I'm Japanese with (mildly) unruly hair, and have been on a quest for a really good hairdresser since I moved to Portland two years ago. My long journey finally came to an end when I met Suzanne at Pulse Salon. Anyone who searches for "Japanese Hairdresser": Suzanne is not Japanese but she sure does know how to cut Japanese hair, and I guarantee you won't be disappointed! read more

Overall this was a very pleasant experience. I was way overdue for a hair cut and color. I chose this salon based purely on yelp reviews and I have to say that the reviews are spot on. My stylist was Kirsten and I thought she was great. She listened and made appropriate suggestions and didn't try to sell me on products. I'm sure they're supposed to, but the good stylists know better. If you REALLY like a product, you'll ask. The pricing is reasonable, she saw me on time and my hair feels great. Call Kirsten today! You'll leave with happy hair. read more

I'm very possessive over my blonde so when my friend who has been doing my hair for years moved to another state it sent me in to a panic. I've tried a couple places and got so so results in highlights and a boring cut to boot even after showing pictures. BTW it's so important to be realistic with your expectations. If your hairdresser says this will ruin your hair, believe her! But I digress, I saw this salon advertised on my Facebook page and was so impressed by the pictures of the blondes! So natural looking, blended perfectly and really cute fun modern cuts! Still not all hairdressers are expert in blonde. It's important to ask for the person who is the expert at what you want beforehand, otherwise you get who's available. Well I was not disappointed! Susan is the resident expert and don't let her dark hair fool you! Lol! This woman knows blonde and I could not have been more happy with the results! Even my husband was impressed and for a guy to notice how well a partial light blonde foil weave is done, that's saying a lot! Oh and the cut is wonderful, lots of movement, playful and fun, not soccer mom looking at all. At 42 this is important to me So in review for those who may have had a bad experience, be realistic in your expectations and ask for the expert at the salon for what you want ahead of time and be patient, wait until they are available. Like all people we have different strengths and weaknesses and the same goes for hair artists everywhere. Susan is the gold plus standard with blonde and a lovely human being as well. Could not have had a better experience and will for sure be coming back. She's worth the price! read more

And I have been back.....I recently went to San Francisco for business and had several random people come up to me asking about my hair. Suzanne lightened it a tad bit this time around for summer and it looks perfectly sun kissed. Major kudos! read more

Megan Grant is a woman you can trust with your hair! I went in to the salon on Friday with long post wedding hair, explained to Megan what kind of transformation I was looking for and left with a beautifully cut and styled chin length a line bob and a HUGE smile on my face. Megan is a great listener- my hair turned out EXACTLY as I'd imagined. I couldn't be happier. Oh, and I can't forget to mention Megan's AMAZING shampoo/head massage! I've never had this kind of treatment at a salon before. All around FANTASTIC experience. Go see Megan and get the transformation you've been looking for! read more

Kristen Bretz is the BEST stylist in the world. I have tried many stylist trying to find the one that I would fall in love with and I have found her, Kristen Bretz from Pulse Salon. Kristen has given me super hot color and cut every time. She has been able to cut my hair so that it super easy and I am able to feel confident about styling it the next day. The thing that I love best about her, is that she has taught me and coached me on the simplest things, like how to professionally blow-dry your hair, use bobby pins, how to use a round brush, which products to use. She is great. I would highly recommend her to anyone!! So if you are looking for the best cut and color see Kristen Bretz at Pulse Salon!! Also note that she does such an excellent job on my hair that I can hardly wait to go to work and show it off and get even more compliments :) read more

I've only come here for a brow wax, but Suzanne was very helpful and chatted with me all through the wax. It's a wax, so it's not 100% fun, but I was relaxed and comfortable. Also, she did a fantastic job and even talked through her technique. I'd definitely come back. read more

Best haircut and color I have had in years! Rebecca is great, very friendly and when I told her what I wanted, she absolutely nailed it. I have had so many complements and I love my hair. Cute salon, never have had to wait long and great work. Only negative is no parking, but its so worth overlooking that. Thanks Rebecca! read more

I am in love with this salon! I have been hair stylist jumping for years looking for someone that was trendy, reasonably priced, and flexible with their hours. I quickly got an appointment at Pulse. Their salon made me feel like I was at home. It was so relaxing and inviting. Courtney did an amazing job. I gave her a little direction and she ran with it. She knew how to shape my hair to fit my face structure. While I was a little hesitant to cut my hair really short, I am so glad that she did! I have been getting compliments on my hair all the time! I will definitely be returning! read more

I went in this morning after a really bad haircut hoping to get it fixed. It was my first time and I decided to make an appointment with Rebecca. The webpage noted she has been doing hair for 10 yrs, so I figured I could trust her. She ended up doing a fantastic job! She has amazing attention for detail and makes you feel so at ease. Definitely found my new stylist in Portland! read more

I recently had a haircut with Courtney and I love it! I have curly, fine hair and it's hard to find someone that knows how to cut curly hair well. She really listened to what I wanted and executed it perfectly. And she's super friendly and sweet. Great experience! read more

It took me 6 weeks after moving to Portland to finally get gutsy enough to decide on my "hair' person and dash in for my hair makeover. It's a weary task looking for your "crew" that become part of your life when you move to a different city...when I say your "crew", I mean your hair person, your doctor, car person, nail person, etc. I wanted to research thoroughly before walking into a salon since my hair is very very difficult to deal with and every time I find myself in a salon, I already feel apologetic for walking in with all that hair on my head. I have read many reviews on Yelp but this was the only salon that made me want to write a review myself. Well, I called on Thurs afternoon around 2pm to get an appointment and I was able to come in within minutes. My hair needed a radical change after what it had been through in the last 6 months and I needed help desperately. The receptionist was sensible enough to hear my desperate outcry over the phone and knowing I had no idea what I wanted, she handed the phone over to my soon-to-be stylist, Haley so that we could pre-discuss what i had in mind. And fortunately she had a little break between her clients to fit me in. I found myself walking into the salon at 3:15pm and the salon was welcoming, not crowded, I didn't feel rushed and I was immediately offered something to drink. I have the thickest asian mane imaginable on top of which are naturally wavy/curly at the roots. I have oily scalp but very dry ends that make styling difficult because the top of my hair at the roots sag due to the oiliness but the ends puff out like a mini afro due to the thickness of my hair. It's a pain trying to manage my hair and I have spent $$$$$$ on getting them straightened (Japanese straightening or thermal reconditioning) but most recently got a perm about 6 months ago that was done incorrectly, with overestimated time and chemical and left my hair in ruins (this was at a salon back home in DC) Since I wanted to get all of the damaged hair chopped off, I knew I needed a radical cut & style to grow out my hair again. My hair was about 3-4 inches over my shoulder before seeing Haley, now, I have just below my chin bob that I love. Haley listened, investigated and suggested ideas before ever picking up her scissors and she knew exactly what to do with my difficult to manage hair. I asked her to cut off wherever the hair damage started but keep it just long enough so that i can pull it back into a ponytail when it gets hot. She did just so, and when she realized the length may have to be further shortened, she let me know and asked before proceeding. Unlike my previous experiences with other stylists who only tried to thin out my hair by giving me exaggerated layers using thinning razors, Haley used only her scissors to give me a clean, sleek bob with enough soft layers at the bottom to calm my hair down. She mentioned that she took classes at Vidal Sassoon in LA so that goes to show you how much she has invested her time and efforts into improving her skills to keep up with the trends and to deal with all types of hair. No pushy sales of products, she even gave me tips on how to blow-dry and what to use in my daily morning routine, knowing that I wasn't comfortable styling my hair well. Overall, I am relieved to have found my hair person and I know that she will always take excellent care of my hair in the future. She is super-friendly and will not pitch styles that she is uncomfortable performing. I recommend Haley as well as Crystal and all the nice ladies at Pulse. I love my new bob! read more

I worked at a salon for 10 years so I know a good thing when I find one. I stopped in on a whim after work for a brow wax. The owner, Suzanne, took care of me and did a fantastic job. After a few repeat waxes, I decided to have my hair done there as well. Being a platinum blonde takes a lot of upkeep and leaves the hair fragile but due to Suzanne's knowledge and talent, I can honestly say my hair has not been this fabulous AND healthy in over a decade! Pulse Salon is completely dedicated to customer service providing a fun yet soothing atmosphere and a skilled and attentive staff. I recommend them to the highest degree! read more

Pulse is a fabulous boutique hair salon, with great customer service & friendly staff! I can only speak to the hair services as my stylist Rebecca is quite a magician! Whether it's a simple cut , color/highlights or a request for some completely edgy and new she NEVER fails! I'm always wow'd and leave feeling beautiful. But honestly, it's her incredible scalp massages, awesome personality, Seriously the way she lends her ear listening and getting to know you while doing your hair so quickly and flawlessly that amazes me most! a true multi tasker! read more

Stopped by here a few months ago while on vacation, got an awesome haircut. The service and atmosphere was professional, friendly and fast. Also got some great tips on local bars and restaurants in the area. read more

Just moved from the East Coast. When you move, you need to go thru the process of finding all new hair-nail-vet-drs etc. I researched online, usually you win some and you lose some but, with Pulse..... you win! Walking in the door you feel special. Suzanne, the owner has a wonderful salon and I will be coming back! read more

Sometimes I can be particular about the haircut that I am looking for but Courtney always listens well and does an amazing job! She is excellent at what she does and is always friendly, professional and really enjoyable to talk to. I highly recommend her! read more

Such a cute place, in a pretty easy place to find in downtown Portland. I was traveling from out of town and desperately needed to get a cut. I read some reviews on Yelp and decided to try out this place. I called on a Monday, and they were able to Book me an appointment by Tuesday with Monica. I give this place 4 stars because I got exactly what I wanted and asked for. Monica took her time to assess my hair and made several suggestions on what I should do to increase movement and the way it lays. She was very nice and easy to talk too. I felt very comfortable with trusting her with my long hair. I really enjoyed the conversation, and the fact that I got what I wanted. It's a great feeling when you can leave the Salon feeling better about yourself and about your hair. I purchased travel size Moraccan Oil and some Unite Spray. I would recommend this place if need a good hair cut. read more

I can't believe it took me so long to leave this review. I walked into this salon one day with absolutely no inspiration. The wonderful ladies here sat me down with a glass of wine and a pile of hair magazines, gave me plenty of time to think about what I wanted and Christen talked to me about various options until we came up with something good. And when it came time to actually start cutting, she did a truly awesome job. I would highly recommend Pulse Salon. read more

Service here is always top notch. The front desk and stylists are always so approachable and friendly (they also offer free wine!). I've been getting my haircut here for the past two years and I'm always happy with the results. read more

Horrible Business practices have been going here for a long time but when my stylist found out I was Republican She deleted me on Facebook and cancelled my Appt. Real Mature. I don't want to go to a Salon that is racist anyways! and your overpriced anyway! read more

I am new the area and was searching for a nice but reasonably priced place to get my hair cut (long overdue). After a search on yelp, I made an appointment at Pulse. Christen was my stylist and she was awesome. She listened to what I wanted to do and took her time with me. She didn't push any products on me or didn't pressure me to make another appointment right away. My hair is healthy and I'm definitely making another appointment with Christen. read more

If you want the best hair color & cut don't pass by Sharaya at Puls Salon. After losing my stylist to a move, it took me a long time to find this fantastic lady. I almot don't want to brag what a gorgeous job she does because I don't want her to get to busy for me. Sharaya you always do a superb job. Thank you! read more

Adrianna at Pulse Salon was wonderful. She did a great job on my hair cut and gave me exactly what I wanted. The location is easy to find and right off the Max line in Portland. The building is a charming old house but in great shape and inviting. Everyone I encountered here was professional and friendly. I already have my next appointment booked. read more

I got the best haircut I've ever gotten in my whole life at this salon! when i asked for a trim, they gave me a trim instead of cutting off way more than i wanted. My hair stylist saw my vision and added her own professional touch and i love it. My hair cut looks super subtle! It doesn't look like i lost any length at all!! It feels and looks so much softer and bouncier! Not to mention the price wasn't bad at all. I'm coming back for a keratin treatment asap. read more

BEST HAIRDRESSER - REBECCA MIRANDA AT PULSE SALON. Two months ago I asked a woman working in a boutique who cuts her hair and she referred me to Rebecca Miranda at Pulse Salon. I made an appointment for a consultation, but felt so comfortable with Rebecca and her ability to give me a good haircut that I let her cut my hair. I received daily compliments on my haircut and it grew out perfectly. I made another appointment with Rebecca last week and again she did an amazing job. Constantly people approach me asking me who cuts my hair and I keep handing out her business cards. Be first to comment this article Comments on Best Hairdresser - Rebecca at Pulse Salon in Portland, OR Consumer Forum is another great place to discuss consumer concerns NOT RELATED to this article. Name: Maven T Comment: Code:* I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments read more

Jikaiah Stevens at Pulse is amazing! She did a complete color correction on me (very dark redish brown to my natural dark blonde with hightlights) without damaging my hair and without that typical orange tint that normally goes with this type of color correction. Jikaiah also is the only stylist I have found that cut my baby fine, super strait hair into a full bodied style that is easy to replicate. Pulse has really responsible prices for such high quality stylist in a trendy salon. All of their rewards are well deserved. read more

Great atmosphere. Nice staff. Overall good experience. I came in for some subtle highlights and they did a great job. It was well blended and very natural looking. As soon as I walked in was offered a glass of wine and it was a very nice touch. About a week later I also received a coupon in the mail for a massage. I appreciated the personal touch. I'll definitely be back. read more

Suzanne and her stylists are great! After my previous stylist bailed on me for my wedding (after she did my hair/makeup trial!), I looked on Yelp and found Pulse Salon. I'm so glad I did! Suzanne totally listened to me, was able to work with my super-short hair to give me an amazing updo! Plus, her salon is super cute and was a fabulous place to start off my wedding day. She was able to accommodate my 4 bridesmaids, my mother, and my mother-in-law for hair and makeup. Suzanne has a free breakfast for bridal parties, but we upgraded and she made us an amazing frittata too! read more

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Just went here for the first time a few weeks ago, and I was happy with the results. I usually just keep my hair pretty plain and long, and don't think about it tons. But I found a picture I liked and took that in. Seemed to help, and I'm pretty happy with having layers and side swept bangs and all that fun stuff. I will have to plan on going back again in a few months! read more

Courtney Parque is awesome and I miss having her as my hairstylist. She used to do my hair when she was based in San Francisco....much to my dismay she decided to move up to Portland and is now at Pulse (very cute salon in the Pearl district.) While on a recent trip up to Portland I absolutely had to make sure that I got my hair done by her. She's a great colorist and can do a very edgy technical cut. Her cuts seem to grow out well too. I wish I could afford to fly up to Portland every six weeks to get my hair done by her!! read more

Natasha at Pulse gave me the *best* deep tissue massage I've ever had. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her and Pulse Salon for massage. The whole staff is extremely friendly, welcoming and professional. Thanks Natasha and thanks Pulse. read more

I just moved to Portland from another part of Oregon, and I've been putting off finding a place to get my hair cut. I came across the reviews of Pulse on this page, so I decided to give it a try. I couldn't be more happy that I did. Pulse is a nice, upstart salon owned by one of the hairdressers. I called around 11 and was able to get an appointment for later that day. The receptionist was friendly and helpful. When I got there for my appointment, I explained to Suzanne what I wanted, and she seemed to get it right away (something that seems rare). Suzanne was talkative and friendly throughout the appointment, and explained what she was doing as she went. I'm a younger guy with straight, fine hair. For some reason, that leads a lot of hair dressers to give me a bowl cut. I don't know why. But Suzanne gave me a great cut that worked well with my hair type. She even gave me some good suggestions on what to do with it on my own. The price is about average; not too expensive but not dirt-cheap either. I was told $35 for a shampoo and haircut for men. I only ended up paying about $30 (before tip) because Suzanne gives a 10% discount to students, which is AWESOME. Overall, I'd highly recommend Pulse and Suzanne to anyone looking for a salon. You'll get a great haircut for a good price, and be supporting a local upstart in the process. read more

It has been a few months now since I got my hair cut at Pulse, but they were so great, I felt like I could not just forget to put a review up. I have lived in Portland for just over a year and had gone to two other salons before finding Pulse, both of which I was not happy with. Having come from a 4 year stylist relationship where I previously lived, I am always nervous trying new places. I decided to try out Pulse after reading the great reviews on Yelp and I must say that it really did live up to the name. Suzanne, the salon owner, was great to work with. She understood my nervousness and was appropriately reassuring, yet confident that she could meet my needs. I have really thick hair that is hard to work with (hence my nervousness in trying new places), but she wasn't even phased. I gave her a basic idea of what I wanted and let her do as she wished. All of my friends were super impressed by the style she chose. She was also able to match the color of my hair perfectly with my previous color. I will definitely return to Suzanne and to Pulse. I recommend it to anyone. read more

Suzanne REALLY knows her stuff. She's a talented colorist and stylist, and has carefully curated the products she uses in her salon. I came in loving Unite and Olaplex, and have become a fan of the Schwartzkopf color. I'm very particular with my fine, brittle hair and she knew exactly what to do with color and cut and exactly which products would be best for it. The space itself is beautiful and convenient to my work, and you can tell that she's a skilled leader. Most of her stylists have been with her from the beginning - almost a decade. I like that it's not a catty environment - everyone there is a professional and an artist. I felt that the price point was right on par for the quality, products, and location. read more

I was a loyal customer at Pulse Salon for six years, but after a recent poor experience I won't be going back. I used to see Randi for my hair, then Courtney after she left, and most recently Nikki. The stylists have always been professional, fun to talk to, and done a wonderful job on my hair. The last time I went in, as I was checking out the owner informed me that Courtney had not been charging me enough at $180 and that my new price was $215. I had zero warning that this was coming. (Plus, it was right after I decided to not get foils for once...how you charge 25% more for using less product and less time is something I don't understand but this is beside the point.) It's reasonable for prices to go up from time to time, but the manner and timing in which this was communicated to me were very poor customer service in my opinion. I felt in that moment like my loyalty was not at all appreciated. So, I'll be taking it elsewhere from now on. read more

This review is long overdue.... I had by far the worst expeience you can have at a salon my hair fell out! Very unprofessional and aweful experience I hope no one ever experiences what I had to go through with my hair and they had the nerve to charge me. read more

Me and my Boyfriend had purchased my sister a early Christmas gift to get her hair done at Pulse Salon in Portland OR. She went in to get it done and showed her hair stylist exactly what she wanted, then her hair stylist gave her recommendation on a new hair coloring called a biolage hair coloring. My sister had told them she wanted her roots to be more blond so the lady goes okay with a biolage the color will go up to your roots. Once it was done it looked more like a ombree hair color as we even have pictures. She wasn't happy because the hair stylist told her she would make the top of her hair more blond when she came home the only new blond was at the ends no were else spending over $200 dollars we called and asked them to kindly fix it the people at the salon said that they need to speak to the manager after not returning our call back for a while they finally did saying that she can come back in but would have to pay again for new coloring which was pretty much the same price we already paid another $200 plus. Later I called back asking to speak to the owner they said they would contact the owner and return my call after waiting over a week for the call I called my self to see what the hold up was the reception told me her manager/owner was sick and would call me back again waiting and not hearing anything I called once again and the reception rudely said the owner doesn't care about out problem and doesn't want to talk to us because she doesn't care. First of all can some one please say UNPROFESSIONAL??? Are you joking me you take our $200 plus and do what you want and that's it? Never have I heard of such FRAUD. The least this company could do is fix her hair for free and if not give us our money back and we will go get it done elsewhere. The reason I share this is so that you can be cautious about coming here. I also hope no one else gets treated this way. I also contacted the Better Business Bureau regards this situation. read more

I really enjoy this place! I'm new to the area and finding a new hair place is always scary. I walked in and was immediately greeted and taken back( I was also right now time usually I'm a few min early and don't mind waiting). In all honesty I was worried about the prices once I sat down after walking through the area and see how nice it was and more higher end then i am used to ( I forgot to ask for a quote As I was to excited to get my hair done for the first time in over a year haha). At the end I was very happy with the price (the same price I would pay at super cuts) and it was a fun and relaxing experience. I unfortunately forgot my stylists name but she was WONDERFUL! My hair is tricky and I got exactly what i wanted and was very happy. I really feel I got what I paid for and more :) read more

I have never in my 39 years of having my haircut been so compelled to write a review..in fact I have never written a review for anything before but after getting a cut and color from Courtney Parque I felt I needed to let others know about my experience. The color is the best color I have ever had and within 2 hours of getting my haircut I had 3 people comment on how fab it looked! It is so nice to have someone listen to what you want so you end up with a great haircut and a brilliant color. I couldn't recommend Courtney and the salon highly enough..Carol read more