M Salon
Category: Hair Salons [Edit]
Neighborhood: Porter Square1784 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140 (617) 876-1023
- Nearest Transit:
Porter (Red)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
15 Reviews for M Salon
M.
M is for most morbidly ugly hair cut I have ever had in my life.
I have very thick blond straight hair, similar to my Korean friend's in texture and thickness. My Korean friend got a kick ass perm (pretty, soft waves) in Chinatown. I figured an upscale Porter Square salon could handle me. Boy was I wrong....
I should have turned back when my stylist had purple glitter eyeshadow caked up all the way up to her painted on black eyebrows (I excused it as "artistic"). I should have known when the owner asked my stylist if she "could handle" doing a perm. I should have stopped when she said my hair was "too heavy" to hold a perm and she would have to "eliminate" a lot of the thickness. I shouldn't have even been getting my haircut considering this was the same summer I sold a pint of my blood for grocery money (ah.. college...) but sometimes vanity presides over practicality.
As Fiona sings, "all the signs said 'STOP' but we went on whole-hearted. It ended bad, but I love what we started."
It ended real bad. I ended up with no hair, a haphazard, oddly textured mess and a huge bill-- not the messy, sexy bed-head look I was going for. It took me 2 years to grow out what that masochist butcher did to my head. Every other stylist I have ever seen has talked me out of the perm. I should have known that the one who said "yes" only takes pleasure in others pain. I don't know if my particular stylist is still there, but I do know that the owner was present for my entire visit, and anyone who allows someone to "that" to someones head in his or her salon is just as much to blame as the person holding the scissors.
The decor is really cool, though!
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (4)
Cool (2)
Okay after reading the other reviews here, I just HAD to stick up for this place:
I moved out here from the midwest, where I had a regular stylist whom I LOVED, and have spent the last three years trying to find someone who is creative, talented, daring and doesn't cost $80 for a haircut. I found him: Dana at M Salon.
I just had my third haircut with Dana. He is SO friendly, funny and easy to talk to, in addition to being very good at his job. Here's an example of why he's so great: during my second cut with him, I decided to go for a major length change, taking off over eight inches, and going for a chin length bob. he suggested taking off more in the back, but I chickened out and asked him to leave it a bit long in the back. The next day I realized he was right, and as much as I HATE going back for a re-cut, I did. I was worried he would be annoyed about the fact that I was going back to have him do exactly what he wanted to do to begin with--he definately teased me about it a little, but only in a friendly way--he did not care AT ALL about me coming back, and he assured me that he was perfectly happy to take a few minutes out of his day to take some more length off for me. He said he would rather take a few minutes to make me happy than either go somewhere else, or simply live with a cut that I didn't totally love. I have never felt so welcome or comfortable in ANY salon in Boston.
I just went back last week for again, a major style change--this time super short. He listened to everything I had to say, and somehow intuitively knew exactly what I wanted. It's funky, edgy, a little weird, and super-creative. If you as the client aren't also a little daring and off-beat, then this might not be the place for you.
I feel like maybe a lot of the bad reviews here are due to the fact that M is where you should go for funky edgy styles, where the stylists are real and down to earth. There is a review here about Maggie having said she has some clients whom she wishes she didn't have to work with, and this reviewer was extremely offended by this. I had a very similar conversation with Dana, and I thought it was lovely to see a stylist show humility and honesty about their job and their clientele. As someone who has also worked in the service industry for years, I can tell you that working with strangers is HARD, especially with you don't click with them, and I think it's great that Dana and Maggie are down to earth and realistic enough to admit this to themselves and their clients. They're people, they have opinions, and I think it's kinda fun to hear what they have to say about other tough clients.
If you want the stylists to not be themselves, not talk to each other, and be extremely pretentious, go to Harvard Square or Downtown. If you want a stylist who is down to earth, creative, and can joke with you about the whole salon industry itself, go see Dana at M. Best haircuts I've had, and most comfortable, relaxed atmosphere I've experienced, in Boston.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
Maggie has been cutting my hair for many years and I always feel like a new woman after each visit. She's got the rare combination of skill, taste, knowledge of cutting-edge style, and intuition of what will work for me. She understands my lifestyle (need to look my best with limited effort & fuss) and the idiosyncracies of my hair (thick, curly, unruly). It took me a long time to find a talented hairdresser that I trust . So even though we moved away from the city it's worth the trip to Cambridge to see her. Her shop is unique and her rates are a good value! I highly recommend her!!!
I made an appointment with Dana about a year ago because I had seen so many good reviews about how he is a whiz with curly hair. I got one of the worst haircuts I have ever gotten. I would describe what I got as a helmet hair mullet. He actually cut short bangs which when you have curly hair dry in a very unflattering way. I had to wear an oddly placed barrette for about 4 months. He also applied an ocean of product that gave me helmet hair. I won't be going back. On the plus side he was really nice.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I had made an appointment with a particular stylist [Dana, who has many good reviews] and when I arrived, I was handed off to another girl who rambled on about her anorexia while the rude owner came over to 'guide' the girl on coloring for a highlighting I requested. In the meantime, the receptionist was having a fight on the phone with her boyfriend and yelling, swearing, pacing, and crying on the phone - and the owner sat back and did nothing. The haircut was fair, the highlights barely noticeable, and the cost pricey. I couldn't get out of there fast enough when it was all said and done.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
The haircuts are mediocre and the stylists are rude. That includes whoever the receptionist is. That's all I've got to say about this place.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Hey,
I have curly hair so I heard this place cut curly hair and gave it a try. I found some reviews on-line about this place and it got some really great reviews. The decor is a bit funky, but Dana and the staff were all very nice.
I was living out of the country for a year so my hair needed so help. Dana was very nice and asked me what I wanted to have done to my hair. So many hair salons just cut away and don't ask your opinion at all.
My haircut was great. I really needed my ends trimmed and Dana gave me a cut that looked great with my face frame. If you have curly hair I would recommend you try this place. The prices were not bad either. My hair is pretty long and I paid 45 for a wash, cut and style. I am def going back for a touch up.
It is hard to explain how devastating it has been to try to find a good hair dresser: Having been to the same hair dresser for 18 years and forced to leave him because I changed geography, I have been looking for a place where I can get a lot done without saying much.
Tried different places and people, all around (in and out of Boston) town for the past few (!) years. Had terrible experiences (leading to tears).
Listen: my friends know very well that I am keen on trendy hair styles. Well, M is a fashionable place, with a comfortable environment. I don't think that you can go wrong with any of the hairdressers here. I had a haircut with Dana, who was extremely patient, and diligent. He didn't take many risks until I told him to do so. Best of all: he tried to understand what I was looking for, rather than a hypothetical hair style that he had seen somewhere a decade ago. I finally found a place that I can go back again! Prices are very good compared to the ranges in Cambridge and Boston.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (1)
I got my hair cut here twice. While the cuts themselves were fine (although nothing to write home about), I didn't appreciate Maggie scolding me about things like what shampoo I used, and then trying to sell me the overpriced products she had in the salon. Both times. She was almost trying to GUILT me into spending money on hair products I didn't need. It sounded a lot harsher with her loud German accent doing the scolding.
No thanks. I'll stick to my "full of chemicals" Herbal Essences "crap" and get my hair cut somewhere else a lot less intimidating.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I started going to Maggie 4 or so years ago after Judy Jetson massacred my hair. Maggie has always given me good cuts and been friendly, I am generally not one to want to chit chat the whole time I get my hair cut so I like that she is not one to do that. But we do chat and it is always comfortable and fine. I have been growing my hair out so I have not been back recently but I would go to her if I needed a cut. To the people who keep saying she is German- Maggie is Israeli- not German.
The only issue I have had with her shop is that once while I was getting my hair done her friend came in with a huge raw chicken breast and put it right on the floor of the shop for the huge dog to eat- I found this a bit unprofessional, but funny and strange more than anything else.
Again- I like Maggie- I like the shop- I like the cuts- and I would go back to her.
The decor makes me feel carefree and happy. It seems more West coast than East. All of the staff seem relaxed, funny, and skilled. The prices are a bit high for my taste, but considering the end product and overall experience, I feel good about it. I get my haircuts from Dana Kaplan who is a wizard with hair and manages to carry on witty banter while performing his art.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I was a loyal customer in late '03 -'04 when I had a "student" stylist do my hair. The cuts were great and cost $40, which for a cut and blow-dry at that kind of salon is reasonable-- for this area.
I thought the decor was incredible, and the resident German shepherd, Sasha, was a fun addition too.
The student was not allowed to do color, so Maggie, the owner, did my highlights. She is a talented colorist and I received compliments on my first set of highlights, I will admit that. Unfortunately, I felt she and the receptionist were very rude, talking to one another, and even at times complaining and cracking jokes about other customers, but even worse, about the other two stylists who worked there!
Maggie never assumed any responsibility for two more highlighting jobs that were uneven. I did not ask for a refund, I just asked that she fix the obvious line of demarcation. I was told I would be charged an additional fee for "corrective" coloring!
The last time I was there she accidentally spilled a half-dollar size of hair bleach onto my shirt sleeve. I calmly pointed it out, hoping she would help me rinse it off so my shirt was not ruined, but she did not. She "tsked" and said I should have put on a robe they had in the back if I was going to wear long sleeves (I had never been offered a robe before). The shirt was ruined, and I'd dressed to go from the salon straight to a night out with friends.
I never went back, for obvious reasons.
People thought this was:
Useful (6)
I had my first Boston-area haircut with Maggie 2 years ago, and it was a thoroughly unpleasant experience. I am not a big talker, so I can understand a stylist not being chatty, but she was actively rude! She even said that the thing she hated most about her job was having to deal with people she doesn't enjoy, and how she wished she could just tell some people she didn't want to cut their hair!! Um, okay! Why in the world would you say this to a customer?? Is that supposed to be funny? (She certainly wasn't smiling when she said it.) Also, when I had trouble describing what I wanted, she seemed impatient and like, "whatever, let's get on with it." The cut itself was just awful-- vaguely mullet-like and pretty uneven. I called back the next day to have it fixed, and when I came back, Maggie had the gall to blame my dissatisfaction on the fact that I hadn't bought the expensive styling products she'd tried to sell me!!! She said I would have to be willing to make the investment if I were ever going to have the hair I wanted. The next week, I went to another salon to have them try to fix it, and the stylist there actually said it seemed like my hair had been cut by an old person!
Just... yuck. Why would you work in such a people-oriented business if you hate people so much??? And I'm happy to report that I've found a completely wonderful stylist just down the street (Andy at Salon Luna) who has given me exactly the hair I want, cheapie drugstore products and all!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
the owner, maggie, has been cutting my hair for more than a year and i wouldn't go anywhere else! she only charges $45, but i would probably pay $100 for what she does. i used to have super-short hair and she cut it so i looked cute, feminine and not lesbian which is a skill not many hair stylists have and she just cut my messy, million-different-lengths, growing-out hair into a sleek bob - basically she's very versatile and very talented.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
this salon saved me from an awful blonde dye job. they did a lot of tisking and "oh my god" that i could have done without. pricey, but in this case it was worth it.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Hot and New
- River Gods
142 reviews
Neighborhood: Central Square
- Ortanique
42 reviews
Neighborhood: Huron Village
- Le's Restaurant
101 reviews
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
- Muqueca Restaurant
74 reviews
Neighborhood: Inman Square
- T.W. Food
18 reviews
Cambridge, MA