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Famous by Keith James
Rating Details »
Category: Hair Salons [Edit]
Neighborhood: Union Square166 Geary St
Fourth Floor
San Francisco, CA 94199
(415) 445-9500
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"I've been holding back writing a review, because I don't want everyone to flock to "my" stylist and make it impossible for me to get an…" read more »
7 reviews for Famous by Keith James
Two years ago I chopped off my insanely long virgin hair and donated it to Locks of Love. Well, I had my boyfriend chop it off at 4 a.m. after a particularly indulgent night. What resulted was the best hipster haircut in the world. And that's how it remained until last year when I was told I should look like a grown up for my cousin's wedding. So I relented and got a haircut.
Then earlier this year I went to see the Raveonettes at Bimbos. During the show, my friend leaned over to me and told me she thought I should get my hair cut and colored like Sharin Foo's. I said I'd never dyed my hair in my life (manic panic does not count). And she talked me into it. Not the Sharin Foo cut and color, but to go blonde.
Growing up I spent a ton of time on the beach and in the sun. So my hair was pretty blonde. I knew it would work with my coloring. And I set out in search of the best colorist. Keith James was recommended by several gorgeous blondes. So I gave it a shot.
And now I'm hooked. Keith is great. He is fun and funny - but not too chatty. I can't stand overly chatty. And Stacy, his assistant, is a total sweetheart too and gives a great head massage. Keith is a perfectionist and his color looks natural, even as it's growing out.
I pushed it a little too far between colorings recently - I think it was 4 months. And it didn't look THAT bad. One of my Jersey friends grabbed my hair when we were in NYC and said "I forget, did you tell me when you were getting this fixed?", but my Jersey friends are bitches. Like seeks like, I know. But if I had gone to some cheapo place, I would have looked like tweaker trash long before that.
It isn't cheap, but you get what you pay for.
Keith James is a master colorist. Not a trainee, a store manager or a junior college dropout looking for something else to do. He's a rock-star colorist who takes great pride in his work, and is dedicated to making his clients look amazing.
I've had my hair colored all over San Francisco--Oxenrose, 77 Maiden Lane, Joseph Cozza, Cowboys and Angels, di Pietro Todd. I spent many years and thousands of dollars trying to find someone who really knows how to do the perfect highlights for my medium-brown hair. But a couple years ago the ladies at Splendora turned me onto Keith--and I've never looked back.
Keith has created the perfect small salon experience--personal, calming, fun and totally convenient. The anti-thesis of the big salon factory experience. Worth every penny if you want great hair.
Keith is marvelous- he does AMAZING things with my long hair, layering it with such skill that I look at my reflection in store windows just to look at my great hair! I'm dying to have him color my hair too, but my colorist would be so sad....however, the day she retires I'll be at Keith's door begging him to make the "baby blonde" he keeps tempting me with.
Oh, and did I mention he's a sweetheart to boot?
Keith did a fabulous job on my hair cut and color! He hit it right on the nose with the color especially. I was bored with the usual color and cut I was getting at my old stylist. I wanted to go rich and darker and my old stylist could not get it right. I took a HUGE chance and went to Keith. After sitting and talking about what I visualize was "rich and dark"....he did it and made it happen! I love the color and the cut was just perfect.
You know what this world needs more of? That's right, black truffles. Good call.
You know what this world does *not* need more of? CURLY FRIZZ! Lemme 'splain.
I have naturally curly, thick, very dark Latina-Middle Eastern hair. And by "naturally curly", I mean it is self-aware. OK, fine, FINE. If we're going for honest and open communication, I have naturally curly self-aware, evil, pissy, asspain, bitchy hair. With little provocation, it will curl or frizz into its own goddamn zip code and suck all the available oxygen out of the atmosphere. It's long, and angry, and high maintenance. It knows my buttons and it pushes them repeatedly until I'm miserable and my thoughts turn to bourbon and electric clippers.
But my hair can be beautiful - and Keith James is how I know this to be true.
Keith has been washing, conditioning, deep conditioning, coloring, cutting, styling, blow-drying, productifying and simply caring for my hair for years and years. I've followed him from salon to salon because he knows how to give me sexy, bouncy hair. My hair cowers in terror in his presence. I look forward to my appointments with him - both in defiant retaliation against the injustices routinely wielded by my cranial adversary, and as a reprieve from my crazy life for a couple hours of laughter, creativity, talent and indulgence.
Here are some specifics on the awesomeness:
1) Keith keeps his skills current, contributes to his field, and brings up-to-the-minute techniques into his daily work.
2) He gives me consistently even, straight cuts and manages to do so *whilst simultaneously listening to all my life woes and making me laugh*. Dude, that is extreme talent.
3) He gives me bouncy, straight blowouts that retain curl and still look sleek and shiny. EPIC!
4) His prices are high-ish, but completely reasonable for his location, talent, experience and results. You can get a cheaper haircut at, say, Supercuts, if you prefer a chipmunk-just-chewed-through-my-mane-as-if-it-were -dental-floss look.
5) His assistant, Stacy, gives the *best* shampoos, complete with extended scalp and neck massages. And she smells nice. What? Like that isn't important when your head is right under her armpit during a shampoo?! People, please.
6) His salon space is very retromodernasian (that's totally a word!). It's bright and peaceful and it has that starting-out feel to it. I want to throw that entire space onto the back of my motorcycle and take it home, I swear.
7) His clients are regulars and they're loyal - which is understandable given his awesomeness.
8) He carries reputable products and makes you look 238209803349387495834 times better when you leave his salon than when you walked in. Period.
My hair fears him, and this makes me a completely satisfied forever client. So, wait, what I really mean to say is what this world needs more of are black truffles *and* Keith Jameses. Pinky swear.
Keith James is a true rock star! I have obsessed over having 'the perfect' hair cut and color since I was about 12. It's taken me about 20 years to find it, and thank god I did. No disappointments, no hoping it will grow out in a few months and going through the bad hair depression. Never have I had so many compliments on my beautiful hair. Keith should be every woman's special beauty secret. Oh, and the salon is very relaxing, beautifully decorated. You don't leave without feeling like the special, gorgeous woman you are!
The place was totally cute and super calming. The head message was probably more like 10 stars, no joke. Moving on to the haircut - I have to be honest, I had big expectations for the haircut. When I left after 30 some odd minutes in the chair with my clean lines I felt good but a little trepidatious. My normal stylist takes 1.5 hrs and does many more layers. I was nervous to see what it would look like after I showered out the straight do and did my usual air drying wavy waves. Poof! that is what happened. I called Keith today and he agreed to take me back and try to work on it. I feel horrible but I look worse. So hopefully I am doing the right thing.** I'll update after and see if the star rating is accurate.
For your reference: I have long wavy hair that I usually get cut with long chunky (so as not induce frizz) layers. I think the cut I have now is long layers that are tiered so that most of the weight of my waves are falling in the same place hence I get a ton of waves at ear level and very little above or below. For some reason, it is also kind of wild. I don't know why, but I have my fingers crossed that this will all be resolved after visit 1.1.
