much more careful. Also, while the highlights turned out fantastic, they were pricey (at least compared to what I’m used to) as $170 was the cost for highlights and a straight blow-out, no cut.

P.S…Did I mention that I loved the latte I had?!? It was awesome. Overall, I’m not sure that this will become my go-to place just because it’s more than I’m looking to spend on a regular basis, but if you want to be sure that you’ll get a great job, this is the place for you!

RATING: 3.5/4