Sophia is magic with her styling and vision. I used to have to drive my Mom 10 miles to get her hair done but after the compliments I've seen my Mom get and the self confidence and joy I see my Mom get, I actually like taking my Mom there cause it's worth the time to make my Mom feel good. Happy Mothers to all you Mothers!!! read more

I love coming here to get my hair dyed and permed. I can do it on my own but Sophia does it better! She has a great sense of color and although I normally dye my hair black, she recentlyencouraged me to color my hair black with an undertone tint of purple and I love it! Everyone gives me wonderful comments about the change and I'm looking forward to what new suggestions Sophia has in store for me next! read more

I take my mom here to get her coloring and perm. Sophia is very friendly and knowledgeable and has great style! Highly recommend.

My son loved this cheerful Korean lady that cuts his hair. He tried going to other salon(because either the salon was close or my son was with his dad) and barber shops but he keeps coming to this salon. It is a Cheerful atmosphere coming from a cheerful lady. It is nestled between a Korean restaurant and a fast food Hispanic resto. It is by Sepulveda and I am not sure of the other cross street(Arlington?). It is in a compound with Rite Aid. Just hate the traffic that goes with it esp with the peak hours since there are two schools that are nearby, too. And it is better to schedule an appointment too. read more

Just got a haircut, comb over fade style from Sophie. It turned out really nice clean cut.

just now NEW Not good. Got a layered haircut it's uneven and looks choppy. 45 bucks she charged me. She also dropped the brush on the floor and continued to use it on my hair. Won't be back. Do not recommend. Also the gown she put over me got little black hairs all over my shirt and I have long blondn hair. Not clean. Her equipment was falling apart also. read more

I can come here just for the They are soooo cute and friendly Amazing haircut with reasonable pricing too! The owner is very nice and friendly also read more

Santemo Hair Studio - Owner of the hair salon - Hair Salons Near Me - Torrance, California

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I've been going to Santemo Hair Studio for more than 5 years. She is amazing at her job and would definitely be recommended by me to my family and friends. read more

How can I not love Sophia!? I felt like getting my hair in order for once. Cut it shorter than normal, and straighten it out, to get what Koreans call "volume magic," straightening the hair out while retaining the volume.. I have had my shares of straight perms and by far, I have to say, I have never had anyone do a better job than Sophia. And believe me. I come from Seoul, filled with expensive hair salons in places like Apgujung.. I have gone to salons that do celebrity hair and stuff. I know what a good work done is when I see and feel it. So I am not going anywhere else for my hair ever again because Sophia does an amazing job. I heard of horror stories of my old Korean friends doing straight perm here in one of the Korean salons in LA, so if that is what you are thinking, do not hesitate and just come to Sophia because she will knock everyone else out. (I've done my hair in K-town before and had a horrible experience.. thats why I never worked on my hair in the US ever again until I met Sophia!) My hair right now is really soft and nicely straightened out. And my natural hair, really, is like industrial strength metal coil. So that transformation from the frizzy curly crazy thick hair to this soft hair is just amazing. I recommend that you call ahead and make reservations. read more

I seriously wonder if I was at the same place as all the other reviewers. I found this place through yelp when I was looking for a hair salon close by my work. I wanted to get a magic perm, which I had gotten many times over the last 10 years or so, from Koreatown to Garden Grove to even a place in Korea (yes, in Gangnam, as in Gangnam Style, ha). I knew what to expect, and I thought it would be safe to try this place from all the reviews I read on Yelp. Well, I was SO wrong. I went in, and I met Sophia, who was very nice. She told me there is a regular magic perm and an upgraded magic perm that gaurantees shinier, healthier hair for 50 bucks more. I declined, since I didn't want to be upsold, but then she told me she would throw it in for me at no add'l charge. So far so good.... Well, after 3 hours, and this special magic perm later, my hair came out totally fried. I really wish I could talk to other reviewers since I'm curious if it was just me. Was Sophia having a bad day? Did she use a wrong chemical by accident? Was it mixed wrong? Seriously... Granted my hair was pretty damaged already and she told me so, but the treatment was supposed to make it better, not worse! On top of it all, it isn't even really straight since there are little kinks near the roots of my hair. I was super upset, but since Sophia was so nice and it was draining to be at the hair salon for so long, I just paid her and left, hoping it didn't look as bad as I thought it did. When I got home, my hubby that never notices anything, was like "what happened to your hair?" He thought I should go back to Sophia and have her "fix" it, but at this point, I'd rather go to someone else and pay to have it fixed. I just don't even want to go back there. Maybe she is great with haircuts, but she really messed up on my magic perm... I actually liked her as a person, but as a hairstylist... I've had way better. PS The BEST magic perm I've ever had was the one in Gangnam. They really know how to do hair in Seoul... explains the perfect hair on korean actresses in K dramas even when they're dying tragically. read more

Sophia is a sweetheart! She knows exactly how I want my hair, and styles it perfectly for me. She also sells salon quality hair straighteners - granted, they are more expensive than Revlon straighteners you can buy from Target, but I recently bought one from Sophia and it works amazingly! Definitely come in and see what Sophia can do for you :) I won't be going anywhere else for a while! read more

I love this place and have been coming here regularly since I discovered it a few years ago. I used to have very short hair like a lot of asian guys. The stylists mostly used clippers on the sides which made it grow out unevenly. I used to have to go back every two weeks or so because my haircut only looked good for about a week and a half after I got it. Sophia, the owner, always cuts my hair and it is always consistently good. She cuts it so well that the haircut even looks good a month after the cut. I've discovered how much I like having longer hair and I have much more options in styling with longer hair. She even introduced me to this hair tonic, Legitime, that is awesome. It's Korean so I don't know if it's widely available but it make my hair feel healthier and less dry. read more

You know it's a bad day when someone looks at your hair and the only they can say is "ughhhhh". And then they clap their hand over their mouth because they didn't mean to express that much disgust aloud. I wasn't offended. I thought her reaction was quite reserved considering my hair was a shaggy, sloppy disaster after 6 months of growing it out haphazardly, but somehow this lady fixed it. Clearly Asians are pretty resilient and can deal with disaster...even when that disaster is someone's unkempt head. It was really hard to get the right haircut by pantomiming. I frantically gestured, she listened politely. Then she did whatever she knew was best for me. And now my hair is fabulous. And that's the story every time I go to an Asian hair salon, and I haven't seen an English-speaking stylist in years...make that decades. If they speak fluent English, I just walk away. read more

This is an update for receiving Santemo's Silk Magic Straight Perm. I have gotten a straight perm at 4 different places before, including one of the best hair studios in Korea. At the end, I am the most satisfied with Sophia's work. Usually when I wake up the day after I get the perm, I end up with bed hair restoring the waviness back into my hair. However, I was very surprised to see that the back of my hair remained straight even after sleeping on my pillow for ten hours! Sophia must use really nice chemicals and she puts so much care into my hair. I had very damaged hair from bleaching and dying multiple times within a year. Sophia added lots of nutrients back into my hair and used three different straightening irons of various temperatures for different parts of my hair. That way, my hair won't get more damaged and break. I appreciate her work so much! The best part is, the price you pay is worth the service you receive! read more

Santemo Hair Studio - My sister and I got our silk magic straight perm. We are very very happy - Hair Salons Near Me - Torrance, California

I've just moved from NYC and use my reliable resource YELP to find a salon I can call my own. And yes.. I have found my home salon. Family owned. Reliable. Professional. Sophia and her hairdressers were awesome! I set an appointment with her at 6pm but she heard it as 9AM. Apparently she started early so she can get my hair done on time, but of course I didn't come till 6pm! I felt terrible but so touched she didn't complain or bark at me. She even fed me and stayed late in order to make sure I was pleased with her service. I was definitely please. I'll be going back to get my hair colored. Looking forward to see everyone again. :) read more

I went here a few months ago for a haircut. When I decide I want a haircut, it becomes a frantic "must get haircut in the next 48 hrs or I will die" sort of mentality. Whereas most people are very reluctant to let strangers or impulsiveness dictate their hair routine, I don't. So i spent my lunch break perusing Yelp for a hair salon that was on the cheaper end that I could run to afterwork. Enter Santemo. Lady (owner?) was very accommodating since I made my appointment just a couple hours prior and was late on top of it. Came in, put my purse in the cubby, put a robe on (?) and sat down. I'm not Korean, nor do I speak Korean and my hairdresser spoke very limited English. But despite all that, the combo of hand gestures and picture pointing worked well and she gave me a good cut - shorter layers on top to help my limp hair have volume. She also kept the length just as I had gestured :) Only thing is she stylized it to play up the new layers and I looked a bit like Elvira but it calmed down later. Total cost $40 - not bad. Also, she had a friend's child ask me how I found the place and I told her Yelp. She seemed surprised that people were finding her on the web :) Would I come back? Yes, but I will be more prepared and come with more examples to help bridge the language barrier. read more

Came here because of all the good reviews. Agreed to the eyelash perm for first timers--don't do it if you have short eyelashes. Like the previous review had noted, I sat with my eye close for 45 minutes, my eyes stung from the solution at times, with no obvious end result. I didn't have the great experience that everyone else did. first I didn't like having 3-4 korean women hoovering over and around me, speaking about who knows what (I don't speak Korean but good tell from all the giggling that it wasn't about cutting hair)-- just thought that this was very unprofessional). Sophia didn't start to cut my hair, the person who washed my hair did, and I'm not even sure if she's really a stylist or in training. Sophia finished up with my layering. No blow dry or styling in the end, just wash and cut. My final hair style looked nothing like the picture I had shown them. I figured most hair cuts look better after a few weeks, but not this one....After a few weeks, I started to notice how uneven my cut was! My right bangs were shorter and much fuller than the left--it looked soooo awkward in pictures (my head was flatter on one side). And the lower strands were cut too short and thin....Never again for me. There was no tea or cookies offered. Heck, no one really talked to me period except when they asked for a photo of the hair style I wanted. It wasn't even busy when I came in! There was one lady finishing up and then I was in the shop all by my lonesome...so there really wasn't any excuse for the lack of customer service. read more

I came in a few weeks ago because my mom gave me a gift certificate to this place (she doesn't like me cutting my own hair). So I told the nice lady I wanted to get crazy red highlights (my hair looks fine, dammit) :D I made an appointment with Sophia and came back a few days later; I was a little skeptical when she brought out that big book of hair color samples that almost every salon has...I tried to explain that I wanted bright red, not natural red highlights. Something the big book didn't have. Like red-red. There was a bit of a language barrier, but she seemed to understand my weird request and went to the back to mix up some dye. Her assistant (?)/friend explained to me that Sophia had to mix a lot of different dyes in order to get the color that I requested, and that she was going to take good care of me. She made sure to stress also that she wouldn't be using any bleach, in order to avoid damaging my hair. At this point I was getting a little worried, but I let the lady do her thing. I did notice, at least, that she was very careful about separating my hair when she was getting ready to apply the color paste (sorry, I don't ever go to salons so I don't know the real terms for these things). She didn't just do a quick and sloppy job of it, she was really focused on making sure the hair chunks ended up evenly spaced and whatnot. I also noticed that the color had to sit in for a very, very long time. Much longer than the hair-color-in-a-box kits that I usually use. I hoped this meant I could expect some killer results. At this point, my mom dropped by and asked Sophia to give me some makeup tips. Thanks, Mom -__- Sophia was very honest and told me that I was drawing in my eyebrows a little too dark and too arched--kind of explains why people think I'm always mad, I guess--and she re-drew them for me. She also gave me a free eyelash perm (?!?) When it was time to wash my hair, I still had the damn eyelash perm things on, so she had to take my hand and walk me over to the sink, then back to my chair...haha. And it was killing me that I couldn't see my hair yet...I was dying to check out the results!! She trimmed my hair a little to get rid of split ends and kind of even out the hack job I inflicted on myself, then FINALLY started to take the permamabobbers off my eyes. My hair. Looked. AWESOME. For a lady who didn't even have red-red highlights in her supposed repertoire, and for a job that didn't use any bleach, that sh!t was RED. And gorgeous. I'm not a vain person, but I couldn't stop admiring my hair in the mirror. And three weeks later, I'm still getting compliments. Sophia obviously takes great care in her work, and it really shows. I'm cheap, so I'll probably stick to cutting my own hair...but when I'm ready to splurge on a salon visit, there's no question where I'll be going. Thank you Sophia!! read more

So after putting off on a haircut for ages, I decided to look up a hair salon on yelp. Since this was close, I decided to give it a try. The hair designer was very polite, had a good sense of humor, and very professional. Her English is not the best, but she speaks enough to get the job done. If anything, her friends/coworkers are there as well if translation is needed. After she gave me the cut, one word came to my mind. WOW. She did an extremely good job very quickly. I was definitely impressed. Both the cut and wash were very comfortable and enjoyable. I definitely won't be going anywhere else for a haircut. A+. read more

I wanted to get my hair straight permed again but I didn't want to pay an exorbitant amount in a new place where good service wasn't guaranteed. I've encountered many bad hair jobs in the past so I did my Yelp research on hair salons. I called in a day before to ask about pricing and I was blown away by the low price I was told. I decided to be adventurous and try it out the next day with no appointment. I walked in on a midweek afternoon, not really knowing what to expect I saw three Korean ladies sitting there and after telling them what I wanted, they started to get me ready. So there were three ladies, Sophia, Jenny, and another lady whose name I didn't catch. But they were all incredibly sweet and accommodating. The lady that washed my hair, Jenny was very very nice. She was very mom-like, getting me tea and massaging my shoulders. As they were doing the second part of straightening, Sophia put a pillow on my lap so I could read the magazine on an elevated surface without my head drooping. That was very thoughtful of her! Sophia trimmed my hair a bit after all the straightening was done and I have to say, she does a fantastic job! They decided to give me a complimentary eyelash perm. Totally random, but I went with it. Since I have extremely short eyelashes, I wasn't expecting much, but it was nice on their part to do something extra. My eyelashes are kinda cool looking, a little bit more curly. Overall, wonderful service and great people! I'm definitely coming back next time. 5 stars! read more

I came here on Saturday afternoon after a long day out and was hoping to find a place that allows walk ins. I was curious to see their salon because I always see their hair salon when I go to eat at the Korean BBQ restaurant next door. I came and asked if they accepted walk ins and they were pretty prompt despite already having other customers. The cost of the cut was a very very reasonable cost especially how long my hair is ( I have about 20 inches of long hair). I've been to places where I've literally paid double price for half the quality of the haircut. The hairwashing lady was really relaxing with a thorough head massage through the whole thing. I noticed they are avid users of the Moroccan Oil brand products which is a very good quality product for hair. Initially I just told them a straight trim of about 2 inches just because I presumed my previous hair stylist at aveda did that, but later the owner/hair stylist Sophia, upon examining my hair noted I have long layers in my hair so I obliged to her suggestion to do that again to keep the same style. I appreciated her to point that out rather than just do a straight trim. By the end of the session, I really liked the overall hair cut. Also with first time customers they offer free eyelash perming. Now some may feel squeamish about that and I admit I was initially apprehensive as I wear contacts and had eye makeup on. The owner Sophia had all things for me to make it happen. She had contact solution and Shiseido eye makeup remover for me to use. They were well prepared for customers I guess. I put my contacts in styrofoam cups and did the eyelash perm. Remember to keep eyes closed and don't try to peek, as I was tempted to. I really liked the results and would consider doing that again in the future. It beats using an eyelash curler for a couple months. Being not Korean, I felt I was able to communicate well enough to get everything I wanted out of my haircut, so don't be shy, they're all really friendly. The great hair cut and reasonable price will definitely bring me back here again for sure. read more

i love this place. Very humble owner and love coming back. Owner is caring and will mot over charge. read more

Santemo Hair Studio - Engagement photo hair - Hair Salons Near Me - Torrance, California

$25 for eyelash perm, cheapest I've seen so far. There is definitely a language barrier but c'mon do you really have to run your mouth to every hair dresser/nail lady/eyelash permer/etc etc. I personally enjoy not having forced awkward conversations. Lashes are looking great. Simplifiies life a little bit. Only problem is one set of lashes is shorter so I look a little cock eyed. I'm going to try extensions. read more

The best in town!. Please call for appointment if you can. She gets busy..she strives each client to be handled customizable and unique just the way you want it. read more

Sophia worked her magic once again! I completely ruined my own hair by going completely bleach blonde. It was dry and frizzy. I'd been pondering going ombré for a while now, and decided to just go for it this morning. The salon was empty and I was seated right away. I told her I wanted the trendy hair color and I think at first she was hesitant, and then I thought to myself, maybe my hair is just too damaged to attempt anything on. Then she thought about it for a second and went back, grabbed her giant book of color swatches and we picked two colors to blend into and keep the ends blonde. She went to back to mix the colors, came back and went to work. For someone who seemed hesitant at first, Sophia really knew what she was doing while applying the color, blending the colors as she applied it to my hair. I really thought that there would be nothing that could have fixed the mess I made of my hair. My color turned out awesome! She blended the colors perfectly, and they really compliment each other. She gave me a great cut too, it really shows off the ombré perfectly! I am really happy with my hair and will continue to go back. Sophia and her assistant are super friendly and funny. She always seems cheerful and happy, and you can absolutely tell she likes what she does. She even pulled up a chair to put my feet up on while my color processed under the heat dryer. I feel like a whole new person now and my look is up to date and trendy! read more

Sophia is pretty much your korean fairy godmother. Warm, sweet and cozy=) I have the wildest, thickest hair but it didnt faze her like my previous stylists. She thinned it out and restyled it. After my cut, she had two assistants meticulously straighten my hair. Id pay more than 35 dollars for this kind of treatment! Ps. She redid my brows for free. WTF right?? Im certainly coming back, ma'am. read more

I got my hair permed twice from this place. In short, the first time, the perm didn't really come out that strong and just left my hair dry and brittle. Because I always like to give people two shots though, I went back for another perm within a few months. In short, my long hair is now so damaged that I am thinking of getting it cut super short and straightening it back. Even that would have been okay if I got a great hair style out of it, but I really look like someone from the early 90s, and look totally out of fashion. I wish she would have advised against me perming my hair again if she suspected that it was going to kill my hair so much. I asked her if she thinks it'd be okay, and she just checked what style i wanted and said she could do it. So i trusted the hairstylist with my hair, expecting that she would have advised me if I was making a mistake with my hair. boy, was i wrong. I do think she cuts decently well, even though the second time around, she didn't even give me a hair cut after the perm (i have usually found that most korean salons will throw in a free hair cut). I guess it's because my perm was only a little over a hundred dollars? Also, every time i go, they seem to be eating. I like to have my salons smell fresh and professional, and it was odd to see them having lunch while my perm was setting, in plain view. I understand they need to eat lunch and all, but it was odd to get my perm status checked in between bites! They did give me a free special eyelash perm (without asking for my permission, and i didn't like it, but it was still a nice gesture), and also the ladies there are very very nice. Including Sophia and her two assistants. But nice doesn't mean talented, and while I did get a permed hair, my hair is now very damaged, and I look like a mom. So in my opinion, it's a cute place, okay price, with super kind ladies working, but not somewhere you go if you want to look trendy or at least if you want to look like you live in the 21st century. read more

Sophia is such a nice person! I've been getting my hair cut by her for over 5 years now, and she always does an amazing job! Each time I've gotten a haircut, I've always asked for layers and Sophia does a great job every time! I have really thick hair, and she thins out my hair a little bit when I get a layered haircut, which is good for me because my thick hair is a struggle to maintain sometimes. Her service is always quick and Sophia is always super nice! I always leave with a great haircut that makes my hair feel much healthier & softer than it originally was when I come in. She's been my hair stylist since when I wanted to chop my hair super short to even when I just need a trim to my medium/long hair. Would recommend! read more

Excellent Salon, Sophia knows men hair as well and cuts/styles it perfect. I went in on a friends recommendation and luckily she wasn't busy. I wanted something new, but appropriate for work. Most people usually give me a long faux hawk, but she did a really good job. Lot of people already complemented me saying its the best ever. Price is very reasonable, 20 for a cut and the massage they gave at the sink was the bestt! I believe her hours will be closed on Wednesdays. read more

My experience with Sophie Jeon (Owner & Hair Stylist of Santemo) was rather unique. I walked in without an appointment and sat down trying to test her patience and abilities. First questions from her began with "How would you like you hair to be cut?". I replied, "Small!". "Small?" she asked. Yes.. I have a big head, and I asked her to style my hair so my head would look small. She calmly whispered with smile and jokingly said, " I can only do so much..." That was 3 years ago, and since then she's the only person in this entire world who can make my head looks small. She's an experienced professional stylist with touch of humor and kindness who far exceeds my expectation of any hair stylists. Thank you Sophie, for shrinking my head... at least in appearance. You are the best! read more

It's a bit hard to rate this place, here's why: I came here because of the great yelp reviews and because it was close to home and I needed my bangs trimmed. Sophia, the owner, did an awesome job. I came back on another day to get a trim on the rest of my hair. Sophia noted I had a lot of damage and I agreed to let her try to get rid of as much of it as she could. I started seeing her go crazy with the scissors and start using the thinner thing. I sat in the chair in silent horror because my hair is already thin to begin with. When she was done all the damage was gone but I now had strange haircut--It was a shaggy layer look. I couldn't comprehend the logic of the layers. I got what I wanted I suppose but it clearly did not suit me. At work my coworkers said it wasn't THAT bad...so I went to my long time stylist in WeHo and asked her to fix it the following weekend. All she could do was give me a bob...and it was fabulous. So I owe to Sophia for me getting my fab. summer bob. So I am giving it 4 stars (really wish I could do 3.5) because this place is good for bangs--but bring a picture of what you want because their English is limited. Sophia loves thinning out hair so stop her if you don't want that. I will probably not get my regular hair cuts here but will come back for bang trims. read more

I was trying to get a last minute trim for a Christmas party. It's 5pm on a Saturday and I'm not trying to go to Supercuts of Fantastic Sam's. I called a couple of places and they were closed or didn't have anything available tonight, not their fault. Sophia, the owner and hair artist was able to squeeze me in. I waited about 10 minutes. I was just getting a trim and some thinning done. She then washed, blow dried, and styled my hair. The price was great for medium (guy's) hair. I would recommend read more

Based on the reviews I had read on yelp, I was excited to try this place. However, as soon as I stepped in this place I had a bad feeling and unfortunately left very disappointed. I called during a weekday and was able to get an appointment with Sophia on the same day. When I walked in for my appointment, a lady directed me to a chair and had me sit there for 15 minutes without letting me know whether my hair dresser was going to be a few minutes, five minutes, etc. After sitting there with no service or interaction with anyone for 15 minutes, that same lady came back and asked me what i would like to do with my hair. Little did I know this lady was Sophia. I came in with a bunch of pictures explaining to Sophia my concerns and wants for my hair cut. She barely looked at the pictures I brought and immediately suggested to do "this and that" and said it so quickly I had to ask her again what she had just said. Luckily I did, because she was about to just perm my hair without getting a confirmation from me! She was pushy and snarky when I said no thank you to the perm. After that Sophia directed a different lady to wash my hair. What I found really odd was that this lady washed my hair with rubber gloves on. Umm WEIRD. After my hair was washed Sophia started cutting my hair and having a conversation with the lady that washed my hair at the same time. By the time Sophia was finished I felt like she butchered my hair and I thought the cut was HORRIBLE. I was so unhappy with my hair cut I still left a $10 tip because I never leave anything less than that. As soon as I tipped her she was suddenly super friendly to me and then gave me a bunch of her business cards saying "tell all your friends about me". I was polite and just left but was so unhappy with my hair cut. I felt like she stereotyped me as some young girl that she could do a half a** haircut, and only looked at me as a potential customer when I tipped well. Considering my hair cut was only $40 + $10 for tip, it was $20 cheaper than where I normally go. So I guess thats what I get for trying to go someplace cheaper. read more

The owner/hairstylist/haircolor specialist in one... she is just fabulous. Just try it out!

I shouldn't have cheated on my hair stylist. I should have known better than to deviate from what was good and true. For the past year, my mother and sister have come back from Santemo with fairly cute 'dos. In my desperation today, I decided to go to Santemo and try them out. From the previous Yelp reviews, I requested Sophia. The salon is small, but was busy for a Friday afternoon. It was difficult to tell who actually worked there. There's one man who works as the receptionist, another two ladies who were actually cutting hair, and one random lady who just walks around talking to people and eating a hamburger. I wasn't expect a salon to smell like hair chemicals, burgers, cigarettes (someone obviously came in after their "break") and pho (not sure where the pho smell came from). I had to wait 10 minutes after my scheduled appointment before someone started washing my hair. After getting my hair washed, Sophia started cutting away. I requested only half to one inch off the longest layer. That didn't quite happen. Eventually, I came out with hair shorter than I wanted and layers that didn't quite blend well into the rest of my hair. I guess I've been spoiled by my other stylist. The positive sides to this whole experience: -The prices are reasonable -The service is quick (though I'm not sure you always want that in a haircut) -The people are nice -They offer free eyelash perms for new customers (I turned it down - chemicals so close to my eyes freak me out) -It's worth trying out if you don't have somewhere you regularly go The dark side: -I miss the warm towel under my neck when getting shampoo'd -I miss the warm blanket on my legs when I'm getting shampoo'd -I miss having my hair cut when it's dry (have you know, when your hair is cut when wet, it ends up far shorter after it's dry) -I miss the beverage offerings and the head massages Santemo is great if you don't already go to someone and want a nice reasonable haircut. The place is no frills and the prices reflect it. However, my lesson of the day was, "Don't cheat on someone who has been good to you for three years." read more

My sister wanted to try a new hair salon because we didnt like how our hair was cut in the last place we went to before. She does the hair wash and styling for a regular cut. I also like that she uses moroccan oil products in the hair as well. She also offers a free eyelash perm for customers as well! The lady is nice and she jokes around telling me "dont cry, ok?" because I tend to ask her to cut my hair short when I visit her. The owner prefers appointments so call ahead of time. She will take walk ins if she is free though. Overall nice place. read more

Let me just preface by saying I'm not ever impressed by haircuts especially since I have pin straight hair...it's pretty boring so I don't expect much from cuts. Sophia the owner was sweet to let me come in at 6:30 (even though she closes at 7). Yes English is clearly not her first language, but she did an AMAZING job just trimming and tapering my hair. Especially since I didn't know how to explain that I just wanted to keep the as much as my length but lightening the weight. For some reason no other hair stylist has been able to create that bouncy, weightless feeling with my heavy/thick Asian hair...English speaking or not. BONUS: She only used Morrocanoil products and puts you in a silky robe $35 for a wash and trim with light layers Thank you Sophia! read more

Sophia is absolutely the BEST! She knows my hair better than myself, and at one point I started telling her "Just do whatever you think would look good on me" and boom, cute haircut every time! The thing about Sophia's work is that my hair looks better and better as it grows out, as if she had in her mind what it should look like in months. I even got a complementary eyelash perm yesterday and wow, I never knew my eyelashes could defy gravity like this. One of her assistants also gives the best head massage during and after wash. Another plus! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! read more

Update, I did go back to the salon and by the time I finished my service, I realized that apparently Sophia read my earlier review and didn't appreciate it. I didn't feel I was negative, perhaps she misunderstood something?? Anyway, she butchered my hair with a smile on her face, did a crappy job on my color then overcharged me ridiculously. The last thing she said was thanks for online review. I will never return to the shop. read more

After consulting Yelp for local hair salons that do magic straight (hair straightening perm), I came across Santemo Hair Studio. My hair is so thick and wavy (I literally look like a cavewoman with my natural hair!) that I have gotten the process done almost annually for over 10 years in both Korea and Koreatown. I can tell you that my hair has gone through some very, very bad experiences with fried/damaged hair from the magic straight process, so I know what it feels like to be hesitant about getting it done, especially at a new place. While this may not be your frilly Beverly Hills hair salon, it is the BEST place to get magic straight for your hair. I have received nothing but compliments on my hair, and I even recommended it to my coworker who insisted on driving to Torrance from Irvine after seeing my hair. I'm still amazed that they were able to tame my stubborn curly hair so well! The process is faster than most places (if you've gotten magic before, you know that this is a major plus), and you get a lot of individualized attention by Sophia and her staff. My hair came out so silky smooth and straight, it was done way better than any of the "brand name" Korean hair salons I used to go to. Sophia cuts your hair exactly the way you want it, so just tell her what you want--she's very down-to-earth. I'm glad I finally found my local go-to hair salon--highly recommended if you're looking for a new place to try! read more