good starter place, not good for long term - Esthetician Ulta Beauty Employee Review

3.0
27 Sept 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

It's a good place to learn about the beauty business. You get used to working with a wide variety of people fast. You'll probably deal with a lot of different situations, so you'll know how to react in the future. Also, since you're working with so many people, the chances are that you'll like some of them and they'll make it more fun. Although, the best perks are the gratis and the discounts. If you work in the salon, services are free. Retail is 25% off.

Cons

They're cheap. When you need more supplies, you have to ask for them and hope that it gets approved. If not, oh well, you can't use that product. You have to ask for it again later. There are products that I have been out of for over a month. Also, many things in my room are broken and have been for a long time. They keep saying they're going to fix them, but they never do. They don't trust their employees. Everything you bring in has to be in a clear plastic bag and marked. (Products are marked when you buy them or when you bring in a receipt. If it's sold there and you don't have the receipt anymore, you can't bring it in.) They also only pay a little above minimum wage, then expect you to wear professional clothes, like you can afford them. The insurance is also expensive and hardly covers anything. I can't afford that either.

Explore other reviews about Ulta Beauty

5.0
17 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun place to work, fast pace and always newness

Cons

Very demanding of all levels of management

2.0
4 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good benefits for full time employees from what I hear. hourly pay if commission goal isn't met which is nice for those building clientele

Cons

this could just be the case for my store, especially because it's a very high volume store, but as a stylist I don't feel valued at all. I expected this to some degree coming to a huge corporate salon, but the biggest issue is that they try to pretend they care about you. but at the end of the day, if you're not meeting the sales they want/growing quickly enough, they don't care about you as a stylist. if you don't already have an established clientele, business is highly unreliable as there is no late cancellation/no show policy. many services are underpriced in my opinion, making it hard to meet their sales goals as an entry level part-time stylist unless fully booked every day. all they care about is getting as many clients in and out and quickly and possible and they hire more stylists than there are chairs, making every day inconsistent and chaotic. the relative stability of hourly pay is commission threshold isn't met seems enticing for stylists still building a clientele, but the hourly pay is wildly inconsistent between stylists, even those of the same tier. as a stylist of over 3 years who moved and is starting over with no clientele, I make over $2 less per hour than a fellow stylist who just got her license a few months ago and started taking clients for the first time last week. you're better off working at a place like Great Clips or Hair Cuttery because at least they're honest about what they are.

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