After my debacle with the beauty school out in Mesa, I swore off the damn things. It took too long to get there (30 minutes or more) and too long to get the services finished, compared to a normal salon, and it took a completely supervised color job to get what I had wanted all along.

Instead, I went to a nice place across the street. I was happy with the work, but it was quite a change in price. Last time, a touch-up color plus lip and eyebrow wax was $80 — and that was with a 10% discount!

So a current Groupon has me intrigued. A Scottsdale beauty academy is offering $50 gift certificates for $25. I have some credits thanks to referrals (you guys rock!) which would get me one for free. If my mom and Tim each bought one for me as a “gift” then I would get three color touch-ups for $50. Compared to the salon rate of $60 per touch-up.

That’s a hard deal to pass up. The miser in me was jumping up and down, clapping with glee. But there is part of me that’s a little gun shy about another beauty school.

The website eased those fears a bit. The place looks like a higher-end beauty school, assuming that’s not an oxymoron. They use nice brands (Bare Minerals, Bumble and Bumble, etc). The prices significantly cheaper than most salons, but not rock-bottom prices like the last beauty academy I visited. I know it’s horribly un-frugal to use price as a measure of quality, but in this case, it feels like a relevant metric.

All in all, I’m torn.

On the one hand, I like my stylist — though it’s not a “I’d never go to anyone else” kind of deal — and the salon is a two or three minute walk away. That’s about as convenient as it gets, and I know I like the work she does.

On the other hand, the last semi-upscale beauty school I went to did good work and I saved a lot of money. I’d save even more with the Groupon deal. Also, now that I have a color I’m happy with, it’ll be a lot easier to make sure I get what I want.

Each side has very good, compelling arguments. But, in the end, can I really say no to three color touch-ups for $50? Probably not.

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