First of all, it's called Ming Beauty Salon now, not Elaine's. Secondly, Elaine sold the business and no longer works on this side of the Bay. Lastly, they were my salvation when my hair grew long enough last July that I thought my new nickname would be Cousin It (see Addam's Family). The state and city mandates for these businesses have been like a leaky faucet, though not due to any fault of theirs given the precarious health situation caused by Covid. I feel sorry for these businesses that don't know whether they can open their doors or not at a given moment's notice. I came here after a six week closure by both the city and state on a Friday morning. There were three other customers inside so the stylists told me to wait outside; glad that they are observing social distancing and limiting the number of people in the salon. About five minutes later, I was seated on a chair facing the right wall as two others faced the opposite wall. I held my mask to my face and removed the ear straps as the lady trimmed my hair. She then directed me to their wash sink area and quickly shampooed and rinsed my hair. I was in and out of there in about fifteen minutes as my hair dried very quickly since I asked for a short cut. Thanks to the aunties for checking one worry off my list. All told, before my tip, this only cost me $13.00. read more

Ming Beauty Salon - Shelter in place - Hair Salons Near Me - San Francisco, California

We paid $15 for a haircut at Ming Beauty Salon 116 WAVERLY PL..In comparison, a nearby Lana beauty salon on Broadway offers $10 haircuts and is better and provide comparable or even higher-quality results. At Ming Beauty Salon, the haircut we received appeared comparable to or below the quality of these lower-priced options in San Francisco. The execution was uneven, and the overall service was average. We were also asked to leave a tip as the "first customer of the day." By contrast, the Lana Broadway salon is consistently noted for delivering similar or better results at nearly half the price. Overall, the experience at Ming may not justify its higher price point when compared directly with nearby alternatives on Broadway. read more

Elaine Hair Salon will continue to stick around as long as the ladies are doing an excellent job taking care of us Asian customers. Expect this hair salon to be just as cramped, but one thing that makes one's life easier is a $5 haircut plus tip. My dad did mentioned to me about it so it's never a problem. I used to go to Johnny's Hair Studio, and the cost of the haircut went up as high as $11 plus tip. Be sure to pay close attention once your name was called after you let the ladies know you're here. read more

They cut my hair so quickly and didn't spend much time for $13 women's. Not recommended.

UPDATE: I believe prices have gone up since my original review below. But it's still a decent place for a guy's haircut if you don't want to end up paying $40+ per head. Elaine speaks minimal English since she understands my non-Chinese speaking fiance (but I guess he has gone there long enough to be a regular, that she knows what he wants). Her hours are from 9am-6pm but I've heard of days that she leaves earlier to pick up her son from school. Great lady, super friendly, non-pressuring and does the job well for a fraction of the price. ORIGINAL review: My boyfriend gets his haircut from Elaine and she does a great job. A $8 haircut and with a hairwash, it's $12. It's not a fancy salon but Elaine definitely does a good job with a men's haircut at that price. There are usually a few ppl waiting in line but Elaine and her partner, May are very efficient and turn around quickly with each customer. read more

I came here after being recommended by my guy friend. He's been there a couple times and he thought that she was efficient and she cut women's hair pretty well. So, I went to there on a Tuesday Afternoon and I promptly got my hair washed. The lady who washed my hair was extremely nice, but I have a lot of thin long hair so it needs to be conditioned quite a bit or it will turn out looking dry and damaged after it dries. She used a minimal amount of conditioner and needless to say, when Elaine went to comb out and cut my hair... she found that it was tangled and not exactly shiny / perfect condition. I understand its frustrating if you have to comb my hair for an extra 2 or minutes than the old lady sitting next to me with 1/3 my amount of hair and 1/3 the length of hair i have... but she was very rude about it. she didn't care about the pain and just kept yanking her comb brush through my hair. luckily the lady who washed my hair came to the rescue and took over after i started tearing up when elaine started combing my ears continuously and making them raw and red. When time came for the final haircut, Elaine just started shearing away and just sheared off 2 inches+ before asking me if it was a good length. I had wanted to keep my hair long and just add more layers and i told her that and she just laughed at me and said no this is much better. Anyways, despite the horrible experience, I figure if it turns out well, "beauty is pain" right? Except... I turned out looking like a carrot head and it was kind of uneven. I paid my 12 dollars and gave her 2 dollars tip and i ran out in tears. I walked around Chinatown for 5-10 minutes being absolutely miserable and stumbled upon Ming & Jason's and they are FANTAB. That's where I'll be going from now on. I look a whole lot better now :) PS. I walked into Elaine's speaking in English and when she didn't understand me I talked in Mandarin. She obviously thought I didn't understand cantonese (which i do) because she kept laughing and criticizing me in Cantonese to the other customers and workers. read more

I have been to other hair cut places in the San Francisco Chinatown area until, I discovered Elaine Beauty Salon which is cheap and not to expensive to get a hair cut ... I like coming to this place is because there are two ladies who are very friendly and both of them knows on the style of a hair cut that, I really want!!! They both do a real good job of cutting my hair!!! read more

**CHEAP ALERT** Chinatown cuts for $8...$10 tops with tips. ALSO, NOT EXACTLY THE MOST WHITE-FRIENDLY PLACE. Take-Aways: - Place is cramped, but bumping, which sort of vindicates your choice of said place. - They're quick, and from the reviews seem to indicate Elaine and one other lady are the only fashionistas in this Salon. - They cut Asian hair, and they cut Asian hair. People of all ages and both sexes were coming through this salon. - Something to note: THEY WILL take artistic liberty. For some who like to venture forth new styles and don't care much of the repercussions (cause you all know hair just grows back), yay for this place. BUT if you're particular about your hair, SAY NO to certain things up-front. Overall, great cut for maintenance, and I got to a stylist in Palo Alto for the real deal. In conclusion, quick and affordable! read more

$5 Haircut for men. If you want a fancy haircut, this is not the place. But if you are on a budget and need a decent haircut, this will do just fine. Did I mention it's only $5? read more

Girl here definitely knows our stuff. They do a thorough job, never for a moment, felt rushed. Paid $12 for a cut, and no line.

Cheap haircut. With a wash and $1-$2 for tip it comes out to around $12-$13. Sometimes the results are inconsistent, but meh. Or maybe I need to find a new barber? read more

this place is fantastic, at least according to my metrics: speed and price. $6 haircut (plus tip) and 10 minutes is all it takes. they speak plenty of english and close on thursdays. read more

well, if you're looking for "an experience", then this is the wrong place to go. she made me wait 5 minutes so she could finish blow drying her hair. then, she took a dump, did NOT wash her hands, and THEN started cutting my hair. the haircut itself was alright, though she cut it a bit short. she had a really bad attitude though, and clearly didn't value my business. she got my shirt soaking wet while washing my hair and then just laughed at me. read more

Can't beat a $5 haircut (dont' forget to add the tip). My haircut is pretty straightforward and they definitely dont' speak English. Went in and out in 10 mins (they weren't busy). Also, it seems to be renamed Ming's. read more

Elaine's Beauty is a wonderful addition. Elaine and May the partners/owners do a wonderful job and they keep their prices down. Even in this market they are doing well! Both speak limited English, but that is okay because they are professional and know how to cut and style hair and still keep the costs down. I recommend both Elaine and May since they are both great! read more