I'm torn. I love my hair color and style! I loved Jessica and Fernando! I loved the convenient location! Why am I torn, I guess my standards were stretched too thin. Maybe I'm too judgmental? Maybe I have a different set of expectations? Here is my story... I took a chance after reading so many positive yelp reviews and purchased a Groupon for a full highlight, deep conditioner, cut and style. I called to make an appointment and left a message. I waited three days. No call. I called back and left another message. Two days later I get a voicemail back to call them. I called AGAIN, this time got someone in the phone who said she would call me back and they didn't. If I hadn't already purchased the Groupon, I would have moved on, but since I had already paid for this, I was going to use it and now I'm already skeptical. I called again, spoke with someone and made my appointment for a mid week, mid morning appointment. My appointment day comes, I get to the salon 20 minutes early. They seemed off guard by this, but I was always told to come early for an appointment, especially when trying a new place. I also didn't know who my appointment was with. They told me the appointment before me was late so they may take me earlier. Ok, I have a seat and enjoyed the high energy music. They busy themselves on the computer. No one else is there. 15 minutes later, Jessica introduces herself to me and we get going. I'm quickly informed that toner was not included (aok) and it was suggested that I use a processor to cover my grays for $45. I declined and she went to mixing. When she came back, she suggested doing highlights and low lights to better blend for $20. I agreed. I appreciated her advice and it was totally a great move! Jessica was friendly and personable. The phone rang a few times and she would stop what she was doing to answer it. I have never been to a salon where someone would stop working on your hair to answer the phone or to chat with a sales guy who walked in. That was just weird. Soon I was ready to cook. Jessica said they got a new steam chair that she wanted to try on me. She fiddled with it, said it was on and then went back to the computer. After a few minutes, I asked if it was on since I felt or heard nothing. Francisco came to check on it, and sure enough, it wasn't on. Once it got going, it did feel nice and I can see the steam heat did wonders. I was under it for a while, and when I started to feel drips, I asked her to come check on me. At that point, I was done and ready to wash, style and dry. The place is clean and comfortable and they really know what they are doing. Like I said, the end result was probably one of the best colors and styles that I've had, just the process to get there was a little off. Maybe they were having an off day? I'd like to try them again and see... read more

I just left Bella Hair Salon after my first time there and I'm thrilled with the results and experience! I conveniently booked a color, cut and blow-dry appt. just one day prior with Jessica. The salon was clean, and Jessica used great products in my hair. She was friendly, professional and knowledgeable. Jessica understood exactly how I wanted my hair to look, and it came out great. If you'll excuse me, I have to go look at my hair in the mirror again. ;) Muito obrigada, Jessica! read more

Uneven haircut, sloppy technique from Jessica. I explained my hair type (straight, fine) and the level of time and effort I typically spend on my hair (not much). I brought several pictures of the haircut I wanted. Jessica did not cut it into the shape I showed her. I have had this haircut before (from my stylist who moved away), so I know it's possible. Jessica just wasn't able to do it. The features I requested are just not there. Jessica did not separate the hair and cut it in precise sections using the comb, her approach was messy and haphazard. She also did not compare the hair on either side of the head while cutting, so the sides came out very uneven. 2 stars because she was friendly, and the place was tidy, but at the end of the day, this person does not know how to cut short hair. And it wasn't cheap ($45 plus tip). I'd go somewhere else if I were you. Similar review: "Jessica can color, but couldn't cut my short hair evenly. After each visit it looked uneven. I finally went to another salon & had them look at my hair & sure enough it was uneven." - Danielle L., 8/31/2015 read more

If you have thick, coarse hair this is the place. I had a wash and blow dry today with Alba and she did such a great job. They used a product called Bamboo that changed my hair texture making it smoother than I've ever had without a flat iron. read more

Great experience at Bella salon in melrose tonight. Francisco took 3+ hours highlighting, lowlighting, cutting, and styling my hair in a most relaxing environment. He took the time to hear what I liked and to study the condition of my current hair state before deciding on what would look best. It came out wonderful. Thank you Jessica and Francisco for a great night. I will be back in 6+ weeks for my root touch up :) read more

Jessica is phenomenal! She spent 4 hours transforming my long boring brown locks into an ombre masterpiece! She's a very skilled colorist and stylist. I really appreciated her attention to detail and the level of attention she gave me. It was a long process, but it did not feel rushed. I was nervous going to a new salon for such a radical hair change, but I'm glad I took the chance. I'll thrilled with how my hair came out! Jessica is also a wonderful and interesting person to converse with, so it was definitely a fun spa day for me! read more

Bella Hair Salon - Hair Salons Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

I'm a little bit torn about Bella Hair Salon. I've been 2 times, the first of which came after finding a Groupon for cut and blow out. I really liked what Jessica did with my hair the first time and planned to come back. One thing I noticed is that she does not have anyone running the front desk, so anytime the phone rings or someone walks in (mailman, for example), she stops working on my hair. It happened several times and it was noticeable that the salon is understaffed. Next time I went, I booked an appointment just hours before family photos. When I arrived 10 minutes early, there were 2 other women getting their hair done (one by Jessica, one by the other person) and they looked nowhere near done. I waited ~20-30 minutes past my appointment time and had to remind her that I had a strict time frame. She still wasn't finished with her last appointment but she called me up and had the other guy wash my hair. When it came time for my haircut, she stepped away from the other client to work on me. This moved a lot quicker than the first time I got my hair done when the salon was empty. Because my haircut and blowdry were rushed, my hair definitely didn't look the same as the first time around. It got a little frizzy on the way to our photography appointment (and it was late fall... my hair does not frizz in November). I was disappointed because I know Jessica is talented, but I didn't have her full attention and I felt it was rushed because a. she was double-booked, and b. we started 20-30 minutes late. The first time I visited and purchased the groupon, she told me she could offer the same price next time without purchasing the groupon (which is cool because you can only buy one on groupon, and this way she doesn't have to pay a fee). Well, when I booked the second appointment I even mentioned this and she confirmed. After paying, I realized I paid the full price -- not the pre-agreed on Groupon price. I should've said something after I looked at the receipt but I was now late and in a rush. Honestly, I'm debating returning here. I know there are a lot of options in Melrose and surrounding areas and I liked how Jessica did my hair the first time. But if they don't recognize the value of having a dedicated receptionist in order to do things like answer the phone, greet people, ring people up.....ensure appointments don't get double-booked.... well, I think I'm going to look for a better option. read more

I found Bella Hair Salon through Groupon and since I was in desperate need of a fresh hairstyle figured I'd give it a try. I'm SO glad I did! Jessica was wonderful, listened to exactly what I wanted and gave me tips on how a certain length of bangs would look given my facial features. We chatted the entire time - I've never felt so comfortable at a salon. Many in the area that I've tried are extremely overpriced and they barely acknowledge you, let alone have a real conversation with you. Even though I had a Groupon and therefore wasn't paying full price for the service, she didn't rush any part of the appointment and did such an amazing job styling my hair. I wish I could have her fix it like this every morning because there's no way I could ever make it look as good as she did! Obviously, I am a VERY happy customer and will definitely be a regular client of Jessica's from now on! read more

if I could give this place negative stars I would. I arrive for my 10AM appt on a saturday right before my 30th birthday party my family had rented out a hall for. jessica had her 3 y/o daughter with her. She said someone would be picking her daughter up shortly. I take care of 3 babies for a living so when I go to a salon I dont want to hear a kid screaming & running around. salons are meant to be a relaxing experience but The entire time Jessica was screaming in my ear telling her baby dont do this Stop doing that. The baby was there the ENTIRE time and the ENTIRE time Jessica was yelling in my ear. On the bright side the color came out good. Not what I had originally went in there for. I wanted blonde highlights but Jessica said we would need to bleach the streaks first & I was against bleaching my hair so I left w light brown highlights that looked good but I was disappointed since I did want blonde. The groupon said includes blow out & ya she blew dried my hair but it wasn't a blow out. I arrived at my party & my friend goes " I thought u were getting a blow out?" ugh !! read more

I recently bought a Groupon, hoping to get a haircut, full foils, and style for a decent price. Bella didn't have nearly any reviews, but they were right down the street in Melrose, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. Let me just say that Jessica is amazing. She had great ideas for what we could do with my hair, she did my foils quickly and perfectly, then cut and styled my hair. I was there for over 2 hours and she focused on me only and chatted with me the whole time. I have never gotten so many compliments. It was a great experience, and while I love a great deal, I will happily go back there to get a haircut and color and pay full price! read more

Simply done right at Bella Hair Salon. Jessica does a great job coloring and styling. She knows how to make sure your hair is dressed perfectly for your face. It's a bit pricey. I went once, twice and will keep going back! read more

I was distraught when I called to make an appointment to get my hair highlighted and found out my stylist no longer worked there. After 2+ years, I had no idea who to go to, especially because I am very particular as having a bad experience years ago (who hasn't right?). I saw the Groupon and read the reviews here on Yelp for Bella Hair Salon, so thought I would try it. Jessica is fantastic!!! Friendly, quick, and amazing! She colored the roots and did a full foil highlight at the same time. I didn't know that could even be done! I was happy with the end result and how fast the whole process took, less than 2 hours, including a cut and blowdry. I feel relieved now that I have found a new stylist! Thank you Jessica! read more

Great experience at Bella hair salon in melrose.The salon is beautiful, clean and bright. Owner run and managed. Jessica is a great hair stylist! It is nice to go to a stylist that you trust, is so friendly and a true professional. The prices are reasonable and there are plenty of parking spot. Walk ins are welcome but make an appointment she is always busy. read more

I've been here twice because of groupon deals but I'm going to stick with Jessica as my new colorist and stylist. Both times I've absolutely loved what she's done. She spends so much time. She listens to what I'm asking for as well as giving her professional opinion. She's friendly and talkative but not overboard. I have nothing negative to say about my experience at Bella! read more

Jessica is simply awesome!.. She managed to cut my coarse curly hair pretty well!!.. She even suggested the best look for me!!..

Still getting the best haircuts of my life from Jessica. And with strategic gray removal, she keeps me looking 10 years younger!

I recently moved to town and was in search of a new salon. I decided to try Bella and I am so thrilled I did! Jessica did an amazing job with my hair. She really listened to what I wanted, and is very nice and easy to talk to. This seriously may be the best haircut I've ever had; I couldn't be happier. read more

My friend went in for a balayage today. Somehow in the process of rinsing out the products, her hair became a huge knot. Literally a solid ball of hair. It took a couple of hours to get the knot out. Throughout the whole process the stylist kept talking about how she had never seen a knot like this, and how it was because there were split ends. My friend was visibly upset and crying and the stylist did nothing to attempt to comfort her or even acknowledge it. She was not listening to a word that my friend was saying and when I stepped in to advocate, she began speaking to me about my friend as if she weren't even there or capable of responding. Though she did not have to cut the entire knot out, she had to cut through it to untangle it which resulted in some shorter pieces. We had to argue to get the layers my friend wanted to disguise these and make everything smoother. In the end, things did work out ok. My friend's hair, though not exactly what she asked for, does look good. The stylist was really nice as we left and did take some off the price and give my friend free conditioner. Overall, the experience was not a great one and we will probably not be going back. read more

I had a really good experience for my first time here. I had Jessica, the owner, and another Jessica, one of the other hairstylists by the same name do my highlights. I got a full head of highlights, cut, and blow-dry. Jessica, the owner, started out by doing platinum blonde highlights on the bottom which were a little too blonde for me, but since they are under I don't mind and it looks a lot like the sombre sort of look which is very trendy right now. I like being on trend. Then she handed me over to the other Jessica. She listened about a former time I got my highlights done and they fried my hair somewhat so she made sure to use a less strong volume based bleach at the top and middle sections of my hair. I definitely recommend the softer bleach as it made my hair a nice dark honey blonde over a platinum look. It was much more natural in tone and softer than my former highlight job. She spent four hours on my hair as it is fine and thick (a hard combination for highlights as it takes a lot more time to weave without overdoing it) and used some really nice products which made my hair super soft. (I believe it was keratin protein spray?) She also gave me a great deal if I decide to return which I plan on doing. Thanks ladies! You make a great team! read more

I went here a couple of times for a cut & color. Jessica can color, but couldn't cut my short hair evenly. After each visit it looked uneven. i finally went to another salon & had them look at my hair & sure enough it was uneven. read more

I bought a Groupon for a full foil, cut, and blow out. I was SO pleased with the results. Janet did an awesome job; the color was exactly what I had in mind and the cut was clean and well done. I made a follow up appointment and I can't wait to go back. It's a nice, down to earth salon. I recommend it! read more

Janet is very good, she listened to what I wanted and skillfully gave me exactly the cut,color and highlights I wanted. The bangs, layers and foil were all very nice. I am a happy customer read more

I have been getting my hair cut and colored here for years. My natural hair color is an extremely dark brown. The owner, Jessica, went through a multi coloring process with me over a few months to bring me to a full on blonde without ruining my hair. She knew exactly how to lighten my dark roots, highlight and tone to give me the blonde color I was looking to keep up with. As you can imagine all of those steps take some time. I have a lot of hair to foil, so each time I went in was for a few hours, but I always left with a great blowout and a style that looked great! I've recently decided to go dark after almost two years of having light hair and I could not be happier! read more

Francisco is amazing. I am very picky with my hair and went in for a full highlight, cut, deep condition, and blow dry. I was extremely happy with how natural the highlights look and how precise the haircut is. Everyone in the salon was very friendly and easy to talk to. It is a cute place that is really clean and kept up nice. I am SO HAPPY I found this salon and Francisco for future appointments. I highly suggest this salon, especially if you are fussy with your hair. He really listened to what I wanted and let me know what was going on every step of the way. And the deep conditioning steam treatment left my hair silky soft (it was pretty damaged when I went in). It is a bit pricier than other salons but the extra $25-$30 is totally worth it. Five stars from me! read more

Jessica is excellent, she's been cutting hair for over 20 years and it shows in the care she took in cutting my hair. I was very satisfied!

Amazing! I bought a groupon for a full foil, cut, and deep conditioning treatment. I was very nervous because I went to cosmetology school I have high expectations for my hair. I saw Jessica and she did a wonderful job! I used to have very light blonde hair and in September I colored it close to my natural of light brown. I was ready to lighten it up again and had hopes that it would turn out the way I envisioned, we needed to use a toner so that was an extra $20 that wasn't included in the groupon but because I know how hair works I figured I would need to do that anyway. I am so satisfied and would recommend Jessica to anyone! My highlights are even, close to my roots, and a beautiful color, my cut is great, just asked for a trim, she cut about an inch off which I needed and I feel wonderful! Five stars! read more

I was referred to Bella Salon by a friend and am so happy to have found my new stylist! It's hard to find a stylist who knows what style looks good on you and who listens to exactly what you want done to your hair. Jessica gave me a beautiful hair cut and style and I will definitely be returning to her! Not to mention that I no longer have to drive into the city to deal with nightmare traffic and parking issues. Melrose is so convenient and parking was so easy. read more

Jessica is a master colorist and has huge amounts of patience. I just came back from a 4 hour long color correction followed by highlights. Another high profile salon in Melrose ruined my hair, applied bleach and left me with uneven hair color and orange patches. Jessica corrected it so well and I walked out with color ,exactly like I expected. She is the best. read more

Disapointed by the cut/color and over all service. I bought a Groupon for a partial highlight and cut and was a little nervous about trying a new place. I requested Jessica after reading the reviews but was told that Fernando was just as good. I wish I had stuck to my guns about seeing Jessica. At first I thought Fernando was really listening to what I wanted, until a walk in came in. While my color was processing he put another women into the chair I was sitting in (I had all my stuff laid out in front of that chair) and essentially tried to do both heads. He kept switching back and forth between us and it was really awkward and not to mention, just rude. Needless to say my color looks streaky and is really bright in some places and not in others. I wanted more of a honey color and all he did was put bleach in it, hence the brightness. He also put the foils around where I part my hair so now I am stuck with that part unless I want to show the un-eveness of the color. I've also recently noticed that the layer he put in are uneven. I didn't want layers, I wanted a soft, long bang. I didn't say anything at the time because I didn't want to have a fight but I would never go back and would never recommend, in fact I have been warning people about it. read more