SALON

  I had my hair done with Maska today and I honestly couldn’t be happier. She understood exactly what I wanted and created the most beautiful, natural, perfectly blended blonde. The colour, tone and finish are absolutely gorgeous. The whole experience at Maria Dowling was fantastic — such a beautiful salon, lovely atmosphere and genuinely exceptional service. After trying several salons in Dubai, I can confidently say this has been my best experience by far. I’ve finally found my salon! ❤️

  Unfortunately, my experience is less than 1 star. I had asked for blonde balayage on my dark virgin (no colour for 10 years) hair. My first appointment was with Dani, who ended up giving me thick stripes that abruptly start just below the top (see photos). They said they would fix it, meaning another appointment / another half day. Maria Dowling herself stepped in to fix it after confirming that I wanted a lived in “like I’ve been at the beach all day” look, which I am and will be anyway. At the salon, I did voice out my concern that there were still dark stripes at the ends to which Maria replied, “But I’ve already bleached so much”. When I asked, “But shouldn’t the ends be all blonde?” her colleague replied, “But then it would be all one colour”. I am not a professional colourist, and don’t know how balayage is done, so I had to trust that they knew what they were doing - even after the initial thick stripes… In the end of the second appointment, I asked to see my hair before blow drying so I could check if it still looked stripey. Maria saw how I especially checked the ends and was questioning the dark strands in it. I honestly don’t remember what she said about the dark strands. Maybe that it gave dimension? But I thanked her for making it at least look better than the initial “black with thick blonde highlights”. I was tired. This is after being there for another 6 hours… After the first sleep, it didn’t look stripey. However, in the following days and weeks, I always see stripes in the mirror and photos. Both Dani and Maria knew that I’d be traveling Europe soon after my last appointment. Yet, after I found a minute to message them about how the experience has been, and requested a refund for the balayage so I can fix it (AGAIN, and during my European travels, mind you), Maria replied saying a refund couldn’t be processed since I messaged after their 14 day window. Traveling to a new place/country every 3/4 days is tiring. And it’s been draining feeling upset every time I look in the mirror, or photos of me. My apologies for not squeezing in time to write this review sooner for those looking to get their hair done. After all, I chose Maria Dowling based on these reviews. Note that I also did not know about the 14 day window. Otherwise, I would’ve messaged them during a rest I had at a Romanian festival, instead of during a ride from Dhermi beach to Tirana airport in Albania (I repeat, they were very aware that I am a full-time traveler, and had a Europe trip soon after the last appointment). Bottom line, I paid AED 1630 for balayage, hair cut and blow dry, but this is not balayage. Photo with checkered shirt is how it looked at the salon, which Maria mentions I was happy with, even though I did voice my concern about the dark strands.

  I am incredibly grateful to Daniela at Mariadowling. She corrected the work of another stylist and saved my hair. I came to her with almost black, blue-toned hair instead of my natural dark blonde color. Daniela gently removed the dark color, preserved the quality of my hair, and created a beautiful, natural result. I had been crying for two days before my appointment, and she completely transformed everything. I am so thankful for her professionalism, care, and talent. Hanna

  Amazing Salon Experience. I could not recommend this salon highly enough, Maria and her staff are so welcoming and professional. I had a fantastic haircut by Maria and i felt she really listened to what i wanted and knew what suited me. I also had a luxurious hair treatment which left my hair in brilliant condition. Already looking forward to my next visit.

  I absolutely love mariadowling! Rhiann is an amazing stylist, and I drive across the city just to see her because she's that good. She always takes the time to listen, understands exactly what I'm looking for, and consistently does a great job with my hair. Everyone at mariadowling is so friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere is always warm and relaxed. I always leave happy with the results and highly recommend mariadowling, especially Rhiann, to anyone looking for a stylist they can trust.