OMG! Ten stars! Where do I even begin telling the story…read more.. Well, let us start with the results. I came in with tired, matted hair, longer than shoulder length, and wanting restructuring. As Myiesha and I were getting to know each other and chatting, we course-corrected and went for, wow, just wow, a pixie cut with long bangs! I walked out a new woman. Go Myiesha! And she showed me how to maintain the results. To find out what I wanted, Myiesha had me search for 2026 short women's cuts for curly hair on Instagram and double-tap what I liked as I went through search results. After a while, I thought I was done reviewing pictures, and showed my page of Likes to Myiesha. She reviewed them and, in her stupendous creative mind, blended various Likes of mine into one integrated wish, and proceeded to implement it. I watched with bated breath in the mirror before me as I was being transformed in her able hands. Myeisha wanted the haircut to be light, something for me to just head out the door with, no fussing needed. I was grateful for that. Myeisha applied scalp strengthening treatments and sent me off with products to continue strengthening at home. *** Esthetics. The salon is a site to admire. It is well laid out and well appointed. A unique clock with Roman numerals, encircled in a garland of faux white flowers, decorates one of the walls. Flanking it are two vertical segments of wall painted in black (I was sure to think of the Rolling Stones song, my favorite), with flowers drawn over the black surface in white and colorful chalk. They are lovely. I pointed to them and learned that Myeisha had drawn them herself. She clearly has a steady hand and an artistic mind outside of hair styling, too. *** Scheduling. I was seen literally the next day after another hair stylist referred me to Myeisha. *** Payment methods. Credit cards without a service surcharge, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, you name it. *** Transportation. I took the Light Rail to Japantown on the Blue Line. From there, I walked for literally a few minutes. The salon was straightforward to find, and getting there and back was super convenient. For people who drive, there is a parking structure in the building, and Myeisha provides a parking permit. So, parking is at no cost. *** Chit-chat. We hit it off and eventually discussed pretty hefty subjects (serious books), but also laughed a lot and enjoyed ourselves. Myeisha has an admirable sense of humor. *** Water. The last tidbit is that somehow the water in the cooler in the salon is unusually tasty. Normally, I do not like plain water and need water with electrolytes, but whatever system Myeisha selected to us outputs chilled, yummy plain H2O.

I'm Latina with wavy/curly hair and I like to wear my hair natural. Myiesha did a fantastic job,…read moreand gave me a style I can easily replicate. I will definitely be returning.

After calling around the entire bay and deciding last minute to get my hair done on my day off…read more(Monday), I found Darlene and decided to give her a call. As all the rest of the shops it was her off day but she still agreed to do my hair. Even though I had never met her and had a terrible experience with shops in the past I took a chance and made an appointment the same day and drove an hour away to get my hair done for my graduation. And YES! It was worth it! if you're worried about Covid- don't be, all protocols are followed AND she even sanitized my phone while taking my temp! Darlene has a beautiful spirit and caring soul. I immediately felt I was in good hands. She took care of me and even gave me great life tips! Which made for a comfortable time at the salon. A great stylist is not easy to find. When you find someone good-you fly there and hold onto them! Because of today's experience-I will definitely be back. Walked in looking a mess, walked out looking Blessed! Go ahead -call her. You won't be disappointed!

(REVIEW BASED ON CLIENT CARE, NOT SKILL)…read more I've haven't been able to come to this shop in a very long time. Had a bad experience with my hair being heat damaged here, and it took many years for my hair to recover. It was my fault I choose to just get flat ironed to save on cost. I say all of that just to say I've been serviced by this stylist before. She knows her stuff and does a great job, but times have definitely changed. When I was coming here back when I was in college; a wash, blow-dry, and straightened was $75. My hair is 4b/4c, extremely thin, and needs careful handling. I usually detangle and deep condition at home because money's tight, so I save up for this service. Now, the same service costs with me deep conditioning and detangling in my own cost $196. That's a huge jump and there's no clear pricing upfront. She'll just add a bunch of things without your permission and then when you're done she'll just add things to your bill and tell you that's why it came up to that price. You pretty much book through an app, but add-ons (detangling, hair past shoulders, thickness, conditioner) can push the final cost way up, no matter what you select. That lack of transparency feels unfair, especially when you're already stressed, trying to budget and short on time. On top of that, the stylist is now an influencer and goes live during the service, with clients on camera. She says her regulars enjoy it, but me and another client clearly expressed we weren't comfortable. Her response? "Hold a mirror up to your face." She said there was a beauty filter, so we "didn't have to worry." But I shouldn't have to hold a mirror the whole time just to protect my privacy, especially when I'm paying to relax and be cared for. My arm got tired. The mirror slipped. And that's not the experience I paid for. Getting your hair done can be vulnerable. Some women don't even let their husbands see their natural hair until it's styled. To broadcast that moment without consent, especially in today's online climate, feels really unprofessional and, honestly, exploitative. If she wants to showcase her work, she can do it without showing clients faces. I like her work, and she's a kind person. But this experience left me with a bad taste. $196 for one day of straightened hair is already steep, but being recorded without real consent? That crossed a line. If you value clear pricing, privacy, and not being on a live stream while getting your hair done, this might not be the spot for you. I only stayed because I was already booked last-minute for my brother's wedding and had nowhere else to go. It saddens me to leave this kind of review or to risk burning a bridge; because it's so hard to find someone who truly knows how to care for natural hair. But if this helps even one person, especially my soft spoken girlies who might not speak up in the moment, it'll be worth it. No one should have to pay way over budget and feel forced to be on live just to get their hair done. I gave 2 stars because this review was based on client care not skill. With that being said if you can budget spending $300 or less on a worst case scenario, and don't mind having your process filmed she really is skilled and this may be a good fit. Also I forgot to add I was 15min late for my appointment accidentally went to the wrong location and she was chill about it and didn't cancel my appointment so that was a plus.

I had been going to Ashleigh for my color/cut needs in the past, and I had always thought about…read moregetting some extensions styled by her if I ever got them. I would see some of her clients throughout the years leaving as I'd enter for my appointment and I'd always think WOW!! fast forward a few years and I now wanted to get extensions. I knew EXACTLY who I was going to! Ashleigh was so kind, professional, honest, and is amazing at her art of doing hair! She turned my brassy grown out ends into a gorgeous head of hair! I had 3 rows added of extensions, and I have NEVER been so in love with my hair! The install was not nearly as bad as I was warmed! Sleeping was not bad (I sleep with a silk bonnet). And keeping them combed and brushed has been crucial. I am very picky with who touches my hair and I'd highly recommend Ashleigh!!

For anyone who is debating whether to visit Ashleigh, GO!…read more My first visit with Ashleigh was in the beginning of June to get extension installed. For starters, to get extensions installed is an investment but it is completely worth it. Her salon is super cute and very relaxing, she is also welcoming and it is obvious that she is passionate about what she does (the plus side is that she's really good at what she does). She's talented, and worked a miracle on my hair. The hair she recommends is amazing quality, I can style it dye it, wash it. It feels like my own hair which is super comforting. The first couple days are usually the days you have the most discomfort but I didn't feel anything, my head did feel a little heavier but nothing hurt. My head wasn't sore at all and I slept perfectly fine. Showering was a little tricky because I wasn't used to such long and thick hair but it didn't bother me. She recommended a leave in conditioner which is a MUST to help keep the hair in its silky condition. I had sooo many people ask me how I grew my hair out so fast, and I had to tell them they were extensions. Everything blended so nicely, felt so real. I wore my hair straight, curly, in a high pony, and braids and nothing tugged or pulled everything looked 100% NATURAL! My second visit was in the beginning of august to get my extensions removed. After months of washing, blow drying, styling, and dying my hair; my hair still felt smooth and looked glossy just like the first day I had them installed. I LOVED them! I loved waking up every morning with super long amazing luscious hair! I would definitely get extensions installed again with Ashleigh, it is pricy but it's worth every penny! I PROMISE you will not regret going to see her! Thank you Ashleigh!

i randomly found this place online and im SO happy i did, lijah was sweet, funny, amazingly…read moretalented, and we talked the entire time about music and life in sj. her cozy studio made it so comfy and i loved the way she checked in with me to make sure i was good. places will charge 200+ for a cut for wavy hair which is fine but its nice to find a place that wont charge that much for such an amazing cut. this will be my new regular spot for haircuts for sure! also lijah has some sick music taste

Taylor is the Queen I need!…read more These naps of mine can be unmanageable, especially with a broken hand. Taylor braided my hair up SO NICELY! I will be rebooking her very soon! The owner is also extremely nice. I recommend to anyone looking for a great hairdo at an affordable price.

I found Joanna when I was looking for a new hair stylist two years ago. I have been going to her…read moreever since. She does an amazing job with my color and I always get compliments on my hair. Her new spot in Willow Glen is great and has plenty of parking

Love Joanna's work. She is the best colorist I ever had, and a very talented stylist, too. I walked…read morein three years ago, and have been very happy after every appointment, feeling and looking great.

The hair stylists are always so friendly and sweet. I always leave the salon with beautiful, silky,…read moreand smooth hair and I feel 10 times more confident. I would never trust any other salon with my hair. The stylist I always go to is Daisy and she is so sweet and talented. The best part is all I need to do is show her an inspo picture and she knows exactly what to do. I always recommend this salon and this stylist because I'm always so happy with my hair afterwards. Probably the best salon I've been to so far. Definitely recommend!

Bella cut my hair today and colored my roots. She also gave me an awesome head and neck massage…read more Another great experience at ballance salon The cost for both cut and color was $105.00

My friend referred Mary Grace to me and that was an absolute blessing! Before Mary Grace, I was so…read morecautious of where to go to get my hair cut. Now that I've found her own salon, I will not be going anywhere else! She took her time with my hair. I asked for her advice/opinion on framing bangs/layers because I'm indecisive & she was super helpful! Parking & finding her salon was super easy as well!! I absolutely love love love my new hair do. I will 100% be referring her to all my friends & family

I've always wanted to get my hair done from MaryGrace and finally got a chance this week. She…read morelistened to what I wanted and carefully delived amazing results with a beautiful balayage, layered haircut and style. We came up with a plan on how to maintain my hair and how often I'd be back for an update. She's sweet, attentive, hard working and makes sure you are happy with the results. I highly recommend her!

For more than 5 years I've been looking for a hairdresser who was kind, thoughtful, and could cut…read morecurly hair in a easy-to-maintain style that I prefer. I find large salons stressful for their noise and pushiness to sell treatments and products I had no interest in. Over the years I would return to Yelp, Reddit, Google, and even ChatGPT, searching for a "curly hair" specialist in the Santa Clara area. Almost all were Deva Curl specialists, a program I am not interested in. Nothing stood out as the right place, or the right stylist for me. A few weeks ago I was done with my now ridiculously long hair. I was determined to find the right hairdresser. So I searched Yelp "just" for stylists in my area, since it was useless identifying "curly hair" specialists. Then I searched the Reviews of local stylists for the phrase "curly". That's how I discovered Jamie. She has many good reviews from people who were grateful for their curly cuts. I made a consultation appointment so she could see my hair and we could discuss if we were a good match. Jamie is absolutely delightful. She's joyful, kind, and welcoming (and on time!) and most importantly, she TRULY listens. She asked me so many good and thoughtful questions about what I thought about my hair, what I wanted from a haircut, what my concerns were, and so much more. I've never had a hairdresser who is so thoughtful. I really feel like she sees ME, and wants to help me be happy with the results. Today I finally got my hair cut, and it's absolutely adorable! I'm delighted with the results, and how she was so thoughtful in navigating the different curl patterns in my fine hair. She has an artistry to the way she cuts hair that I am very grateful for. It's unlike any haircut I've had. I asked her to help me choose better hair products that would help my post-menopausal fine hair be its best, curly self. We tried a few things, and she helped me get the most out of my curls in the low-maintenance way I prefer. It was the BEST experience I've had with a hairdresser, possibly ever. And I love that she has her own space within the Sola building, away from the chaos and distractions of a big salon. She gave me her undivided attention, and stayed present, even when I was choosing to not say anything at all. If you're looking for a talented hairdresser who's talented and thoughtful enough to give you the hairstyle that makes you feel good, and nurtures your spirit, choose Jamie!

Jamie is truly the best hairstylist ever. Not to mention she is so kind, thoughtful, and an amazing…read morelistener. I wanted something slightly noticeable as baby lights but very natural and would grow out as so. I have never had a hairstylist that's able to give me this but she changed the game. She truly took her time with me and gave me EXACTLY what I asked for. I couldn't recommend her more. She is seriously so talented and she will be my forever hairstylist now.