We had such a wonderful experience with Miss Nuria at Sharky's for Kids in Irvine. My 3 1/2-year-old daughter is autistic, and haircuts have always been a huge struggle for us. Every haircut has involved crying, tantrums, and us having to hold her down, and we've never actually been able to finish a proper haircut. Miss Nuria was so patient and understanding. She noticed my daughter wasn't comfortable sitting in the salon chair, so instead of trying to make her stay there, she let us do the haircut where my daughter felt comfortable--in the waiting area near the front entrance. She never rushed us and worked so calmly with her. For the first time ever, my daughter got through an entire haircut without crying, and we were actually able to finish it. She left with an adorable bob and bangs. That may not sound like a big deal to everyone, but for our family, it was a huge milestone. Thank you, Miss Nuria, for your patience, kindness, and willingness to meet my daughter where she was. It made all the difference, and we're so grateful. We'll definitely be back. read more

My son and I have been coming to this location for years. We have loved it and have always had a great experience, today was a different story. We were scheduled with a stylist named Nuria and all I can say is this woman should not be allowed to cut children's hair. I could tell from the moment we arrived Nuria was not in a good mood, she was extremely unfriendly and spoke to my son in a condescending tone. I was watching from the distance as she reluctantly took my instructions on how I wanted my son's hair to be cut. She began cutting my son's hair but pushing his head around aggressively. I let it go twice before I got up in anger (as any parent would) as she began to push my son's head forward so hard it was touching his chest. I told Nuria to get away from my son and immediately asked for the manger to which there was none onsite. A new stylist took over my son's haircut and I was beyond glad Nuria went to the back as she continued to yell at me when I asked her to stop talking to me. Just as I was calming my nerves and went up to pay for my son's haircut, Nuria came back around to The reception area and continued to make a scene. Nuria in front of other customers and children yelled "if You ever Come back here don't ask For me!" I did not respond to this harassing behavior. I am still shaking from the whole incident and can safely say as long as this lady is still working at this location I will never be returning with my son. Not only did she mistreat a child, in her anger she had accidentally nicked my son's ear. If you ever get booked with this stylist I ask that you reschedule, it is not worth it. read more

Called last minute for a reservation and they were able to get me in. The lady gave my son a great haircut! Very happy. He loves being able choose which toy car he will sit in. Enjoys the cartoons while his hair is being cut and his all time favorite part is after when he gets to pick a balloon and a lollipop!! Highly recommend. They are on the second floor fyi read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

I came here for my first time, we normally go to the Santa Ana location. Nuria helped us out. I should have read the reviews before coming here. She seemed to be in a bad mood when we got there. My son is a little older now than the previous times so he did cry but it was just an overall bad experience. When she was finished he had hair on his face and I asked if they had anything to clean it off and she just handed me a towel to do it on my own. The lady who charged me also said I could get a balloon if I want, like get it myself. Normally when we go to the other location they do all of these things for us. Clean him up and hand him a balloon. They seem to be a lot sweeter and courteous in their Santa Ana location. I don't see us coming back here again. Bad energy. read more

We have loved coming here and they do a good job with haircutting, but customer service and the way they speak to people is extremely rude and unacceptable. Solie did my daughter's haircut and she asked how much I wanted cut off. I said 1-1.5 inches. She sighed and said "yeah okay" in a very rude way and kind of shook her head. After she cut her hair, she asked my daughter if she wanted braids and my daughter couldn't hear her over the blow dryer and the TV on. She turns to me and says "well if she isn't going to talk you decide for her. Braids or not?!" Again, very rude, very condescending. She didn't even finish blowdrying my daughter's hair. She left with it half wet. When polishing her nails, my daughter told her what color she wanted and she proceeded to almost yell at my daughter for speaking too quietly. She said "speak up! I can't hear you! What do you want!" Yikes... I can tell my daughter was getting upset. We won't be returning here after this experience. So rude, and not a good way to model how to talk to other people in front of children. read more

My son loved riding in the car while getting his hair cut! The place had a fun, inviting atmosphere for kids! Experience was awesome! Obviously you get what you pay for, but did the job! read more

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Despite giving clear instructions and stopping her a couple of times, Therese cut our son's hair much shorter than we requested. We clearly explained the length we wanted for our 5-year-old son's haircut. While she was cutting his hair, we noticed she was going overboard and cutting more than we had asked for. My husband stopped her twice, but she still continued cutting. Afterward, we told her that she had cut it too short and hadn't stopped when asked. She replied, "What do you want me to do now?" She also used a trimmer on the side of his forehead despite our clear instructions not to. To make matters worse, she was showing our son's hair to other parents/customers, which made us very uncomfortable. We were extremely disappointed with both the service and her attitude. We also later discovered that she had cut our son's neck with the trimmer. We will never go back to Sharkey's Cuts for Kids again. read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

Got a kids haircut for my daughter here and it was great! Called the day in advance and they had next day appointments. Plenty of parking and located upstairs from DPot in the plaza. They had lots of different cars and things for kids to sit in as their seats, bluey playing on the tv, and the lady cutting my daughter's hair was patient and did a great job (Ortencia). My daughter surprisingly sat still and loved the experience. At the end she did a simple style on her hair and put in a flower hair clip. They have lollipops and balloons for afterwards and it makes the experience fun for kids. We would definitely be back here again! read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

So this location has always been great for our family, my kids have been coming since they were toddlers. Therese was amazing today with my daughter who is now a preteen. She listened to both of us and her turned out adorable! Thank you, Sharkey's! read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Will come see Miss Therese again soon! - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

We love Sharkeys! We have been with Nuria and Lisa since our boys were babies. They are both so kind, gentle and have great expertise with their cuts. My oldest is almost 6 now and each time has been such a joy and a pleasure. My boys look forward to getting their haircut every time! Thank you, Nuria and Lisa. Truly the best of the best! We adore you! read more

Solie did an amazing job with my 3 yr old son! She immediately got his favorite show on and then we got him up in the paw patrol car. This was his first haircut and he did great. It only took about 15 mins and it cost $33. The store is very colorful and interesting. Everything seems clean and organized. I will definitely be going back to Solie. After the hair cut he got a sticker, candy, and balloon read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Solie cutting hair in paw patrol car - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

I brought my almost 4-year old in for a haircut. She is into princesses and wants hair "to her butt" like Rapunzel. I finally convinced her to get it cut to keep it healthy so it grows longer and stronger. I literally showed Therese with my hands how short I wanted my daughter's hair and specified we need to be able to do a ponytail/braid - but Therese cut it about 2 inches shorter than I marked (which is a LOT on a 4 year old). I asked for light layers and angles to give the haircut some bounce and let her waves come out. Therese proceeded to give her basically a choppy mullet. Probably the worst part is she proceeded immediately to put the front of her hair up into french braids without drying it, which concealed the choppy mullet bangs until we got home and took her hair down for bed - in retrospect, that seems purposeful rather than thoughtful. It is a genuinely terrible haircut. My daughter has been crying every morning asking why her hair isn't long (despite us obviously telling her she looks beautiful and it had to be cut to stay healthy). I'm going to get my own hair chopped off in solidarity today. I'm bringing photos of my daughter's mullet to ask if it is possible to fix it. My daughter liked the bows and the nail polish, but none of that comes close to balancing out the traumatizing haircut - which should be the number one focus of a hair salon. Don't go here. read more

Even with my toddler crying and moving head and body, they were able to get the haircut done! Very impressed!

A lot of my reviews are based around my son. He's only four years old and has a lot of fear around getting a hair cut. We have to see if it meets his criteria. This was our 3rd time here. We always request Solita bc she's quick and patience with our son. She's great! We also try to schedule an early appt bc we'll have the whole day for him to self regulate and calm himself down after crying so much. Usually he is calm after getting his after haircut balloon! Hehe read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

Walk in for a cut for both my kids 5 & 6 boy & girls unfortunately they don't take walk in. I wanted to try out this place as they had chair design with car & airplane & video game to entertain the kids to sit still. Although it's a great Idea they didn't have any chair design for girls. They only limit the sessions for 20 min. The younger the child the price increase. I believe it would be 40-45 per child plus tip. Although the vibe of the salon seems fun for kids. The stylists seem a bit agitated with some of the kids and a bit grumpy to the receptionist helping with booking an appointments. I gave them 3 start for not being flexible with appointments & didn't give an option call back on any cancellation during the day. read more

Came home to my nephews haircut and this is ridiculous!! This place shouldn't hire unexperienced people. The owner should make sure their employees are qualified for the job to avoid these comments. read more

We initially heard about Sharkey's Cuts at an event last year. They had a tent and we stopped by. Fast forward and my daughter's hair was sooo long that it really needed a cut. One reason why I chose Sharkey's was for the hair donation. They get everything ready for you and they've done so many that there's no room for mess ups. I called in advance and made our appointment. Specified that this was a hair donation. We arrive at our appointment, and they were running about 20 minutes behind. Not ideal. We waited. Our original hairstylist was still busy. And another lady measured and cut my daughter's hair. She never got the full treatment. They didn't wash her hair. Just tied and cut the hair and fixed it so it was straight. The entire experience for her was rushed. The game console was loading and she didn't get to play her video games. Turns out that the previous patron was also a hair donation and they didn't specify so, which made our stylist run late. What the receptionist should have done was make sure when booking these appointments. This would have prevented the back up and my daughter would have been able to experience the proper service. Overall hair cut was just okay. And price point was okay as well. read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

We really wanted to like this place, but after last two visits, we were disappointed. Both times our 2-year-old got a rushed, uneven haircut that wasn't well finished. For $38+tips, the quality just didn't match the price. Toddler haircuts need patience, and that was missing here. Unfortunately, not worth coming back. read more

On the second story of the complex close to the elevator. Almost directly above the Lost Bean coffee shop. Make an appointment! While they do take walk-ins, it's not recommended. They also have strict instructions to follow if you make a reservation, so don't be late! Fast and friendly service, though. Cut looks great on our toddler! We went for our son's first haircut. You can pay a few extra bucks to get a certificate with pic and a lock of hair. Ended up being just over $40 tip included as of Nov 2024. Not sure if we got a balloon, sticker, and lollipop as part of the extra deal, or if all kids get that, but it was a nice touch. There are fun seats such as paw patrol and Lightning McQueen. Each station has a tv to keep the kids entertained. There's also a row of stations with some video games for older kids. read more

Yesterday, I made an appointment for my daughter to get her first haircut at sharkey's, and I am so glad I found this establishment. My four year old decided to get creative the other day, and she cut her own hair. I was shocked and felt the need to get it fixed as soon as possible. That being said, the receptionist was so kind when I called, and she squeezed us in with a same day appointment with Dena. Dena was absolutely fantastic! She was patient, kind, knowledgeable, and very thorough. She did a stellar job on my daughter's haircut, and my kiddo felt very happy and confident with the end result. Btw, My daughter isn't normally the sort of child who likes to sit still, and it's usually a struggle when it comes to doing her hair. Now, she can't wait to get her hair done again and try out new styles thanks to Dena. The salon is also very kid friendly. There are Cars the kids can sit in with individual TVs available, so they can watch their favourite shows while they're getting their hair cut and styled. She loved the experience from start to finish. Anyhow, I highly recommend this salon for kids, and we will certainly be back in six months for her next haircut! read more

Made an appointment online for next available fairly easily. The lady at the front desk greeted us and was pleasant and we were seen straight away. A lot of perks are included with the haircut which is awesome but the stylist ended up rushing through the haircut and there is no time to make corrections at the end. For my daughter's haircut for $37, the following was included: choosing a nail color and Painting nails, choose a ring to wear, washing hair, choose a tv show, hair cut, blowdry or braids, choose a bow. At the end we also got a balloon, sticker and lollipop. It was all awesome however we had a 30 minute time slot for all of this! Which little girl is going to make choices of rings and bows quickly?! lol The haircut was fine - I wanted it shorter just like the photo I showed in the beginning. However I was told that it's the way she was sitting and that she was running out of time. The stylist Lisa wasn't rude, I do feel it's a lot for them to go through in such a short time. We didn't end up doing the braids as I had no idea what that looked like on short hair and she seemed too stressed to explain it to me. My daughter loved the experience, pampering and all the treats. The room is colorful and she sat on a toy car while watching tv! Score!! read more

I came here because they "specialize" in children, and I would understand if my son wasn't staying still but he stayed still while entertained at game station Never coming back and I do NOT recommend this place. read more

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We chose to go here for my son's first hair cut after hearing good things from friends. Made an appointment online, arrived early since we read about the strict late policy. Our assigned hair dresser Therese arrived 5 minutes after our scheduled time. The whole experience was terrible. The only distraction and trying to keep my baby from screaming was to put on TV. He's too young to watch TV. He cried and screamed the entire time. Therese didn't try to comfort him but joked that he'd get used to hair cuts after a few times. I showed her a picture of the cut I wanted and she did not cut it that way. She shaved the back of his head, which I didn't want. Worst of all, she nicked both ears and scratched his neck. When she brushed his hair she was rough. Because he was terrified she held his head really hard so my husband and I tried holding him so he wouldn't move but the whole ordeal was traumatic for all three of us. I'm so disappointed that Sharkey's offer's a "first hair cut experience" that was so terrible... but hey at least we got a certificate and picture to commemorate the terrible memory... Either offer your staff in sensitivity training when working with babies or don't offer to cut their hair. read more

Took my nephew here and they did a great job on his haircut and he was really happy as well

This review is directed specifically toward Nuria. This location has always been a core memory spot for my daughter, which made this experience especially disappointing. I had an 11:30 a.m. appointment for a bang trim and arrived early at 11:25. Upon arrival, I waited at the front desk while the attendant finished assisting customers who were already in line ahead of me. Despite this, Nuria questioned why we hadn't checked in and treated the situation as if we were late even though we were seated exactly at our scheduled appointment time of 11:30. She also assumed the appointment was for a boy's haircut without confirming the service, which made it clear she hadn't reviewed the booking. After lecturing me about check-in, she said she only had time for the bang trim and dismissed any request for a simple hair tie-back, citing that her 11:50 appointment was "already here." That client being early should not have impacted an on-time appointment. This was not a policy issue. It was a communication and attitude issue. What should have been a quick, routine visit felt rushed, dismissive, and unnecessarily stressful. I do want to thank the manager, Ashley, who was extremely understanding and handled the situation professionally. read more

The hair cutter doesn't like to listen or maybe it's way too loud inside the room. Please be careful! Don't rush cutting hair and it ended almost not having hair at all. My grandson is very sad getting his haircut done today. The lady says it will grow fast he is so sad sad today read more

Hortensia, Horrible service with all due respect of course, she is a senior woman who stereotyped my people and I through my whole visit, she recommended the Santa Ana location judging by my Hispanic traits when I had previously mentioned that this location was more convenient for me since she asked. I asked what cut is recommended and instead she offered a buzz cut due to it being less pricey. This lady LACKS DECENT CUSTOMER SERVICE SHE MADE US FEEL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. I know now this is the attitude she carries herself with at work since this is my second appointment with her. I don't wanna seem to dramatic but she was as bad Employee as last time when we did visit the Costa Mesa location, I hope something is done since we really love Sahrkey's. read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

I absolutely can not believe how horrible of a job Hortencia did when cutting my daughter's hair. We went and got my daughter's bangs cut last time and she loved it! I never got the stylist's name, but I sent my daughter in with my husband and a picture of how we wanted her hair to be cut (bangs right below the eyebrow and 2 inches off the length). SHE CUT HER BANGS WAY ABOVE HER EYEBROWS (middle of her forehead) and at a SLANT! Who does that?!? There's no length of hair to even fix! It looks like she placed a bowl on top of my daughter's head... AT AN ANGLE and just chopped away!! Also, the last time I took my son, he got his haircut by a different stylist. I SPECIFICALLY said I did not want a buzz cut. That I wanted it to be longer on the top and shorter on the sides. What did I get?? A SHORT buzz cut that made him look nearly bald. Thank goodness he's a boy and it grows fast. read more

I took appointments 1pm but they called me to change to 12:40. I checked in on time but I wait for 20min so it started 1pm. It's 30min cut course. My girl said she doesn't want cut too much her bangs but she wants to make it curtain style. The stylist woman got her hair done. At the end, there is no change her hair style. then I asked her to do hair style be more pretty but she said the time is out so she said she cannot do it. Not satisfied. read more

Going off a recent review about Solie, I decided to book with her for my sons first haircut (and one involving buzzers). My son is 1.5 years old, albeit very down to earth (and never gets to watch TV) so he took the haircut experience like a champ, but Solie was super friendly and professional regardless through the whole experience. She was really great with my son the entire time! Patient when she needed to be and worked super fast when he wasn't wiggly. I thought the haircut turned out great too. Overall, I highly recommend booking with Solie. We are very happy with our experience! read more

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We recently took our son for his first haircut, and while the cut itself was fine, the service left a lot to be desired. When we walked in, we weren't really greeted, and one of the employees had her back to us, playing video games. I'm not usually a stickler for these kinds of things, but we value good service and a welcoming atmosphere--especially for such a special moment. That said, we still tipped because the haircut was okay, but the experience could've been much better. read more

We took my son here for his first haircut and the hair stylist was so gentle and patient with my son. She showed him the buzzer before using it to make sure he didn't get upset. He also was able to sit in a toy car with safety strap and watch a show on YouTube. He got a certificate with a picture, lock of hair attached and balloon that oddly lasted forever. read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - First haircut - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

Nuria is horrible! Took my daughter to donate her hair and she asked if she can sit on the green side with the video games. Nuria thought it was okay to say that she's a GIRL and should be on the PINK side. She was told by the other hairdresser that my daughter requested to sit there and she keeps going on about how girls are supposed to get their hair cut on the pink side and not that side. I finally said something and told her my daughter will stay where she is. I asked for her name and she has the audacity to rush at me and get in my face to say if I need her name I can ask her myself. I will say that out of respect for my child I remained calm but the unprofessional behavior and inappropriate comments warranted a different reaction. She should be fired!!! Horrible woman, horrible employee, horrible human being. Thank you to Ortencia for still doing her nails and letting her pick a ring. read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

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The hair stylist for my son did an amazing job with a really hard customer -- my son for his first haircut. She took extra care to get through a really hard haircut with him! I appreciate her hard work!! read more

I took my 1.5 year old toddler here after our failed attempts of cutting his hair at home. And boy, we should of just came here from the start! Upon walking in, my toddler was so excited to see all the cool car themed chairs and balloons. The set up is wonderful for kids! They have kid shows or video games ready to distract them while they get their haircuts. We had the pleasure of having Ashley work on his hair and she did a phenomenal job. She was able to get his hair cut so fast and calmly even though my boy was being a little fussy about it. She did a clean job and he now looks like a dapper little guy. She's also so sweet and warm. Would definitely recommend booking with her! At the end, every kid gets a balloon. Totally worth it for my toddler. He forgot about what he was upset about the second he got a balloon lol read more

Warning: Dont let your kids near Ortensia My toddler son, who is a sweet and sensitive little guy, outgoing, and friends with everyone, had his second ever hair cut appointment. This time, it was with Ortensia and it was a horrible experience. He was so scared of her, she has no business working with kids! I'm mortified after that experience and hope my son isn't forever traumatized. We surely can never return to this location again. Ortensia seemed angry as we arrived and gave me a stern look as she rushed me to put my son in the car chair, I'm assuming because we were five minutes late. She took out her frustrations on our son by yelling "no,no!" and pushing his hands away roughly when he struggled to wear the apron. She raised her voice again and again when he started crying because he was afraid of her. Quite frankly, I felt a bit scared of her as well and regret I didn't intervene and end the whole interaction much sooner, but I think I was in disbelief and kind of froze. I've never ever experienced anything like this interaction, and I strongly advise against booking an appointment with her!!! read more

Moms beware!! Do not make an appointment with Ortencia! Ortencia is beyond rude! I will never allow her to get near my daughter again! I politely told her if she can be gentle with brushing her hair because my daughter is very sensitive. After that, I got attitude, eye rolls, and even rougher hair brushing from her! I don't think working with kids is her thing and she needs to find a new job! I will always speak up for my daughter. Not sure why that offended her. read more

Sharkey's cuts for kids did an amazing job with my 13 month baby. Aysha was so patient with my son. In less than 30 minutes I was out Oh and let me tell you the 1st kids hair cut packet is nice. It includes a photo of the baby, a small baggie with his/her hair and a certificate. Definitely going back with Aysha. read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

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The women here were very kind. However the haircut was horrible. My daughter is 6.5. Her hair is fine and blonde. We went in for a simple trim because she needs it after summer. I let her know what length. I was with my other kid while she was finishing up, so I didn't get to see the finished cut - she put it into a braid too quickly. To hide it? I don't know. Either way it's difficult to believe that somehow who does hair actually cut this. For $38 plus tip this is horrendous. read more

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids - Poor haircut. - Kids Hair Salons Near Me - Irvine, California

I was so excited to bring my 5 year old daughter here for her first trim. I booked the first time wash blow dry and cut service. I followed all the instructions and was pumped to be there when I saw how cute the location was. It was so disappointing to learn that when your kid has hair that looks like my daughters ( and mine for that matter) that you have to call and you can't select and book online. Everyone else can book online and have a great experience but for my daughter she was told while her hair was dripping wet that the stylist couldn't finish. Her hair was too thick / textured ... too different . That Was not the experience or treatment I thought I would receive at a kid friendly location. I know the stylist meant well but to say I was heartbroken is an understatement. Her first time at a salon she walked out with wet hair and told she was not able to be serviced. I'm new to OC and saw rave reviews but this really was disappointing to say the least. If you only service a certain type of hair just say that, no need to disguise it in your booking system. So book at your own risk, hope your kid has the type of hair they are looking for. read more