- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Blow Salon
Rating Details »
Category: Hair Salons
Neighborhoods: UC Campus Area, Downtown Berkeley2112 Berkeley Way
(between Shattuck Ave & Walnut St)
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 644-1971
- Hours:
Tue-Wed. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thu-Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- By Appointment Only:
- Yes
Sponsored Result
You Might Also Consider
UC Hair Salon & Waxing
- 28 reviews
- Neighborhood:
- UC Campus Area
"Today I walked in with a stack of magazines and dream... My spun-gold locks have slowly deteriorated to nasty straw due to excessive home…" read more »
32 reviews for Blow Salon
Gayle and I came here last Saturday evening for the opening reception for the "Art of Ideas" exhibit. Apparently, the Blow Salon is quite active in supporting local artists and their well-appointed space and enthusiastic staff certainly showed that off very well. The works of Erin Middendorf, Lorie Tinfow, Shannon Frederick, and Dina Gould Halme were nicely presented and attended by the artists.
The event was also kind of like a Yelp function, except with more emphasis on a more darkly dressed neo-hip artsy crowd. It was a lot of fun, with tasty snacks (by Habib Cutolo) and a delicious Triple Rock IPA to help the conversations flow. The salon chairs themselves were also great for sitting, lingering, and people watching.
I first stumbled upon Blow Salon while looking for a job on Craigslist. Went to their website to find they also do Art Shows for local artist. I talked to Colleen (their Salon Coordinator) as well as Amy (Stylist) on the phone quite a few times. (you will love both of them)! When I finally made it in to the salon (to bring in my things for the show), I was greeted by an amazingly friendly staff grabbing things from me to help carry in everything I had brought. SOOOO helpful and warm. About 2months later, I came in to see Jill (the owner) for a cut and color (foils). LOVE IT!!! Get soooo many compliments. If you're looking for a cool, down to earth salon that makes you feel like your hangin out with old friends in combination with great services...BLOW SALON is definitely the place for you. I highly recommend it!
Ok, I went in there thinking for $40 they'll give me a nice hair cut. It took about a week to get an appointment and when I got there, the cutter spent about 10 minutes the MOST on my head, more like 5 minutes, I'm being generous. That's about $4 per minute and the worst part was it was a lousy hair cut!!!
Give me a break! Never again.
I love Amy and the entire staff here at Blow. Appointments are usually a must but I always love the cut I get here.
Ra'Bia is a saint!
Okay, that was a bit much.
People have been telling me to go to Blow since before I moved to the East Bay over a year ago.
I was concerned with finding a hair mistress who could handle my hair that I insist must stay long, yet fashionable, yet non-mullety/non-angular.
Not only did Ra'Bia move here shortly after me, but she started working at Blow which is full of win-win situationess!
She didn't get to me first, however. After THE most horrible haircut known to man, she was able to fix it without lopping off my hard-earned locks and it looked great! And after pulling off a feat like that, she'll always have my highest recommendation and my hair appointments.
This one goes out to Amy, who has never ever failed to send me away with an amazing cut and color, and I have challenged her many many times.
She has helped me transition from bright orange shoulder length hair to a dark a-line bob. She salvaged my hair from a crazy extremely short editorial hair show cut and color, to a short asymmetrical cut that kept the sass of the original hair cut and color, but made it conservative enough to not blast my grandmother into shock when she saw me at my college graduation. Currently I'm still working on growing my hair back from the last hair show- and Amy will be helping me along the way.
It is an expensive salon experience, but as far as I'm concerned Amy's work is well worth the price paid, especially considering the free fringe trims between cuts! Amy's a great stylist, and a fun person to talk to. She's even offered to get me a burger while my hair is being dyed!
Lastly, no one at Blow has ever make me feel like I'm a pain in the ass if I actually do want some tea or something to drink. They don't roll their eyes at you when they ask if you need anything. I don't feel like I'm in the way there, and that alone makes Blow better than your average salon.
This goes out to miss Ra'Bia - and may it be said that Blow Salon is in for a delightful treat having her as their newest stylist!
I moved to the East Bay a year ago and it took me a good long while to find a great stylist, as I'm a little picky - but lo and behold, I finally found her!
I met Ra'Bia when she was working at a different salon, but I was so impressed and enamored with her work, that I followed her over to Blow.
Ra'Bia is not only a creative genius when it comes to your locks, she is fantastic to be around - extremely engaging, you could talk to this girl about anything under the sun, from Bowie to Bauhaus. It's awesome. But, back to her craft... She listens to exactly what you want and walks you through each step of the way - tailoring the cut to suit for your own unique style/lifestyle/etc. Her art lies in her precision of what you want - it's fabulous.
Also, the salon is great - the very relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere will make you feel immediately comfortable. The prices are mid-range - I don't color my hair anymore, which cuts down the costs - so it's very reasonable if you're only doing a cut.
I don't know what else to say other than I cannot recommend her (and the salon, although I'm a newbie there) enough and that I've never left her chair disappointed. Happy snipping!
As seen in my last review, I've been going to Blow for a long time.
Juliana is my usual stylist now, and I love her! I usually bring in a photo of what I want, and I've never been disappointed. Of course it won't look exactly like the photo because she'll cater to make me feel comfortable and to suit the shape of my face. Which makes me feel comfy in my own skin/hair. She always listens to my ideas and she's fun to talk to.
Got to love the funky art on the walls too!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
5/16/2007
I've been going to Blow for about two and a half years now.
I love the atmosphere!
The stylists are… Read more »
Yes, this is for the Blow in Berkeley.....
I asked for a blow out...I'm not sure what I got...actually I got ripped off. My hair did not look smooth, or really straight. It just looked like a mess. I went home, washed my hair and then took the time and blew out my own hair.
After four really great cuts with Amy, I figured I should finally show Blow some love on yelp.
I have long curly hair - it's definitely one of my defining features. Amy has always given me cuts with great shape and volume. She listens well to what I want, and makes great suggestions. She has great vision as a stylist, and I'm always pleased with her cuts.
AND I always get compliments!
Amy charges $50 for a haircut, and I always seem to take up about an hour to an hour and a half. Totally fair price in my book. Also, I've always been able to snag last-minute appointments, either same day or next day. The guy at reception is always super friendly and helpful, and they have a good beverage selection for you and anyone you come in with.
Amy is great! Get your hair cut by her!
Amy's my girl, and my partner in crime goes to Jill. We walk away happy. what more can I say.
It's been a while since my first and only visit to Blow. The service was great and the atmosphere was definitely fun, but I should have known when I walked in and all the clientle was white that I was not in the right place. My stylist had no idea what to do with my hair (I'm Chinese American) and gave me essentially something I could have gotten at a Great Cuts for much cheaper. I asked for an asymmetrical bob and even had a picture of what I had in mind to give her. I ended up with something closer to a bowl cut.
Definitely not a place for Asian American women... or at least this Asian American woman.
Blow is awesome.
I went here when I was in school to dye my hair purple (ahhh, those were my crazy college days) It turned out amazing.
Now that I am a "grown up" I still am coming here, Jill always does my hair and I always get complimented on her coloring jobs. Also (the sign of a good cut) my hair always looks good in between cuts.
The receptionist (is that what their called at a salon?) is super nice.
\
If you are looking for a salon, I say with confidence that this place is great. You can't go wrong with Blow. Not only are the stylists friendly, but they're cool people to be around for the 30-40 minutes you're there for your appointment.
Although I usually can't partake because I'm in en-route to work, they offer wine while you wait, or for us of the boring variety, sparkling and bottled water. The salon also hosts cool events and if you put yourself on their mailing list they have art shows with free beer and update you on events they recommend locally.
The first time I came in I delt with the owner, who sold me on the feeling of the salon. Later I trusted their newest stylist, Amy to cut off 12 inches of hair (!!), and they are my regular stop for bangs and updates on my grow- out process.
Amy is my stylist-for-real now and she knows me from the moment she picks up my call. Impressive, since I take months between cuts (bad habit, but I tend to overbook my work/school schedule).
Do not go to this salon if you want a traditional nice hair style.
I wanted to say NO STARS but you can't.
After having a DISASTEROUS "body wave" experience with a very nice stylist there I went to request a refund (the stylist told me that the work was guaranteed), the owner was visably angry, although she tried to stay calm, the stylist wanted me to let her try to fix it. When I explained that I just wanted to have a refund and that I would deal with my hair myself the owner said that I could have a refund but then added, "Make sure you give her a big tip because it took a long time, and she was sick."
FIRST OF ALL - It is in no way my fault that the stylist was sick, frankly knowing that only made me more mad.
SECOND - Why would I tip anyone when I was 100% unsatisfied, that makes no fucking sense at all.
THIRD - At no point durring the consultation or the appointment was I warned or told that some peoples hair does not "take" a perm. If I had been told that I may not have chossen to go through with it. These people are supposed to be experts, you mean to tell me that they couldn't tell or didn't have a gut feeling that maybe it wouldn't work out with my hair??
FOR THE RECORD - If you want punk rock hair, with a crazy cut and color they will do a great job, that seems to be their speciality.
Lastly - if someone is not happy just give them their fucking money back, do not guilt trip them. Totally unprofessional.
I went here for a haircut last year, in response to a Craigslist posting offering "free haircuts" by a new Blow stylist who was trying to build up her clientele. Well, when you start out your experience by responding to a Craigslist ad for a free cut, you gotta know its all downhill from there!
The stylist didn't really ask me any questions about how I wanted my hair cut. I had to keep mentioning the style I wanted and she just nodded- I couldn't tell if she was listening or just cutting my tresses as she saw fit.
Halfway through the cut, during the "razoring" part where they take some of the weight out of your hair, I feel a big movement, followed by a gasp, and saw a lot of my hair on the ground. I ask if everything is alright- did something bad happen- "Oh no, just fine" I am reassured.
My hair is then blowdried into a big static-y mess and I am presented to the head stylist for approval. She beams "Looks great," etc etc etc..... touching my poofball head and praising the skills that have crafted it.
I tip the stylist nicely (I think it was 20 bucks) for the free haircut, even though I have to now wear a ponytail for the rest of the day. She gives me her card and says to come back in 6 weeks for another cut. She insists on getting my number so she can call me schedule it. I hve to agreesively refuse to give out any personal information.
I get home to inspect my new haircut and lo and behold- I AM MISSING A GIANT CHUNK OF HAIR IN THE MIDDLE OF MY HEAD! Not like a little bit cut too short- i mean like a big old handful of hair is now about a half-inch long and sticking out the back of my head like a bad junior high prank. It's been over a year- I'm still growing it out. Every hairdresser I've been to since laughs at it.
I really wanted to go back and take back my tip! I mean, she could have said, "Oh I fucked up your hair. Let me see if our senior stylist can fix it...." or at the very least, she could have REFUSED THE TIP. If I could give this place negative stars- not only for a bad haircut, because sometimes that happens, we're not pefect- but also for lying about it and taking my money and insisting on a follow up- this place would get negative ten billion stars.
** UPDATE ** I recieved a message from the salon owner through Yelp, and been informed that the stylist in question no longer works at this salon. The owner who contacted me was very polite and offered to help redress my concerns of the salon with complimentary services. I know the economy is rough and don't want to put anyone out of business. I appreciated her professional attitude and wish this salon well in the future. If you are looking to go here, your best bet is to make an appointment with the owner or one of the stylists positively reviewed here.
Jil is the owner of said salon. she cut my hair for free after dining at the restaurant where i work and i really liked the cut. it was just edgy enough for me (i'm cool, but not that cool) and then sold me some great products that don't make my hair crunchy and gross feeling.
it is a bit pricey and difficult to get an appointment on short notice, but the girls are nice and the cuts look good.
I had a great experience with Cindy Lopez here, but she has since moved onto her own salon.
Blow is pretty hip, the cuts are expensive and so is the color.
I did love my awesome orange and purple streaks that Jill gave me, but not when they washed out two days later.
They are having serious issues with their list-serve so don't sign up unless you want tons of spam all day.
I got my first (non-self) hair-cut in over 4 years today, and I was so lucky to get AMY. I brought a couple of pictures of what I wanted, but she also double-checked with me every step of the way to make sure that she was doing exactly what I wanted. She was so sweet and likeable, and she sent me out the door with an amazing haircut, she definitely has me hooked for all my future haircuts. AMY rocks!
The only downside is that it was a little bit pricey, especially for a broke college student; I paid $100, but that was only because I couldn't say no to the shampoo and conditioner i "had" to have for $40, the cut only cost 50. Free bang trims anytime are also a plus.
I heart blow salon!
I've been seeing Juliana for about a year and a half and I have never been so happy with a stylist before. I have to admit that I go in with vague ideas such as "I want it to look different" and "I'd like bright reds but they need to look natural". Juliana takes my ideas and conspires with me to come up with beautiful and flattering ideas. She really understands how to shape your hair to compliment your face and use colors to compliment your skin tone. I've had my hair pretty short for the past few years and Juliana manages to change up my short style every couple of months when I feel like change is due :)
The salon as a whole is fun as well. It has a counter culture vibe and they always have awesome music playing from electronica to classic rock and everything in between.They use their walls to display art from local artists and they change it up every couple of months. To top it off, they kick off every art rotation with an artist opening party! Everyone who works there is super nice and I love that they offer me a drink when I arrive. In short, if you love color in your hair and an awesome cut and style give blow a try!
Becky rocks. She's smart, intelligent, sweet, and easy to talk to. She's been my stylist for over a year. She cuts and colors my hair and I'm always very happy with the results. I always get compliments on my hair. I must tell you that I'm really lazy with my hair and Becky gave me a style that's pretty much wash and go. The color is even great because they are lowlights so you can't see the roots as they grow in. I can go to about six months without having to redo the roots.
Blow also is an art gallery and there is always interesting art up on the walls and/or on the ceiling. There is something new to see every time I go.
Added bonus: complimentary beverages (tea, soda, water) and great music playing!
I like the $35 haircut. Less than that, it's just not a good haircut. More than that, I feel like I have dropped too much dough and I get asked too many questions; the whole enterprise becomes high maintenance. VSL in D.C./DuPont fits that bill perfectly; then out here I was going to Panache for a while on Telegraph before it closed. But then there was a dark tea time of overly cheap or overly high maintenance haircuts before I came across Blow. I believe I was walking out of the Missing Link buying some bike parts, when I was like "hmmm . . . Blow Salon . . . $35 haircut?"
The first haircut was with Jil, the owner. Yeah, there's only one L there. She's a $60 or $65 haircut. She asked a lot of questions, we went over pictures. I had the feeling just wanting a straightforward haircut stifled her creativity slightly. It turned out to be a damn fine haircut - worthy of $65 or whatever. As previously discussed, though, that's more than I like to pay for a haircut.
I think maybe I asked her if there were less expensive stylists. Or maybe I just walked in another time and got someone else. But since then, I've been going back there for probably a year. They've all been $35 haircuts. One problem does seem to have been turnover. I'd have one to three haircuts with one person, then they'd leave: Becky, Patrick, and Monica and now Julianna, who will hopefully stick around for a while. But they have been uniformly good haircuts, and - more rare - interesting people. Because while I do not want to talk about my hair excessively, I also do not like sitting in silence for half an hour either.
Finally, I like the relaxed but slightly punk atmosphere. They always have interesting, local, and somewhat edgy art. Juliana has blue hair at the moment. Yet it is never a punker-than-thou sort of thing. Anyway, good joint. Good people. Right price.
great low-key salon with fun staff. Juliana does wonders with color, and can really interpret a client's desires and what will look amazing on them. I have had more compliments on one haircut with Juliana than with literally my last 20 cuts! Two people actually stopped me on the street to ask about the cut. In addition, the free bang trims really help add value to the service.
i think the first time i went to blow was last October. i have to say i was pretty hesitant about going to a new salon after far too many bad experiences with bad stylists.. sOo i decided to stop by to see if i wanted to make an appointment instead of calling. this is when i met Juliana. she helped book me and appointment that's when it all began...
when i got to my appointment, Juliana sat me down and asked me what i wanted to do. i wasn't exactly sure, but i had an idea. we chatted a bit and bounced ideas back and forth. then she went to work. needless to say,i really liked the cut. since then, i've gone back several times to get my hair cut, each time i went i get a slightly different cut and i liked them all. i've even gotten my hair dyed purple, red, and yesterday blue! yeah, it may sound extreme, but it's actually really fun and artsy =)
now i very much look forward to getting my hair cut/colored because it's such an experience. Juliana's a true artist and a sweetheart too.. everyone at Blow is nice and fun to talk to. cuts aren't very expensive, but color can be a bit pricey (but you won't have to get it redone very often b/c they'll make sure you know what products you want to use to maintain).. so i guess what i'm trying to say is that Juliana rocks and if your hair needs some grooming, she's the one to go see!
Do your hair AND your wallet a favor and keep it away from the owner Jil. The salon often features pretty cool artwork and they use KMS haircare products. I used to go to Cindy Lopez (who is excellent btw and has her own salon now), but she is no longer there. But I figured as Jil is the owner, and Blow is known for their edgy creative cuts and color, she must be good right? Wrong. So here's the story.
I originally went for a hair consultation ONLY. As I sat down, we start chatting about hair cut ideas and color. She puts down a photo of a pretty cool looking hair-do and says we can adjust the cut to my length (as the model's hair in the pic is much shorter). OK. She then tells me that we should get started; I'm surprised as I said that I only came for a consultation. She says I was booked for a hair appointment- that should've alerted to me an underhanded business move right there. Being that I do know how in the past one has to wait a few weeks before getting an appointment at Blow, I thought it was my lucky day! So I decided to go ahead and let her cut it.
Well, $65.00 dollars and a lot less hair later, suffice it to say that while my hair wasn't completely butchered it looked mediocre- like a bad version of Joan Jett's hairdo in the 80's. Choppy and uneven, 2 different lengths almost. I had to wear my hair up alot afterwards.
She basically did a half-a** job and it hardly looked the model's hair in the photo that she was trying to sell me on prior to her snipping away at my hair. I also noticed that she kept having to answer the phone quite a bit while doing my cut- no big deal really, but after the underhanded "We have you booked for a hair-cut appointment" and also realizing that neither Cindy or Becky work there any more, it's obvious that Blow is scrambling to re-build their clientele. As I was paying, the gal behind the counter kept insisting that she could book a follow-up appt up to 5 weeks advance and kept insisting that I really should get an appt as they "fill up fast".
In anycase I still did tip her; but hopefully by my having spent over $65.00 at Blow I can now tell you all to stay away and that your money will be better spent elsewhere. The good news is I was able to track down Cindy who was able to rectify my hair.
Becky is awesome (she's my 4th stylist I've had here since all the previous ones left to pursue other interests). I'm not sure whether I like her or the minimalist style of the salon itself better. I've always had a great cut here over the 4 years I've been going here. They charge a decent price and I've always left happy. The last time when I just asked Becky to razor the ends of my hair, she only charged me for a bangs trimming. It was unexpected and much appreciated!
I really wanted to like this place. The atmosphere is cool in a post-punk minimalist kind of way, and the owner is charming and tells entertaining stories. I went in to have my hair drastically shortened and colored. I described the hairstyle I wanted by pointing to a picture in one of their books and indicating that I wanted it cut and colored the same way. In so doing, I thought I had communicated my intentions to get chunky highlights, but apparently not. What I ended up with was an all-over color that didn't even change the hue of my hair! No one has been able to discern any difference. I've had better results from spending the day in the sun! To make matters worse, I was then handed a bill for over $200. I don't mind paying a lot if I get corresponding value, but it burned to be charged so much and have nothing to show for it. Maybe I should have been more assertive at the time, but I hate being a troublesome customer, so instead I gritted my teeth, smiled, tipped generously, and left. Strangely enough, my only prior experience with Blow was a year or so ago when I had to pick up my husband and take him to the emergency room after he suddenly started having an allergic reaction from their bleach (a first in over twenty years of periodically bleaching his hair.) Maybe after that they changed their bleach to a more hypoallergenic, less effective formula? I think after my husband's medical emergency at their hands they still had the temerity to charge him for the experience, because I remember -him- saying that -he- left a nice tip. We must be suckers. I'm giving Blow two stars because for some reason I still can't completely hate this place, but regrettably my experiences here have been disappointing.
2.5 Stars, because it was so overpriced. The owner of Blow cut my hair and she was very nice, as was everyone there. The cut was ok, but not worth $75. There was a lot of razoring too, which always seems kind of lazy to me (especially because I really have no weight in my hair to take out), but what do I know, maybe that's top-knotch. The website says $40-$70 and since I have short hair and the cut took about a half hour, I was shocked at the price. I won't be returning and won't be recommending Blow--but not because they did a bad job...Just because they did a mediocre job and then charged a fortune for it. Nice folks though!
I've been going to Becky for almost a year now and she is the best. I totally trust her with my hair. Every time I go in, I ask her for suggestions in how I should cut it, due to the length I want to keep my hair, plus how I should style it. Which is actually the most important. She is very receptive and makes many suggestions that fit my goal and facial structure. Before I was going to supercuts only because I couldn't find a good hair stylist, but now I think I a good fit. I walk out feeling like a million and 1 bucks! Yeah, I'm hot...sizzle....
Blow is a great, unpretentious salon with reasonable prices and a friendly staff. I've been going to Cindy for almost 2 years now, and she finds ways to impress me all the time. She's innovative with her cutting and coloring techniques and clearly loves what she's doing. Plus she always gives me an incredibly relaxing shampoo. I also had my hair done for my wedding there by Becky-- she did a lovely job. I highly recommend this spot for people who eschew the snooty salon vibe and want to have fun with their hair.
I love this salon, it's great! I've been a customer for a full year now and I've never been disappointed. Also the prices are great for cuts and colors. You can't beat the unique feel of the place and the people are totally fun!
I am not impressed with this salon. I got a terrible haircut and when I called to see if the stylist (or someone else) could fix it, I was told that unless the adjustments were very minor, I would have to pay again.
