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Allure Salon
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Garage
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- By Appointment Only:
- No
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Essence Salon
- 58 reviews
- Location:
- Mountain View, CA
"This place is still awesome and Jennifer is still giving the best haircuts. Not only does she do a good job on me but my wife has her hair…" read more »
52 reviews for Allure Salon
I been going here for about 4 yrs now and I never been let down! I always get my roots retouched (bleaching them to blonde). Recently, I got my hair done by Kelly Gerard cause my old stylist quit&she did a really good job! My hairs hard to bleach cause i have black hair but she got it really light, close to platinum! & there was no breakage!
it was worth the 1 hour drive&95 bucks!
Atmosphere: Allure is pleasantly appointed and clean. The waiting area is full of uncomfortable chairs and no coffee table to set your drink, but that's a pretty common ailment of salons. There was music playing but it wasn't loud or intrusive, and the place didn't reek of chemicals as so many do.
Customer service: The person I made the appointment with, the front desk and my stylist (Silvana) were all polite and friendly. They were maybe 5 minutes late getting me to my appointment but I made it fairly last minute so I wouldn't knock points for that. I also just got a follow-up call to make sure I was happy with my service, which was what reminded me to write this review (smart going, Allure).
Cut: I have thin, unruly hair that will easily end up flat or frizzy with a bad style. I also didn't come in with a really clear idea of what I wanted, only that I wanted a change. Silvana consulted very helpfully and modified my old cut to a style that I could easily wear straight or wavy. Some stylists get very thrown when you ask for advice, but Silvana seemed perfectly comfortable. She did some razored layers in the front which was a really good choice for my hair. She also did most of the refinement of the cut after my hair was dry, which I find almost always results in a better cut.
Overall I'm happy with the salon and with Silvana specifically, I'll probably be going back to her when I'm ready for another trim.
Toshi is the greatest! Although he is a little pricey--his prices just went up to $60/cut--he is definitely worth it! I just had my 3rd cut with him the other day. I am super picky about my haircuts and before I came to him--I used to drive all the way up to SF from Palo Alto every time I needed a cut. However--now that I found him--I no longer need to trek that far. He does an excellent job at cutting hair and does exactly what you want him to do. The first 2 cuts with him--I just wanted long layers and he shaped my hair really well. I have naturally wavy hair with alot of body and usually when other hairdressers cut my hair--it still looks too full--but toshi texturizes it and makes it flow in all of the right places! :) The last time I went in -- a few days ago--I decided to try a new look. I had really long hair--came down to my ribcage and I decided to get it chopped off at my shoulder. I showed Toshi a picture of what I wanted and he cut it exactly like the picture--however--when he was done--I actually didn't like it that much because I prefer more layers--so I asked him if he could actually put more layers in it and he did it for me and was super nice about it too. I felt really bad for taking up more of his time. He is a true professional and truly wants you to be happy with your cut. I will never go back to anyone else for a cut again!
Yola, the aesthetician, is the very best!!! If you want a true European facial, she is the person to go to.
Kelly gives a solid haircut at a reasonable price. She definitely has an artistic eye when it comes to hair.
I just went back to Tara for a haircut and I will say this is the best haircut I've ever gotten. I went in with page out of InStyle's hair edition that showed the haircut and what to tell the hairstylist to do to get that cut.. Tara took a good look and remembered other stuff about me/my hair from last time before she started. That gave me confidence in her because she actually took the time to consult with me :)
A short while later, she did a great job! My hair looks great even after I've washed and air dried it myself. I'll definitely be coming back here all the time.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/12/2009
A friend recommended Tara for cuts/styles. My friend often updates her hair and has great… Read more »
I went in yesterday as a walk in. And I had to back to back appointments 15 minutes later. I had Silvana cut and style my hair. She listened to what I wanted, and wanted to to go further. She was easy to talk to and she understood what I wanted. I asked her questions about work and we got into a great conversation about a seminar she went to for work. I had a great time talking with her. She is very happy to be at her job and loves coming to work. I do plan on seeing her again. And next time we will go shorter! I am not one to go past my typical long blonde hair. So it is exciting to try something new. I felt very comfortable with her and she saw my vision.
I also got a pedicure from Jenny. She was very good. I loved the hot stone massage on my feet, felt so great. She was a joy to talk to and she did excellent work. I look forward to going to see her again.
Over all I had a great experience. They welcomed me very kindly and promptly. I was served Tea. Got my hair washed, cut, and styled. Pedicure with a leg and foot massage with hot stone. Can't complain. I was there for 2 hours and 15 mins. Worth every second.
Toshi is a good hairdresser
i just didn't like my haircut very much :/ actually i hate it, but, he's skilled and nice the lady at the desk is nice on the phone, everything was clean so...=___=
This review is for Toshi. He designed the style based on what I told him, and he executed the cut with ease. I wanted something cheerful out of my flat and heavy hair with nothing more than a cut, and he achieved it! We chatted and chatted some more and at the end of the hour it is there! He is a true master in his trade and I have worked with at least eight Japan- or Hong Kong-trained stylists before him these years and I am not easily pleased (unfortunately...).
Just a note that I am writing this review almost a month after the cut, and I am still loving it. I think my hair grows out looking better, and I still do not blow dry more than a minute, and style with my hands and minimum product also within a minute. Gosh am I lazy!
Who ever bad mouths Allure salon is WHACK! I've been going there since it was Command Performance in Sunnyvale Mall. I was 13 years old and I'm now 27. I have had my hair done by Lorena for over 14 years and have loved it EVERY time. I don't even need to really tell her what to do with my hair now, sometimes I let her just go with the flow and do what she feels would look best on me. She is extremely knowledgeable, professional and patient. My hair has been long, short, black, caramel, highlighted, styled, layered and bobbed: every time I walk out of there feeling fresh and sexy! It's amazing what a great hairstylist can do to your self esteem.
I have known Alisa (owner) and Anna (receptionist) for ever as well and they too have not changed a bit. They are friendly and genuine and make me feel like I'm part of the Allure family. The salon is clean, modern and stylish. If you are looking for a top of the line salon, that isn't snobby or ridiculously expensive, that produces great results......then look no further. ALLURE SALON IS THE BEST!!!!
If you have naturally wavy/curly thick hair, ask for Lorena. She's awesome! I'm sure she can do other styles too but few stylists know how to deal with the natural curls. Lorena deserves five stars. Most of the reception desk staff are really friendly but one gave very bad attitude, which is always off putting.
I have been to better pedicure/manicure than this. My nailpolish was all smeared when the lady ended her job, but that job seemed good with her and she did not even acknowledge that she did a bad job.
My hand nailpolish is all chirped the next day. And I paid $50 for both ped/mani. They used tools that were kept in the sterilizer. But I have seen places where they use tools right out of the packing(all sterilized)
I find La Monique far far better than this expensive place. They not only did a good job with massage, nailpolish etc, they also provide parrafin wax treatment in less than the price what Allure charges.
I have been to other places also but I found La Monique to be best.
I am not going back.
I am pretty sure my 5 year-old nephew would have done a better job with my hair.
I went for a cut and a dye. And I got a less than desirable hair cut, which admittedly could have been my fault for not being specific enough. But the coloring was horrible. When it was said and done my hair felt tangle, ratty, and damaged. Usually when I get my hair dyed it is smooth, shiny, tangle free....etc. And its not like I got anything special done, just one color.
Anyways, won't go back here, even if I got a different stylist. Just a bad experience.
On the bright side, when I was in there, it seemed like there were some pretty nice haircuts and dyes going on....so go at your own risk and cross your fingers you get a good stylist.
If you go here, go to Sabrina. She's extremely nice and cuts a mean head of hair. Just don't overbook her so I can't get in to see her, or I'll be very mad.
I've had some trouble finding someone who will cut my hair the way I want it done. I like my hair long and have always liked my hair long. So I've been frustrated for a very long time by going to a salon and having the stylists not listen to me.
The first haircut I got here was a walk-in, completely on a whim out of desperation. I got Tara, who did an absolutely beautiful job and was super nice to chat with. Loved her. My hair had never been so happy and it looked amazing for weeks afterward.
The second time I went, I ended up with a different, older lady, who politely listened to what I said (clean it up, but don't cut it too short and layer in the front), then did the complete opposite (cut the front into really wacky chunky layers and left the back largely untouched, except to cut it too short) and then BRAGGED ABOUT IT! She told me how she just hates to put layers in the back because she just doesn't think they look good. I would argue that's not necessarily her call to make. Oh, and the entire time I was sitting there, she was berating me for not having children. Seriously? This is your business? I've known you how long? I told you I didn't have them because you asked, not because I wanted your opinion on the matter.
So I will be going back to Allure to TARA. The second lady did not get a tip and I will make double sure to never end up with her again.
I like the salon a lot and live so close that I will definitely be going back. Just be aware that there are some really good stylists here and some REALLY BAD.
Toshi...I always wonder whenever I have an appointment whether his name is shortened. Is his real name Toshiyuki or Hitoshi? Anyway, I had my third haircut with Toshi today and as usual, he did an amazing job. I live in Santa Cruz, and I don't have a car. To get to Allure Salon to see Toshi, I have to take a public bus which takes me over the hill to San Jose, then jump on the Caltrain to downtown mountain view to get to the salon. There's a total travel time of about an hour and a half. Even so, Toshi is worth it! He cares about whether you are happy with the cut unlike other stylists who will do the opposite of what you ask them to. He's a great stylist and an awesome guy!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
6/11/2008
I had an appointment with Toshi today and he did an awesome job! He's great to talk to and he knows… Read more »
I used to get my hair cut in the city. But with outrageous high gas prices, I decided to find a hairstylist who's close to where I live. After trying several hair salons and suffering from a few bad haircuts, a friend of mine told me to give Toshi a try.
Toshi has cut my hair twice, and I'm very happy with both experiences. He did an outstanding job. What I like about him the most is that it's very easy to communicate with him about the hairstyle that you want. He knows what you're talking about. He knows what styles are in and what are not, and what would look good on you based on the texture of your hair. Also, he cares about the quality of his work. Whenever he's done cutting my hair, he always checks a few times to see if everything is perfect. Allure Salon that he works at is a beautiful, spacious salon with a friendly atmosphere. Whenever I go in, I'm always greeted by its staff, asking me if I care for some coffee or water.
If you're like me who couldn't find a good hairstylist in the South Bay, give Toshi a try, you won't be disappointed.
Toshi cut my hair. It was the first time I had ever been there. He's hip. He did EXACTLY what I told him to! Thanks for listening, dude. The salon is beautiful. I don't get my hair cut very often; I'm more of a do-it-yourself kinda girl. I just wait till I can't fix it myself anymore and then I go ask for help from a professional.
Next time I screw it up, I'll go back to Toshi.
Being impulsive is a big fault of mine. When I want something done, I have to have it like, yesterday! I think this time has taught me a lesson that one should have patience!
I had a Bob and it was getting too much for me to style. My hair has awful waves in it, so blowing out my hair every morning was really getting to me. I started looking through yelp seeing what places had the best ratings, but of course when I called each place, I could not get in for my "had to have it now" haircut. I finally settled with Allure, who was able to get me with someone the next day.
I gave her a couple of photos, told her I didn't want to do much of anything, and asked if it could be done. As she was looking at my hair, then looking at the picture, I started losing confidence in her abilities. At times, I was the one making suggestions, when I think it should have been the other way around.
When she starting cutting, she would grab chunks out of my hair, rather than parting in sections. I know this is fine in some cases, but not this type of cut. She took more out of one side than the other, and when I told her one side wasn't flipping as it should, she framed my face which I suggested, but she didn't do the other side!!
I'm able to work with my cut, but I have to put more effort in that I wanted to. I trimmed the uneven parts myself and it looks much better.
I won't be going back to Allure, that's for sure!
Everyone's right - Toshi is amazing. When I moved to the area, I left behind a stylist I loved who's cut my hair for the last five years. I was dreading the long search to find another one who could cut my hair - I'm one of those people who doesn't really have clear ideas of what I want in a hair cut, just vague guidelines like "I don't want my hair to look like a shrub."
I went to Toshi after seeing so many recommendations for him and he is great! He's super nice and friendly and even made a recommendation for a few drastic cuts that improved my hair greatly.
Another thing I liked about Toshi is that he understood that not all Asians have the same kind of hair, so the same cutting techniques won't work for each one. I've never had the stereotypical stick-straight black hair. My hair is very fine, but there is a lot of it and it has lots of body. OMG SO MUCH BODY. It's the bane of my life trying to control it.
This rating is earned mostly on the merits of TARA as a stylist, who is the most awesome stylist I've ever had, hands down, anywhere.
I've spend years floating between stylists, never quite satisfied. Sure, I've had my recurring flings with a few hair "artists" here and there, but none that i ever developed any real trust for.
Upon moving to Mountain View, I relunctantly visited Allure. The salon is clean and vibrant, and the chatty atmosphere was a bit intimidating at first. But Tara made me feel right at home with her open, down-to-earth personality. She listened to what I wanted, I mean really listened! Her cut was excellent, and held up a long time.
Over the last 3 years, I have never received anything but the best cuts and dye jobs from Tara. She always does what I want, and she is great at advising me on style changes based on my tastes. She is punctual and yet has excellent attention to details.
Allure is a pricey salon, but even though I've now moved to SF, I'll still drive the hour each way and pay the beaucoup bucks for Tara's work, no second thoughts. Sure, I have to save up a bit longer, but it's worth the peace of mind and fantastic experience.
Go to Allure, book with Tara, and help me make sure she never leaves!
I love this place. The people are so nice and the result is always awesome. I've been there for multiple haircuts as well as a pedicure, and I think this is the best place in town (though not the cheapest) for both. The pedicure station has lots of good polish, and they give a GREAT hot stone massage as part of the pedi. The lady will also paint flowers on your toes if you want. :) So cute.
I've gotten my hair cut by Sabrina several times, and I am always so happy with it; it's obvious even weeks later that it's a great cut. She does a great blow-out to make it all shiny and pretty, and she's quick, too! They use Pureology products when they wash your hair, too, which is a nice indulgence.
I went to try out this place after reading the reviews on YELP and a friend referral. I was a bit disapointed- I didn't get all the layers I wanted. And my hair really didn't look like it was just cut. My sister tired another person- and was disappointed too.
I'm willing to pay the price for my hair- but I just haven't had any luck.
so..I'm still in search for the perfect hair styist!
I have been going to this salon since it was Command Performance in Sunnyvale Town Center. I had the same stylist for 10 years, and went to the nail salon for about 7. Susan (head nail lady) is very nice and does ok nails. My problem is im very picky about how my nails look, and after about 2 years susan started slacking off and baisically not caring if they looked decent or not. My hairdresser was nice, again pretty much everyone is nice but again, after a while she stopped doing what i wanted and started doing what she wanted. (or what was easiest, take your pick)
Long story short after 20+ haircuts, up do's and stylings, and countless pedicures and gel nails, i got tired of paying good money (about $50 for nails by themselves and $130+ for cut and color) for something i didnt like at all.
Definatley not the best place, im currently looking for a new salon, im thinking about Planet Hair.
You might want to try it, theres one stylist who always seems to have satisfied customers, i dont know his name but he is platinum blonde, a little accent and metro. youll know him if you go in. Personally i think there are a lot of better places.
This place is a joke. They can't cut hair. I went to dye my hair and I still see the root of my hair. Charged me $200
OK, but I've had better haircuts. Cost more than I like to spend for a men's cut.
TOSHI FTW! Went and got my hair cut by him and it's amazing. I love it. Toshi did a great job. For the past 7 or so years I've been getting the same haircut, but when I went to see Toshi, I wanted to do something different. He did a wonderful job with the vague guidelines I gave him.
One thing that I really liked about Toshi is that he always made sure that I was okay with what he was about to do. He has a couple of Japanese hair magazines if you're not sure what you want to get. And he also goes back to Japan for classes, so he knows how to do the latest styles.
Hooray for Toshi!
Massage - so i've only tried the massage service here and found it excellent. The massage was just the right firmness - hard but not too hard. She hit the right spots. I was really impressed and my back feels so much better now. I'll be going back for sure. I'm not sure if it was too expensive but it was $75 for 60 minutes - anyway I felt it was worth it for her skilled hands.
You probably wouldn't think there was a massage service here and all I could see was one room, maybe two, as its mainly a hair salon. They also do manicures and pedicures and facials. Enjoy!
I've been driving 35 miles each way to see Toshi for the past 3 years. For 2 years before that, I drove all the way from Sacramento to see him.
Toshi rocks! He goes to Japan each year to take the latest classes and it shows. You'll need to book early enough cause his appointments run out quickly.
This is a big salon with lots of services. My haircut was only so so.
Lorena use to be my stylist when everyone use to work at Command Performance in Sunnyvale Town Center in the late 90's early 00's. She's cut and colored my hair when it was long and when I went through a break up and told her to chop it all off. I moved away 6 years ago and I was so happy to have found Allure after googling Command Performance. She has served as both my Stylist and my Therapist. She keeps her styles up to date, genuinly cares about you, and has the greatest personality. The salon is beautiful, very modern and just off of Castro street in Mtn. View. The staff is all friendly and you can tell they're like family to each other since most of them have worked together for almost 10 years.
Alisa, the owner of Allure does my hair! I;ve been going to her just short of a year now. I love her - won't go anywhere else now. I had been going to someone for over 7 years and just needed a change - Allure was the place and Alisa was the stylist!
The salon offers all the services, nails, waxing and hair. It's decor is way cool and the staff is always accomadating.
I walked in after 5pm on a weeknight and was surprised they were able to accommodate me right away! Not only that but they got me some water to drink as well while I waited all of 2 minutes before the hairdresser came and got me. I got a wash and cut/style with blow out. The hairdresser's name was Silvana and though she was young, her styling was excellent and since she didn't have that arrogance that more mature hair stylists sometimes have, she was attentive and would ask me if bold moves were okay before she tried something. Conversation was easy and moments of silence were not awkward. Silvana was great and my hair had an extra flare of style but subtle, which is just what I wanted. Very satisfied and the price was fair at that! I will be coming back...
This place has definitely saved me a couple of times.
Once, I had to go get my hair re-colored by Maritza because another salon did a terrible job, and she took my back from fuschia to my natural brown. That was a life-saver.
Now I go to Toshi to get my hair cut and he does a great job. I always hate it when stylists pressure me into trimming off more of my hair than I want to - Toshi doesn't do this, he leaves it up to me to decide where I want to go with my hair. He does make great suggestions though. I went to a bad stylist before who over-used razors on my hair. He pointed out to me that because my ends were so thin, I couldn't get the style I wanted for another 3 months. He cut my hair very well to begin correcting the problem. He is very experinced in many areas, he did a good job of layering my long hair, and also cuts my mom's short pixie style hair.
tara does a great job with color!
Lorena is an excellent stylist. She cuts and colors my hair and I'm always happy when I leave the salon. She knows what's in and her technique is amazing. I am a low maintenance person so I like my hair to look good but I don't want to be in front of the mirror for an hour doing my hair. She knows what cut/style works for your hair type. Lorena is super nice and is very easy to talk to. Lorena rocks!!
I have naturally curly hair and wanted to cut it short. I got Sabrina and she was amazing. She gave me a really cute hairdo that I can wear curly or straight. She took her time and made sure that it was just right. She cut it wet, then dried it to see how my hair reacted to the cut, then she cut it dry based on how my hair was reacting.
I've never received such a thorough haircut before and I was really glad to experience one. Sabrina did an awesome job and I would highly recommend her. Also, everyone at the salon is so friendly and it just has a great atmosphere.
I've been to this salon twice now. I think they're pretty reasonable ($30) and they give a good leg massage/scrub. They only take cash or checks, which was a little surprising for me the first time around, so be prepared.
As many of you, I've had a hard time trying to find the perfect hair stylist, moving around from salon to salon. I finally decided to walk into Allure, it looked modern but not to shi-shi. I ended up booking with Soria. My hair has never looked better, so I've heard. Many compliments from friends and co-workers including 3 referrals (all say they will be back). She is always on-time, never has 2 clients at once & doesn't go too crazy, just what is best for you.
Everyone here is really really sweet and I just loved Robert playing with my hair these past few days. I really am grateful to him for putting so much time and energy into my hair.
They charge a bit above the average amount for massages, in my opinion, but manicures start from $15 so that's pretty cheap. I'm gonna say Allure's got a moderate price range for an upscale salon.
I would give it 5 stars, but I'm not sure how many times I'd come to a place like this all my life. I only came here because they were in need of models for a show they were doing. I usually just get a trim at Supercuts because I'm chicken and don't like changing my hairstyle all that much. I'd recommend coming here for prom, a big date, wedding, etc. If you're usually looking for a trim like I am, this probably isn't the place. I'd come here for a manicure here, though. =) Yay for Alisa (the owner) and Robert (stylist)!
