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ANNE LINDSAY PHOTOGRAPHY

The spacious, open facility of the Gary Manuel Aveda Institute.

Consider the price of beauty: Last time I went to my hair dresser, I wrote a check for $170. That was for a haircut, single process color and tip. A recent facial was $70, plus tip. Full leg and bikini wax with tip was almost $100. Eyebrow tint, $12. A nourishing body wrap was $90 plus tip. You do the math — I'm afraid to.

Thankfully, there are alternatives to paying the price to get gorgeous. The Gary Manuel Aveda Institute trains "future professionals" in the business of beauty and began offering a full range of hair, skin, waxing and cosmetic services in March, 2005. As these aspiring hair stylists and estheticians learn their trade, they need to practice their skills on real people with real hair and skin, who get deeply discounted prices. Who can pass up a haircut for $12 or facial for $35?

Gary Howse and Manuel Benevich, proprietors/founders of Seattle's Gary Manuel Salon, partnered with the Aveda Institute, a nationwide network of beauty schools, out of a commitment to education and excellence in the field. There's also a lot of hair out there that needs cutting, and I imagine they wanted a well-stocked pool of top-notch, trained stylists for their own wildly successful Belltown establishment. Of the 30 Aveda Institutes in the country teaching the art of cosmetology, this is the first one on the West Coast.

The Institute itself goes far beyond what you might imagine a "beauty school" to be. It's no coincidence that it's smack in the middle of Capitol Hill in a hip, modern, urban space. You won't find grandmas getting roller sets here (even though the skill is taught). "We wanted to attract progressive and imaginative clients who want exciting new styles so we deliberately picked this neighborhood," says Elizabeth Whiteford, the Institute Leader.

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ANNE LINDSAY PHOTOGRAPHY

Aesthetic stations at the Gary Manuel Aveda Institute.

The front space is dedicated to the reception area and Aveda products, similar to any Aveda retail space — a nice convenience if you just need to pick up some rosemary mint shampoo. The spacious, open facility (15,000 square feet) features exposed brick walls, a dramatic stainless steel and wood curved staircase, 80 stainless steel cosmetology stations, training classrooms and a lower level with aesthetic stations for skin treatments and body wraps. These stations are partitioned off with curtains rather than doors, allowing instructors to discreetly pop in to monitor the progress of the budding estheticians.

If you're worried about a stylist in training touching your tresses, don't be — they have nine weeks of experience on mannequins and models before they're allowed on the floor, and there are three check points with the Learning Leader instructor during the services: an initial consultation, another half-way through and one at the end.

So far, both the influx of potential students and the number of services sought by value-oriented clients has been increasing. "Our classes are nearly full through the end of the year and visiting clientele has already tripled since opening," says Whiteford.

Walk-ins are welcome but if you want a number of services, call ahead. I recommend a beauty spree. A $12 cut, $10 shampoo and blowout, $36 color, $35 facial, $50 body wrap, $45 full leg and bikini wax and $10 brow tint adds up to less than $200; I did the math.

Phase 3
Looking for another option for cool cuts? Try Phase 3, a division of Gary Manuel Salon. Before the Gary Manuel Aveda Institute, stylists/interns trained at the Gary Manuel Salon for a year or more, then graduated to working next door at the Phase 3 salon. Phase 3 will still serve as an interim salon offering advanced training before cosmetologists join the ranks of seasoned professionals at the Gary Manuel Salon. Stylists at Phase 3 rack up more experience, and you reap the benefits with lower prices for haircuts, color and blowouts. For example, cuts at Phase 3 are $25-$33 and blowouts start at $18. Compare to a cut and blowout at Gary Manuel Salon for $45-$150. See the Web site for complete price information. Walk-ins welcome.

Kathy Schultz is a free-lance writer who lives in Seattle and loves to shop. If you have a shop, sale, event or great product tip you'd like to share, e-mail her.