Awesome place. Been here for 25 years. Few Persian people do cuts. (If you know about Persian beauticians) you'd know why I mentioned that Persians work here. Simin Joon did my cut and she is just lovely. read more

This place is kind of run down and beat up but it's a decent place to get a haircut for under $50. They take walk-ins but there may be a wait. Came in to get all the dead shit cut off and a relayering. I thought it was going to suck but it turned out to be a really nice haircut! My stylist, the older Asian woman, gave me some styling tips. To layer my hair and thin out some parts, she used one of those special scissors, not a razor. Haircut is $25 If you want a shampoo before the cut, it's an extra $5 Blowdry after is another $5. For dudes, $18 for a haircut. They also do other stuff like brow maintenance. Prices increase slightly if you pay with a CC. read more

False advertising! I came here because they are one of only a handful of salons in the Bay Area that offer eyebrow threading, and because of the great yelp reviews. What an enormous disappointment. I had an older Asian lady "thread" my eyebrows. She spent about 10 seconds with the thread, shaving my eyebrows from the top down (from the top down!! I have never ever had anyone do that to me before and I definitely looked weird afterwards), and then she spent over 15 minutes PLUCKING MY EYEBROWS WITH TWEEZERS. It was one of the most painful and awful experiences. I wanted to jump out of the chair and run out the door, but I don't like to be rude. I calmed myself by telling myself she was a professional and I should just trust her, even if her method was different. I should not have trusted her. It was painful and stupid. On top of that, I asked specifically for my eyebrows to be left thick, and to be shaped with straight lines/hard angles. She made them very thin. I was a little shy to go back out onto the street after I saw myself in the mirror, especially since my whole brow area was swollen from all the plucking hairs one by one. When I went to pay, it turned out to be $15. So f***king absurd. I am really pissed. I have typically paid between $7, and $10 at most, for REAL threading by real professionals. It should take about 5 minutes. I was in there for 30 minutes, excluding the waiting time when I walked in. To offer threading and then end up plucking someone's eyebrows is incredibly unprofessional. I can pluck my eyebrows at home. I am never going here again, and I hope they get their act together or stop advertising their threading services. read more

I came in while on vacation and asked about pricing and how I wanted my hair styled before we got started (I needed a wash/dry/style). It took forever! I can't remember who did my hair but she had no idea what she was doing. I have very fine hair and I wanted to add volume with a blow dry and curls facing outward. She pointed the blow dryer downward losing all volume, used a 2 inch curling iron (to curl and also to straighten), and did all of the curls downward except for my short bangs. I tried to tell her not to do it like that and she cut me off. Then she charged me $10 more than she had originally quoted me because my hair was longer than she thought. I'm never getting my hair done outside of my usual salon again. read more

UPDATE 2/25/08: About a week after my haircut, I was stopped on the street by a stranger asking where I had gotten the most perfect haircut she had ever seen in real life. WOW! Way to make my day, Business Suit Lady! Also, my co-worker took pictures of my 'do so that she could bring them into her [very high-end] salon so they could imitate it. I'd say this is pretty good evidence for a job well done! Thanks, Maxi! ORIGINAL REVIEW: Here's what you care about: -Haircut was $30, minus $5 for student discount, plus $5 for shampoo. -I think color was around $50 or $60, but I prefer au naturale -I like my haircut -Flora knew what she was doing. She could tell that my previous haircut (which was performed on a volunteer basis by a cosmetology stuent) sucked -They close at 7. I made the last appointment possible, around 5:45, and they were very accommodating. -I would definitely recommend a haircut here. The rest of this review will be complete woolspit. Discontinue reading if you are satisfied with the information provided above. Thank you. Spiderpig Spiderpig He does whatever a spiderpig does can he swing from a web no he can't cause he's a pig loooooooookouuuuuuuuuut..... Great things about pythons: -Their babies are about 1.5-2 feet long -They can climb -There is such a thing as a legless lizard. But it is not a python. -They can fake dead and emit an awful butt-smell to appear less appealing to predators. Also handy for unsolicited suitors. -Monty Python read more

My experiences here seem to reflect other reviews - Maxi can be a hit or miss. I've gotten my eyebrows threaded here numerous times. There's almost always a wait of at least 20 minutes, even if you make an appointment. This isn't the end of the world - just don't make an appointment when you know you've got somewhere to be right after. The process is quick and pretty painless, and it's so cheap (only $10) that Maxi became my go-to for eyebrow threading. Even though the salon seems a little run down (it is on Telegraph), the ladies that work there are so sweet and their service was always good. However, two incidents make me a little wary of coming here again. I came with a roommate to get our eyebrows done and they took us in almost immediately. One of the ladies did my roommate's eyebrows and finished pretty quickly. Another lady did mine, and after struggling with one side, the other lady finished up on my roommate, came over, fixed the first side, and ended up doing my other eyebrow. My eyebrows were a little more uneven than I would've liked - but I guess that's what happens when two different people do each side? It wasn't a huge deal, and I still chose to come here for a haircut. All the reviews from their happy customers made me pretty confident that my hair would turn out fine. I only wanted a simple bang cut and the ends trimmed - I wasn't expecting shampooing or a blow dry or anything of the sort. What I ended up wtih was uneven hair and bangs that were all over the place. I have pretty thick (and long) hair, and she spent about 15 minutes cutting - I spent longer waiting than getting my haircut! While I'm normally all for fast service, I would've much rather spent a little longer (and a little more $$) on a better haircut. I ended up having to go to Eclipxe, where they asked where I'd gotten my haircut before - she (somewhat humorously) asked if I'd done it myself, because it was so uneven and messy. Like I said, the ladies at Maxi are really nice and the my experiences weren't awful or anything, just not what I was expecting. If you go, I hope you have better luck - like a lot of people seem to have! read more

I am very very picky when it comes to my haircuts (fine, I'm extremely picky about everything) but Lien did not disappoint! After reading the amazing reviews (thanks yelpers!), I called/ran to Maxi and caught Lien for her last cut of the day. Honestly, she did a fantastic job. This is probably one of the best haircuts I've ever had. Usually, I like my haircuts only immediately after because the hairdresser blow dries, straightens and styles the sh!t out of my hair... And the next day, I can never get it to look the same again. So frustrating. But this time, Lien worked her magic with just a small comb and a pair of scissors (no razors, no fancy stylizing). A no fuss haircut that I can wake up to without pulling out an arsenal of products and machinery. Additionally, Lien doesn't talk your ear off like other stylists. She's sweet but not overbearing. You can tell that she's completely focused and perfectly meticulous. She took her time even though she was suppose to clock out about halfway through. $25 before tip but be sure to tip her generously because it will be worth it. read more

I love in Orange County, CA. I take airplanes to Berkeley in order to have Ellie at Maxi cut my hair. See, I have unique hair issues r/t female hair loss, and she absolutely, without a doubt WORKS MIRACLES with my hair. Because of Ellie, I do not wear a wig. Because of Ellie, I don't have to cry when they hand me the mirror and swing my caped chair around in the mirror. I never have to worry if I appear a freak in public because of my patchy hair loss. Because of Ellie, I live a relatively normal life. Again, I have every fancy salon in the Southern California area at my disposal, but for a 1/2 the cost (probably less), I get a haircut that not only looks fly, but reneders me a hair-related, able-bodied person. What can I say: best hairdresser on earth. read more

Last summer I wanted to get my hair chopped off to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths; I thought that getting eight inches cut instead of ten would somehow be less traumatizing. So I was willing to give this place a try because it was close by, the reviews on yelp seemed pretty good, and a friend of mine also wanted to donate her hair at the same time. We get to Maxi, and I'm already nervous about cutting off all my hair. My friend goes first to the older Asian woman, and I wait for her daughter (?) to finish up on a customer. When she's done, I get ready to sit down in her chair. First major no-no... she didn't sweep up the POUND of blonde hair lying around the chair! I tried to ignore it though and proceeded to let her know how I'd like my hair cut. I told her how much I wanted to donate, but she told me the ends were various lengths, so I should cut more off to donate. I was fine with it because I knew the hair was going to a good cause. However, what bothered me most about this visit was that she kept asking me throughout the cutting how I wanted it cut. I told her that I wanted it such and such a length with layers throughout, but I don't think she really got it. I wish she had been more confident in cutting my hair because I was already nervous and didn't need to direct a professional. Anyways the cut cost me $25, and I felt so "blah" about the experience. When i got home to check out the back, there was this random piece in that was like and inch an half longer than the rest of my hair. LAME. aargh Never coming back. read more

Ok, I'm going to preface this by saying that I am really really sick of bad haircuts so this review may be a bit harsh. After chopping off over a foot of hair a few years ago, I kept my hair short while I had a stylist that I trusted. When she moved away and I eventually moved as well, I haven't been able to really find that "perfect match" I went to Amyrose at Peter Thomas whose haircut I loved about 1.5months ago but it was time for that post-highlights trim to remove all the dead ends. I made the mistake of stopping at Maxi Hair on the way home "just to get a trim." NEVER again. Hannah cut my hair and while it seems that other people on here absolutely loved her cuts, it seems like she has no idea how to cut shorter hair. I have been trying to grow out my hair for a few months and I specifically requested three things: 1) Keep as much length as possible-- i.e. just remove the split ends 2) I do not like blunt cuts so keep the A-line shape that I already have with a VERY minimal trim. I have a wider, square face and I tend to look like a block on a stick (my neck) when I get blunt cuts. REALLY unflattering. 3) DON'T touch my bangs because I decided I wanted to grow them back out. What did Hannah do? Take off over 2" of length all around to give me a blocky, old lady blunt cut and she CUT MY BANGS before I had a chance to even respond. By the time I was able to yell "stop" the first chunk had already been shortened and it was too late to fix it. At that point she was like "oops I already cut them" and I had to let her even them out unless I wanted to go home with one section of bangs that was obviously shorter than the rest. While the layers and the rest of the cut was fine, it was clear that the comprehension wasn't there-- what about "don't touch the bangs and don't give me a blunt cut" is so hard for a stylist to understand?! Just to add insult to injury, after being told on the phone that there was a student discount of $5 for a haircut, I was told in person at the cash register that they don't honor student discounts for a haircut with Hannah! I also was told over the phone that blow dry is an extra $5 but I ended up being charged $10 at the counter. In addition, after I was steaming about the lack of listening, the other lady at the counter had the nerve to ask me if I needed an eyebrow wax (while giving me the look that implies that she thinks I needed one) and if I was ever planning on fixing my roots. That being said, if you've had your hair cut here before and you know and trust someone here, kudos to you, but as for me, I'll pay the extra $5-10 to go somewhere else. Yes, a $35 haircut is pretty moderately priced, but it's $35 too much for my current haircut. I wish I could reverse time a full 2 hours. read more

I should have stepped out after my first 3 minutes inside of this shop... This review is being made about 3 months after the fact. Visit on 9/6/14. I asked if a walk-in eyebrow appointment would be acceptable. A lady who was working on another client said yes. I proceeded to ask how much that would be. She responded saying "$15." My eyes popped open. Back home in Orange County, I never went into a salon where the price of eyebrows was more than $10 (and that is at a high-end nail spa where proper wax pens and heaters are used). I decided to awkwardly lie that "I actually have to go meet a friend..." and tried slipping out of the salon. Immediately, the woman could tell that I was not pleased with the price and then asked me how much I wanted to pay. I said, "I never pay more than $10," and she VERY hastily said "okay okay, come back. I will do it for you." ...I should have refused and just left. But instead I gave it a shot. I sat in the chair and watched as she brought out a messy pot of wax. She applied it to my eyebrows by using a stick (a popsicle stick if I remember correctly). Really?!?!??! You were trying to charge me 1.5x the normal rate to do a subpar job?! At least have professional wax applicators!! Needless to say, I left with my eyebrows looking uneven. They tried to make it up to me by giving me a "Maxi Rewards Card" and writing clearly on it that "Eye = $10." As though to prevent future overcharging. Not happy. read more

I was drawn in by the 50% haircuts for students sign, and I am so happy I was! My haircut + wash + dry was only $30 and worth every cent. Lam cut my very dead hair, and I so terrified at first because the man works SO FAST, but he turned my rat's nest back into a head of hair again. I have hated layers my entire life, but he cut them so beautifully I'm kinda speechless. He was also incredibly friendly the entire time, and I would definitely recommend Lam to anyone I know! I will be sure to come back for haircuts here during all of my years at Berkeley. read more

Ellie is very helpful and knowledgeable about hair! :) Love getting my hair products from here! It's also very affordable! :)

I was eyeing places for a haircut the summer of my junior year at Cal, and this salon was so close to home. The first time I was here, I came here for a haircut. As I am about to enter my senior year/last semester at Cal, I decided why not go back to this salon. The second time, just recently, I got my hair dyed a dark blue; this would be my first time getting it dyed a color that was not a natural hair color, like a light brown or blonde. And omg, I LOVE IT SO MUCH. The dark blue I wanted was PERFECT. Olivia, for both visits, had worked on my hair. She is so friendly!! But tbh, the whole staff is friendly!! I'm looking forward to future visits. read more

I went in for a simple long layered hair cut and that's what I got. I showed pictures to Hannah and she explained what kind of hair cut it is and how she can accommodate that style to my hair.Hannah would occasionally check with me about how I want my hair to look like throughout the cutting session so it really shows that she cares and listens. It took almost an hour for the cut and dry but I'm satisfied. My hair feels light and I don't look like the girl from The Ring anymore. :) The website says haircut prices range from $15-35. I paid $35, the guy who was also there (good hair cut from the other woman) paid $16. So a worker from the salon called me to thank me for the review and to clarify that they charged me $5 for shampoo and $5 for blowdry. It was $25 to cut long hair and because I got it layered. read more

After re-watching all the SATC episodes for the ump-teenth time, I decided my hair needed a new 'summer-friendly do: CARRIE BRADSHAW SEASON 5 HAIR. I made an appointment the night before and was seated very promptly when I arrived in the afternoon (I was the only one there, too). I didn't specifically ask Hannah, the stylist, for "Carrie Bradshaw hair", but she got the point of medium length layered look. She was very sweet and surprisingly quick. I have A LOT of hair, but it was probably about 20 minutes to razor and shear off 5 inches. She even fit in my boyfriend right after. My bangs, however, were cut just a tad short. The price is amazing, at $25 for (long-haired) students, $15-$18 for fellas. I went home and curled it, to see if I really got what I wanted, AND IT WORKED. I am very happy that I got the cut I wanted at a reasonable price. read more

I've been SEARCHING for a good place to get a haircut in Berkeley and I'm happy to say that I've found mine! (At least, for now). Lien was wonderful with cutting my hair and extremely open to suggestions. She even finished cutting and, realizing that I wasn't satisfied, listened to my input, and went back to fixing the cut! Considering that she had another customer waiting, I really appreciated her going the extra mile to make a customer happy. That being said, I think I'm starting to realize how difficult it is to communicate what I want to haircutters. Note to future self/anyone wanting a haircut: be SURE to print out some reference pictures of the hair you want! It helps the stylist INCREDIBLY! read more

Every once in a while I'll stray and let another hairstylist cut my hair, but I keep coming back to Maxi so Lien can make everything alright again. She always manages to do a great job and gives me a classic looking short cut. In fact, she gave me my first pixie two years ago and right as I walked out of the shop a friend of mine started gushing about how amazing my hair looked. She's not extremely talkative but I think I actually prefer it that way. I did have a bad experience when another lady in the shop gave me a really 80s-in-a-bad-way hair cut and proceeded to use hair gel to tease my hair into a rat's nest against my will. And I realize that loads of girls look great with edgy hair like that but I can assure you that I do not. read more

Olivia has been cutting my hair for a year and I have enjoyed the experience every time. I often describe what I would like her to accomplish in vague and sometimes unclear ways and even if she doesn't understand what I want right away she makes sure that before I leave I am fully satisfied with my new look! She is easy going and fun to chat with! read more

I paid $250 to dye my hair from brunette to blonde. Which was ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS higher than what they quoted me. They said it was because my hair was long and thick. They still should have checked before and quoted me the right price. I had to put it on my CC because I didn't bring enough cash. That's why I gave them 4/5. A little pricey but worth every penny. They're all great but I was ask for Hannah (and wait for an appointment) if you can. She's worth it. Also, their customer service is amazing. If I didn't like it they offered to redo the whole thing for free! read more

I LOVE ELLIE!!!! I have been getting my hair cut by Ellie for many years. I have long thick hair and am obsessed with smooth luscious plentiful layers. I am sure to always remind Ellie exactly how I like my hair cut, and she does a great job every time. Yes, the shop has character. However, I have over-paid at many of Berkeley's fanciest salons and been extremely dissatisfied. I now live on the East Coast and still get my haircuts from Ellie when I visit twice a year! I recommend tipping big to make up for Ellie's ridiculously low charge :) read more

I needed to get my eyebrows shaped and I decided to come here because it is near my apartment, it looks clean, and the workers are very stylish(my theory is that since they can make themselves look good, im sure their works would be fantastic.) I went to the back to meet the lady that does the eyebrows... i wish i got her name. She was really nice and made conversation with me once she saw me, and we talked about so many random things while she was doing my eyebrows. She did a great job with trimming, waxing, and tweezing. And in the end, she gave me advice on how I should color in my eyebrows to make it darker but at the same time, natural. I will definitely come back to this place. read more

1. This place is super close to campus. 2. Hannah, the hairdresser I had, was amazing. 3. We had a great conversation. 4. My hair looked great- I received many compliments! 5. Am I going back? 6. Oh, yeah! read more

I was surprised to learn that my friend got an excellent hair cut in Berkeley. I have never cut my hair here, usually opting to wait until I go home to go to my usual salon. I always walk past this place so I was surprised when she told me where Maxi was! I go after class on a whim (I'm easy and get talked into things easily) and ask for a two inch trim from an older Asian woman. She takes her time with my hair, layering it and then layering it again. I ask her to trim my bangs and I am very OCD about the part between my bangs and the rest of my hair and when she ignores this, I do freak out but you can't tell that it's uneven. I just have a lot more bang than I did previously. I am very fickle with my hair and always end up hating haircuts but all of my friends loved my hair. I have very thin and flat Asian hair but my haircut added so much volume and movement. The layers also accentuated the shine and even though it was much shorter than I had anticipated, a lot of my lighter ends were gone and my hair looked a lot healthier. I am thankful my hairdresser took her time with everything and kept on asking me if the layers were short enough or if I wanted more. Best part? It was only $25 (add a few more for tip!). read more

This is my go-to place for all my hair needs :) Either threading or a hair cut, this is my stop. Ellie usually does my eyebrows, she's always soo nice and easy to talk to. Plus she's very intelligent and knowledgeable on Berkeley culture. Her technique on eyebrows is one-of-a-kind. She truly sits there and looks at you to figure out what shape looks best on your face. And then works very meticulously and practically painfree to get you the PERFECT brows. For my brows, I wanted them natural but defined and she gave em to me. They're very clean and nice now no longer unruly yayy! I went in today for brow threading and an older Asian woman did it for me since Ellie was busy. She is also amazing taking her time. Though it hurt (just because I wasn't used to all this pain again), my eyebrows look soo much better than before. She is also very meticulous, and cares for your needs. She stops usually after cleaning up the shape a bit to ask if you want them thinner or thicker. I liked the path she was going on already so I just asked her to continue. She's really nice also. I love my eyebrows today. Brows and lip all for 25 bucks! Fiona's also very nice and she's funny when you get into a conversation of her. I haven't cut my hair for soo long and she gave me my first cut in years and it looks pretty good. I gave her a picture to assess and she was able to profile my face to figure out how to make it work for me. She ended spending over an hour cutting my long, thick, massive hair. I feel so bad for her because I bet she was tired. But in the end, after she blow-dried it, I like it very much. Plus, that day my hair felt soo shiny, and healthy, and it smelled great. The products they use here are amazing. Maxi love! read more

This place is great for the price. I've gotten my hair cut and colored twice at Maxi and my eyebrows threaded once. I'm making it my salon since it's what I can afford. Actually, if I could afford more, I'm not sure I'd leave Maxi since I'm happy with how Hannah has been doing my hair and eyebrows. I wear my hair pretty simple: layers and easy color to cover grey. Maxi is a good salon and I'd be suprised if they really messed up your hair (unless you can't describe what you want)!!! I'll give Maxi another star if I agree with this review in a year. read more

Professional, excellent cuts and only 25 bucks?! It almost seems too good to be true! I popped in here for the first time one Saturday afternoon when my brother was in orientation at Berkeley just expecting a standard cut. Hannah did such an excellent job, I've been back ever since. Two years later, she continues to give me great cuts. I've always had even, great looking haircuts. She always cuts my layers perfectly so my mop looks healthy and voluminous despite the fact thin hair has been a problem for me. Parking near telegraph ave can be kind of difficult but it's worth the search. Make sure to call ahead for an appointment or expect to sit around for a couple minutes. Sometimes you can get lucky and get seated right away but better to be safe than sorry. read more

Nothin like a good mom-and-daughter barber shop. Ellie and her mother are amazing people, and talented beauticians with awesome energy. The location is good, and the prices on products are right. They take walk-ins with no notice. That's the bomb. I came here on recommendation by my sister, who was recommeded by a friend. It's no wonder people recommend them! They are straightforward, honest, friendly, and wonderful people. Ellie gave me a great deal on highlights, which I was reluctant to do, but an VERY happy with. She went the extra mile with me, treating me like a friend, with patience and actually CARED how my haircut looked/how I felt about it. Seems simple, but trust me- I worked in a hair salon for 3 years, and it is a rarity. They also give studest discounts, just 'cause!! read more

Ellie is one of the finest hair colorists I have ever seen work! Everywhere I go, I get rave compliments on my highlights, often by other professionals. Ellie is also a master of eyebrow design... I trust no one else with my brows! This is a cozy, family shop (mother & daughter) with lots of skill and warmth and humor to go around. If you can't handle parking in Berkeley (they validate), by all means, take the bus to your appointment. You are going to make an appointment, yes? People who are really good at what they do deserve the courtesy of an appointment. You won't regret it! Also, the gals at this shop specialize in the Persian art of 'threading'. (It's an all natural and European preferred method of hair removal.) read more

I came across this hair salon and decided to give it a try since it has such high reviews! Okay, I'm not too familiar with Telegraph Ave, so I was surprised to find it in such a sketchy location and from the outside, it looks like a beauty store. Since my conference ended earlier than my appointment, I showed up an hour earlier (and didn't want to hang out on Telegraph since none of the stores were really appealing). Hannah immediately asked if I had an appointment, and was able to start 30 minutes earlier than planned. I had my eyebrows shaped and my hair cut by Hannah. She did a great job on my eyebrows and I didn't think that would be possibly considering they are naturally shorter than the average women's and semi-plucked. She even showed me how to fill them in! As for my hair, she layered it and trimmed the edges off since I wanted to keep the length. Then blow-dried and styled it. In the beginning, I asked Hannah the price for both eyebrows and hair cut and got $15 for eyebrows and $25 for hair. So when she asked if I wanted my hair blow-dried, I thought I would've been told if it was going to cost extra. I found out it cost $10 at the register. As a student, this was a surprise. Other than that, I tried talking to her and although she responded, it didn't seem like she really wanted to talk. Perhaps she had a lot on her mind, I don't know! Overall, service was good and definitely reasonably priced. read more

Haircut alone, I would give four stars because Ellie didnt mess up on my bangs which many, many hairdressers mess up on. I normally cut my own bangs once they start the grow out and she showed me sections that I should avoid cutting and just let grow out. I appreciated the tip. The cut was a little shorter than I imagined but I think it's just that I havent had a haircut in A LONG TIME. She worked on my hair for more than 45 minutes and I liked how she took her time, even though more customers were coming in. I had to take off a star though because the things going around me.The Asian workers were kind of just chilling in the back until a customer came and even then, Ellie had to tell them to take care of the customers. One of the ladies had trouble communicating with this elderly man who was getting his hair cut and also wanted to buy nail clippers/cuticle trimmers. They were not understanding each other AT ALL. And it bothered me a little that Ellie wasnt trying to help clear the situation because it was pretty painful to watch. The shop in general needs a major upgrade. It didnt have a very sleek clean feeling because the furniture and shop just looked old. The store side of the shop also looked a little cluttered. And they still had magazines that were from 2004!! $25 before tip read more

I could go on and on about how wonderful Ellie and her mother Flora are. I could tell you about the hours I've spent talking with Ellie about Persian culture & middle-eastern politics, Flora's health, Ellie's beautiful baby Pasha, her dog, and her husband who is a realtor. But the bottom line is: I'm a guy who likes a specific haircut and color regimen and they do it better than anyone else. Period. I have been going to Maxi for over 15 years -- in those years I have lived in Berkeley, Moraga, Rockridge, Walnut Creek, and now San Leandro. I keep going back there for a reason. I keep putting up with the stupidity of Berkeley pedestrians and incompetence of Berkeley drivers for a reason: They may not always run on time, and they are not "flashy" like Panache used to be. But what they are, is a family of loving people who know hair. And they do it right. Period. End of story. read more

Hannah was able to highlight my hair so that my roots from my last full-dye job looked more natural. The cut she gave me was also very complimentary to my bone structure. She also was very sincere about when I would need to come back and didn't try to tell me that I would need to come every two weeks for touch-ups. There was no wait when I came in Tuesday afternoon for my birthday, but it may be busy during weekends since it's really close to campus so unless you're going during the weekdays I suggest calling ahead and making an appointment. read more

After a bad haircut experience, I went to Maxi in hopes of getting my hair fix at a reasonable price. I made an appointment and got Phuong as my stylist. Phuong was great! She was very attentive and made sure that there were no loose ends. After an hour haircut (shampoo and all), I came out with an amazing haircut for $30. My hair was saved and I'll definitely come here again! read more

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet. I've first came here in 2005. I used to live right down the street on Telegraph and I found this place on citysearch (remember them?), in the pre-yelp days. I've moved 3 time since then and have to drive 20 min to come here now, but its still 100% worth it. Ellie has been cutting my hair since the beginning and she does a great job. I've found it very difficult to find a good hairdresser in the past. I've tried many, including places that cost upwards of $100 and none of them have been as good as Ellie (most of them where meh, a couple were disasters, a couple came close). Since I've started going there I've a couple times gone to different places (out of town) and each time regretted not just waiting to come back here. Ellie is also super sweet. She clearly cares a lot about her business and her customers and it shows. Her mom, Flora, works there too occasionally and she's cut my hair once or twice when Ellie wasn't available and she also did a very good job. On top of the great haircut, the price makes its a downright steal. Ellie, I believe, is a little higher priced than the other hairdressers there, but the best deal in the bay area I think. In short: top people, top value, top service and product = 5 FULL stars. read more

This is the best hair salon I have been so far. I have been going to Maxi Hair salon since five years ago. Ellie does my eyebrow and my hair. She is the best in her work. But what I really admire about her is this fact that she is super nice and friendly. She is very sweet and kind, and I adore her personality. She dyed my hair very beautifully so ever since I get lots of compliments. Ellie and her staff are professional and talented. The price is good and affordable. Amongst all these positive things, I would like to explain this specifically that people at Maxi are very responsible and caring as well. If for any reason you are not satisfied with their work, they will re-do it for you without charging you. Once Ellie dyed my hair, and it looked brighter than what I expected. She dyed my hair again despite the fact that it was 7, and they closed at 6. I love this place. I highly recommend Maxi hair salon and ELLIE!! read more

I got the BEST color from Olivia. I have light brown hair, but have colored my hair blonde since I was young. I am LAZY, so when I get my hair highlighted I like a blend of balayage and highlighting techniques that bring the lightness up toward my roots in a natural-looking way, but also will allow my hair to grow out without looking stupid. I tell my stylists that I often go 6 months to a year without getting it re-colored and so it needs to look like an intentional fade as it grows out. (Sad, but true). As you can imagine, this is a tall order to blend the old color line in smoothly while feathering in a root line that will allow it to grow out gracefully. On top of this, my hair does not release it's color easily and leans hard toward brassiness. Olivia NAILED the color. I have hopped around to a LOT of different salons in my life and I think this might be the best dye job I have ever had. My hair is significantly lighter, but it looks SO natural and I can tell it will grow out nicely. I have ongoing events (graduations, weddings) to attend this summer, and I feel good about being photographed at all of them without having to touch it up. I am moving after this semester, but I will still make an effort to get my hair done here when I visit the Bay. read more

This hair salon is by far the best hair salon I have ever been to. All of the ladies do a WONDERFUL job with both male and female cuts (my boyfriend and I have gotten cuts from all of them). I have gotten all sorts of styles, from an A-Line to long layers with bangs, and every time it comes out perfect. I am shocked this place doesn't have a perfect 5-star rating. These ladies have all been cutting hair for 15+ years, and know how to deal with all sorts of hair types, whether you are balding, have fine hair, thick hair, curly, or straight. On top of a great haircut, you CANNOT beat the prices for the quality. I have been to a handful of "high-end" salons that will charge $70+ for a haircut, and Maxi is by far the best salon at a much lower cost. This review also gets 5-stars for eyebrow threading. If you have never gotten your eyebrows threaded here, I highly recommend it. Not only do they thread your eyebrows, but they also take the time to shape them, which does not happen with regular eyebrow threading. I have gotten my eyebrows threaded and waxed at tens of places, and Maxi is miles better than any other place. Eyebrow threading isn't just 5-minutes here. They really take their time on it, and can take up to 20 minutes. While it is more expensive than other eyebrow waxing or threading places, it is worth the extra $5. And finally, I would like to say, Ellie is such a sweet lady and runs a wonderful business. Keep up the good work! I will miss this place very much when I move out of Berkeley. read more

Ari gave me a great haircut & is very smart & friendly. Will definitely come back! Also the student discount for cal students makes the cost very afordable. read more

I've been going here for 5 or 6 years now. Hannah gives fantastic haircuts and highlights. She's me go to girl, especially because she's super honest. She doesn't chastise me too hard for bleaching and perming my hair, but she won't do it for me anymore when my hair is too damaged. She's very skilled with giving you the perfect face-framing layers. Ellie is very sweet. I've only had my eyebrows done by her, but she's very attentive and takes a good 20 minutes on carefully plucking and threading in combo. Also, the price is unbeatable for the quality. No frills salon, but the quality is worth way more. read more