Fountain of Youth Academy of Cosmetology

This is the grossest establishment Ive ever been to. The salon was a mess every single time I visited and the bathrooms were untouchable to put it nicely. Every time I came here to get a service done they didnt have any of the supplies they needed in order to do my hair. I once asked to get my hair dyed black and they made me buy my own products because they didnt have anything there. When I came back with the dye they told me I bought the wrong product but they couldnt give me the right one BECAUSE THEY DIDNT HAVE ANY HAIR DYE AT THE HAIR SALON. lmao this place is such a joke. And even though I bought my own products they still charged me for the service and my hairstylist didnt see any of that money. I sat in for a class one time and watched a woman teach a makeup class by slapping lilac eyeshadow on a woman and giving her mascara. I actually laughed out loud at this and my sister scolded me because that was the best effort she had ever seen from that teacher because at least shes trying She couldnt actually do any makeup (the poor model looked terrible afterwards). Im not sure why people pay to go here, but I would HIGHLY recommend going elsewhere with your time and money.
Dec 22nd, 2022

DO NOT ENROLL I was enrolled as a Cosmetology student. Financial aid wasn't a hassle for me. I stayed on top of my paperwork and felt the need to do because I had already experienced FINANCIAL AID FRAUD years ago when I attended Everest Institute(after 6 years of fighting with student loan entities, I finally got my student loans discharged.) But from that experience I pretty much knew what to look for. While enrolled there were issues with students being able to obtain specific documents. I ended up calling state board on their behalf and stare board told me exactly what to say and which code to quote to obtain documents. The individual I spoke with stated that by LAW Cherri was REQUIRED to provide us with the paperwork upon request. She gave me mine without incident, but refused to with Este and Combo students. I recall another situation where a student withdrew after being there for a VERY short period, not even enough time to have used much Financial aid. When the student contacted state board, I believe, for clarity, they informed her she owed for a tablet or IPad which she never received. She provided them with the serial number for the chromebook she had and they revealed to her that Cherri had sent invoices for tablets or IPads instead of the chrome books. Pure fraud. Even in them knowing, they did nothing. To add, my 1st day there as a student, I was worked on a mannequin practicing flat iron methods and my comb melted. I ended having to replace my combs that day at the Rite in near the school in Squirrel Hill and then eventually buying better supplies at a Sally's. I made sure to use my bank card for a paper trail. I also purchased my own professional nail kit and hand and it wasn't taken off my student loans so I emailed Sara and Cherri for it to be removed. That part of my financial aid was corrected 2 days after I reached out to them. As for the Squirrel Hill location, there were no vents and neighboring business complained of the smell of monomer daily. Illegal There weren't enough teachers for all the students that were there. Illegal The equipment and supplies, the majority, were outdated, cheap materials and not durable, and broke. 2 of the sinks were down for what seemed like months. Illegal We didn't have properly working restrooms and at one point no restroom at all. Unsanitary When state board came to Squirrel Hill location, they gave her so much time to get the school up to par. She had the carpets painted, NEVER had proper insulation or vents installed, just bought a fan and moved the nail area to the back of the school, cleaned the sinks out that were broke, but still hadn't gotten them fixed by the time I left, and the list goes on. Just about every student there paid for their own supplies out of pocket because the school either didn't have them or they were expired. Cherri just about bullied teachers into spending more time in the office to help her cook her books so half the time we were on our own during the day. I wouldn't recommend this school to anyone.
Dec 9th, 2022

Do not go here for a hair service. I went in for a root touch up, obviously a cheaper alternative to an actual salon and I've been to a few other cosmetology schools to get my hair done before without any issues. I by no means was expecting an exceptional salon experience or anything to that extent as I understand this is a school and the stylists are still learning. However the instructors here are not present or helpful to the students at all and the environment overall is chaotic and negative. The student working on my hair basically did everything herself with little to no help and I ended up leaving with my roots an entirely different color than the rest of my hair. I know she did the best she could but if the instructors actually cared about their students learning correct techniques, blending, toning etc. this might not have happened.
Dec 2nd, 2022

This school put me at a disadvantage in the industry. Little to none of the 23 THOUSAND dollars I paid her went to funding the school. And then after wasting my time teaching me nothing and basically ripping away my education, she had the audacity to say I owed her more money. She will change your contract and change your fafsa. She is a liar and a thief, this woman is not in it to help you so please do not go here. Make sure you get a copy of everything you sign. Record every conversation. If I could do it all again I would go anywhere else. She will not let so many of us test for our licenses because she hasnt taken enough from us yet. Despicable woman, despicable place. And none of what you see online is true. Its false advertising. We learned from other students not teachers. Why would you want to pay a tuition to not learn enough and get it all from other students?
Nov 29th, 2022

Wish i would give this school negative stars. i graduated in 2021 and am still unable to even take my state boards. Cheri will take ur money and keep trying to take more even after the school is paid in full. I had learned absolutely nothing while attending. Everything i learned was from the books that i had taught myself. Theres one teacher for every program with no lesson plans or anything. This school is a free for all to get your hours and for them to take ur money. Please do not attend this school unless u plan on paying money to learn nothing and not get certified. Its been almost 2 years later and im still trying to get the school to send in my transcripts.
Nov 12th, 2022