consultation only appointment?

can/will salons do to a consultation without actually providing a cut/color/etc service? I'm 41 and I've only been to a salon 3 times in my life and I wasn't happy with any of the results (1 perm from hell when i was a kid and 2 botched color jobs). I'd really like to try again but I'd like to just get some feedback/opinions/explanations first and the make an appointment with whoever seems the most likely to give me the look I'm hoping for. I don't want to waste anyone's time if consults arent a standard practice. thanks in advance!