I've been going to Jorge to have my hair done even before he opened his own salon. If I was just rating him and his work, he'd get 5-stars. He always does a phenominal job. The salon itself is very nice, too. But I really wish he could get some good, reliable help. Every time I go in for my appointment (every 3 months), there are new receptionists and stylists. I'm guessing they may not meet Jorge's strict standards and are let go. Whenever I call to make my appointment, the receptionist sounds rude or clueless, or BOTH. The most recent time I called I emphasized I could only come in on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Yet she kept trying to schedule me for a Tuesday or Wednesday. Umm...hello? I have a job during the week. They don't give me time off to go get my hair done. I was very disappointed when I recently called THREE AND A HALF WEEKS in advance to make an appointment with Jorge. I hear how he constantly has to direct his other stylists so I refuse to go to anyone but him. After dealing with the above mentioned receptionist, I was told that there was nothing available on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday over the next three and a half weeks. Let this be a lesson to schedule at least a month in advance if you have specific days in mind. Again, Jorge is an EXCELLENT stylist, but he needs to get some good help to relieve his work load so that his regular customers like me can get an appointment three weeks ahead of time. Sorry Jorge, I was on a time crunch, and I had to go to someone else :( read more

The aesthetician here is amazing. Hanh was able to make extractions relaxing. The price is great and the results were noticeable. I have not had a facial in about 6 months and need to get back to see her! The salon also sells Aveda products so to save on shipping costs I pick them up there. read more

this is a great spot to get your makeup professionally done. Hair salon is the main part but boy can the makeup artist do you up!

Cheap prices will only have me coming back cut was ok highlights were a waste of money.

I've had my hair cut by both Jorge and Mary and was very pleased both times. Oftentimes even nicer salons don't take men's hair seriously and will just try and get you in and out. With Mary and Jorge, I think they both spent an hour on my short hair. Also, I think Mary gives the best scalp massages during shampooing that I've ever had. They're good about asking questions to figure out what you want, questions I'd never had asked at other places (but that make sense to ask). The salon is also a comfortable environment even for men. They've never tried to push any products on me, but were good at offering feedback when I asked. My only suggestion would be that it's a little awkward that there's no line to write in a tip when paying by credit card. It's kind of uncomfortable to be asked how much of a tip you want to leave (though the woman at the front is pretty discreet about it). read more

Very bad highlight job here that fried my hair for months after. Don't think the girl used toner. Will not go back!

Oh Jorge!!!!!! How I miss you!!!!!! Never again will I see anyone else! After a horrible cut from the Beverly Hills Color Bar (see my review for them...), I went home for a visit and Jorge squeezed me in. His salon is exactly what its called: ANTIDOTE. His magic hands reversed the damage done by Malcolm and I will now have to visit back home more often while I live in LA.... read more

I would give this place 5 starts except I had to wait about 15 minutes. Anyway, I booked a Senior stylist, but I thin I was charged a lesser rate, which was a nice surprise. Kelly was my stylist and was impressive. She talked about what would be good for my hair and set to work. I'm so happy with my cut and the service I received here. I will definitely be returning when the time comes for a trim. Might even book a facial in a little bit. I recommend this salon to anyone. All of the people who walked out the door after their appointment looked lovely. The atmosphere is great and everyone is very friendly. read more

i've had a cut and highlights here a couple times and i've been pleased with the results everytime. they listen to what you want and do not impose what they envision for your hair - which has happened to me in some very pricey salons. melissa just did my highlights and it turned out just how i wanted! i have really dark hair so it can be tough to make it not brassy but she pulled it off. they use aveda products, which they also sell. it's a nice ambiance, the staff is friendly, and the owner is very pleasant. all of my appointments have run smoothly so far! the lighting in the salon is not too bright (which i believe is done purposefully for ambiance) so when you step out, the color of your hair may not be exaclty what it looked like inside. (just a comment not a complaint). i definitely have recommended this place to a friend. it's reasonably-priced, not fussy, an overall just an easy experienc.e read more

Just purchased the $50 for $75 deal and I love this salon. Jamie was my stylist and she did a wonderful job with highlights and a cut. This place is right inside the shopping center and has a great vibe when you walk in the door. The staff is very friendly and the shop itself is very clean. I would recommend this place to anyone!! read more

I went to this place a few times hoping to save money (I previously went to Spank and always came out looking great, but since my stylist left I figured I'd save money). I have had a few different people and never been totally satisfied but liked saving $50 per visit. However, after the last haircut and highlight I can't go back. My blond highlights turned out whitish and the cut was totally different than the picture I brought in and looked horrible. I've never had the owner do my hair but he seems to do a decent job with the people that come in to see him. If I wanted to spend the money to have him cut my hair, I would rather just go back to Spank. read more

So I'm a guy with the dreaded Asian hair. I've been to barbers, salon stylists in the city etc. and it never comes out right and consistently. I always resort to trying to cut it myself. I'm also pretty detail oriented and my hair is short so any mess ups and it's pretty easy to spot. I got tired of cutting my own hair. My brother introduced me to George. Been with him for half a year now and as long as he doesn't leave for LA or something I'll never go to anyone else again. George is extremely nice, knowledgeable and very detail oriented. He listens to you and what you want, has a steady hand and gets the cut just perfect. He gets it right EVERY time (no jinx no jinx no jinx). He doesn't push products on you and educates you on hair stuff if you ask. Great conversationalist, hard working and cuts hair perfectly. Staff is great and I've never had any problems. I get my hair cut 2 to 3 times a week. read more

I had my hair cut and styled by Sabrina yesterday! I have had the same long straight hair cut for far too long and I was looking to spice things up. Sabrina did an excellent job of discussing her artistic vision for my hair before beginning to cut it. I knew that I wanted bangs and she suggested side bangs based on the shape and dimensions of my face. I sincerely appreciate when a stylist goes out of his or her way to make sure that the style that they are creating will also work with a person's look, lifestyle, and experience with styling hair, and Sabrina did just that. She even gave some suggestions of how to give my hair more body with the limited hair tweeking tools that I have at my house. Antidote Salon is an AVEDA salon, meaning they have amazing tea and all of their products smell clean and natural. read more

Jorge is amazing! I have long hair that i am VERY particular about, and Jorge listened to every one of my ridiculous requests (i.e. really short layers but leave my hair super long) and it came out impecably perfect. GREAT for a brand new salon. =) read more

Took in my little girl to get her hair trimmed and flat ironed and the lady that was going to do her hair was running a bit late so Jorge took over and he did a GREAT job loved the way her hair turned out. The hair was evenly cut and the flat iron looked great and also was done rather quickly. They estimated and hour and he did it in 45 minutes or less. I definitely will try Jorge again for my own hair! read more

Did I ever need a facial! I lost my beloved esthetician when I moved from Silicon Valley (she changed careers, no connection with my move!) to Alameda last year. I decided to take a chance on Antidote because it is an Aveda salon & it has wonderful Yelp reviews for Heather.I got the Yelp deal that saved me $25 too. Heather is exactly as described -- skilled, kind, warm. My face looks so much better & Heather will be my new regular esthetician. Next, I'm making an appointment for a haircut/styling at Antidote. read more

The Yelp deal of $75 for $50 worth of services brought me in. I will definitely be returning. The salon itself is clean, beautifully decorated and gives you a feeling that they will treat you well from the minute you walk in the door. My stylist, Angel, asked me for input on everything and worked hard to make sure I was happy. I had a color touch-up, full highlights and a new cut/ hairstyle. I love it! My hair looks and feels great, and she showed me how to do the style myself. The receptionists were super friendly, and I was offered water or coffee as soon as I walked in. Their location is super convenient too, in the Alameda South Shore shopping complex behind Safeway. read more

I went to this salon after getting the yelp deal. I went in at 10am because that was the opening time listed on Yelp. The receptionist was friendly and told me that the stylists don't come in until two (this is the only downfall of this place, I wish that I had called or that it would list that so I didn't have to make two trips). I made an appointment with Monique for two and she was waiting for me with a nice smile and warm greeting when I arrived. She was honest about what I could do with my curly unruly hair and after a short discussion proceeded with my cut. The head massage and wash was awesome and the cut was quick and precise. she styled it just the way I had in mind and I love my new look!!! I had almost half my deal still left so it's very affordable!!! Will definitely be back :) read more

I have been going for the last year to Antidote and have Mary cut and color my hair. She is very professional and I always leave happy with her work. Would recommend the salon to anyone and I would choose Mary to do my hair. read more

I called Antidote when my other salon called and cancelled. They got me in right away. I liked my stylist a lot and she spent a lot of time talking about color. Se did a great job and my color and highlights look great!! Already have an appointment for my next visit. read more

Cant write enough about this salon! Great customer service with very talented people. I had a dye and a cut with Holly and she stuck with me for 4 hours to deal with my crazy thick hair. It did turn out to be quite pricy. However, it was worth it! read more

So Antidote started to do facials and I've never done it before but if Jorge trusts Heather then I trust his judgment because he won't just bring in anyone. Went there for the first time in June and I loved it! Been there one other time since and still love it. I'm not the kinda person that likes people touching my face or body but the way that Heather does her facials, it feels so good, came home with a clean shiny face that felt soft for at least 2 weeks after. Heather is great! She explains everything and what she is going to do and why. If you have questions, she is more than happy to give you an answer. She helped me find products to help my skin because i was so dry from using other products. I feel the difference every day. I would highly recommend Heather for your facials. It is a lot of money but well worth it for a great, calming facial. read more

I got an elemental facial using an Amazon coupon, so I never know what kind of service I'll get, using a discount. Heather was fantastic. She exceeded any expectation I could have conjured up. I not only got an elaborate facial, I got an awesome half-body massage. Heather is extremely professional, calm, informative and experienced. My only reason for not giving this place 5 stars was because I didn't feel as if any of the rest of the staff cared that I came in. Heather was great from start to finish, so I may be wary if I go in for any other service from anyone else. Great ambiance, clean, pleasant atmosphere. She also told me that they offered pedicures, which I can't find on the website anywhere. I will be back for sure. =) read more

Jorge was amazing - he was direct and honest as to what extent he could fix my color issue without hurting my hair. Typically, my husband doesn't notice but he has said how good my hair looks on several occasions in the past couple of weeks. Jessica was great and Toby is adorable. I will be back! read more

I come here for two services hair and a facial . Every time I have been I have been great service. Love it

Honestly Jorge can be really really pressuring so if you have a certain style that you want to do and you only want that style go to a different stylist. Jorge thins your hair out and does what HE WANTS not anything else. But the other workers are really good. They follow directions and strike up interesting conversations. :) It's a good salon though. Very trained read more

I had a WONDERFUL experience here last week! I went in on a Friday afternoon and had my hair cut by the owner, Jorge, who has extensive experience in the industry. I have very thin, fine hair, and most stylists do not know how to cut or style it well. Jorge did a fantastic job with the cut AND style. He was very open to my original idea, but gave me his expertise as well, and the result was the best haircut I've ever had! He was very thorough and careful with the shape, and several days later it still looks great, even when I style it myself. I paid $45 for the cut, but would have gladly paid $85+, which is what a haircut like this usually costs me. I will gladly go there again for additional services - looking forward to trying color or extensions! read more

You don't find stylists like Mary just anywhere - only at Antidote. I just left the salon feeling like a million bucks. Mary was 100% attentive, helpful with little tidbits of beauty advice, and wonderful company. After a cut over the weekend that could go a little shorter, she invited me to come back and get a redo. I couldn't be happier with the results. Jorge, Jessica and Mary have a great thing going!!!! read more

since i wrote my first review, the woman that made a great impression left the salon. i went to a new person and had a great experience, and she soon after left the salon. i think the place has good things to offer but they have high turnover. read more

Raquel is great! So friendly and nice to talk to. She gives a great head massage and I'm always relaxed. I've always been pleased by the cuts she has given me and my children. read more

I was 10 minutes to my appointment that I signed up for on MindBody App. I called to let them know I would be late and the receptionist who answered was SO nice. I was expecting for her to say they would need to cancel, and was so grateful when she didn't! I get there and find out that I signed up for my appointment (blowout with flat iron) all wrong on the app only allowing for 30 min. I have really curly thick hair - definitely longer than 30 min. Jorge worked magic- still did everything in record time and my hair looked amazing!!!!! Thank you to everyone! You guys are awesome and I'll be back soon! And on time!!! read more

Got the deal on yelp and I have to say, I was skeptical. But since I work right across the parking lot and I wasn't going to be able to go to my regular salon for AT LEAST a few weeks, I decided to try it. I called at 10am and got an appointment for noon, same day, which scared me a little. I went in and met Jamie and I have to say, from the very beginning she was awesome! She took her time and talked to me about what I wanted, what I didn't want and she went right to work. I LOVE my haircut!! And added bonus, she styled it so I could go back to work and not look like a freak. Best part is that I still have enough on my yelp certificate to go back one more time! I would highly recommend! read more

I HAVE to go back to this salon! This salon has treated me and my daughter so well! My daughter keeps going back and they always want to know how I am doing! They are so sweet and very reasonably priced! I am going to schedule an appointment soon with them, as I am willing to go from Oakland to Alameda just for them. They work wonders on your hair and are very skilled. Try it and I bet you will be happy. I am just so grateful that they have been so kind to my daughter who goes to college, and they really treat her like royalty! Thanks Antidote! read more

Love this place. Jorge has been doing my hair for years and years. I get high and low lights and they are always perfect. He takes the time to highlight the same strands every time so my hair doesn't get lighter the with length. It always looks natural (as I like it) and we have fun chatting during the process. I've recommended Antidote to lots of friends and now you. :-) read more

Unfortunately, Unlike many reviewers here, I had a very bad experience with Antidote. Renee worked on my hair. I asked t color it dark brown, instead, I got black.. jet black!!! When she was done, I asked in surprise "is this black?" and she said, no its dark brown, but it looks black because its still wet.. Well, its still black after it dried, its black in the sun, and my friends are asking me why I colored my hair black! Now I have to bleach my hair to get the color out, which will completely kill it! I should have known when I noticed that she didn't ask me any questions. The only question she asked is what color I want. She automatically started to blow dry my hair straight without asking me (I wanted it keep it curly and I had to point that out when I realized what she was doing), she parted my hair in the middle (which I never do) and never said a word the whole time.. She just does whatever she wants regardless. An apprentice at Sole Salon would have done a better job! I came to this salon because its close to me, but I've definitely learned my lesson and going back to sole salon.. read more

I was about to give up and buy a Flowbee. My hair is too thin, too frizzy, it can't be every hair stylists fault it must be my hair. I found this place by accident and the yelp reviews were great so I thought I would give it one last shot (Flowbee will always be there, anyway...or wigs). I got an appointment for the same day and - amazingly - they were actually ready for me when I got there! No waiting for a backlog of other people to catch up! Which isn't to imply they weren't busy, every chair was full and I got one of the last appointments for the day. It's just refreshing to find a place that doesn't overbook on the weekends, it says a lot about a well-organized place. The salon is low-key, simple, elegant and relaxing. Melissa took me on, I told her right off the bat I had no idea where to start I just needed professional help. She took her time, making suggestions as we went along. In the end I left there with (seriously) the best haircut of my life. She even did touch ups after my hair was dried, a very important and often-missed step as anyone with naturally wavy/curly hair will tell you (curly hair sits at a different length once its dry). My hair looks thicker, healthier and fuller than ever. Plus, it's a low maintenance style that I can easily fix up or throw in a ponytail if I'm in a hurry. Hard to believe she did it all in just 45 mins. I can't wait to go back just to see what she does next! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Melissa!!! read more

I used the ($75 for $50) yelp certificate & had a good experience with my cut & color. I would have given 5 stars but I did have to wait a little over 1/2 an hour because the customer ahead of me went way past her scheduled appointment. That said, everyone was friendly & attentive; I was asked by 3 people at least twice if I wanted coffee,water or tea. Melissa did a great job with my hair & listened to what I wanted then cut my hair the way I asked & even cut it shorter when I asked her to. I also have to say I really appreciate the fact that she didn't send me on my way with the ring around the hairline (one sin I don't forgive in a salon) I've experienced at other salons when I've had my hair colored. All in all I'm really happy with my hair & plan to return for a touch up in 6-8 weeks. read more

I was very pleased to find an Aveda salon in Alameda. I'm always somewhat anxious about trying a salon for the first time but because it was an Aveda salon I had complete faith in the products. My stylist was Melissa and she did an amazing job. I'm very pleased with her talent and skills in determining the right color, the right amount of highlights and providing the perfect haircut for me. Melissa and the staff at Antidote were friendly and helpful. I will definitely return to Melissa and Antidote for all my haircare services. And the yelp deal was icing on the cake! Thank you!!! read more

HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE very friendly staff! I had a bunch of questions but the stylist, Melissa, and front desk girl, Jessica, were great at answering them. Added bonus, they are enrolled in the Aveda pure privilege program! I love my hair and will be coming back soon for color! :) read more

As a professional painting contractor, it is a must that i keep a neat appearance and that is just what Antidote does for me. The staff is very helpful with scheduling my appointments and recommending any additional products that may help my skin due to my profession! Many Thanks Antidote! read more