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Mario's Salon
Rating Details »
Categories: Barbers, Hair Salons, Hair Removal [Edit]
Neighborhood: Davis Square75 Holland Street
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 666-8210
- Nearest Transit:
-
Davis (Red)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- By Appointment Only:
- No
31 reviews for Mario's Salon
After a few cuts at Mario's, I gotta say this is a pretty solid spot. It's a nice clean salon right in Davis with a friendly and skilled staff.
I'd say my best experiences so far have been with Maria and Mario (seriously, those are their names). Mario is part-owner of the place and has been in the business for 42 years...a real pro indeed. They have both mastered the art of my corporate faux-hawk with a side fade and tapered back - no easy task.
A mens cut goes for $20 bucks which is not bad compared to other spots in the area...
Here's the thing: right after my first leg/bikini wax with Rosa--whom I found through Yelp--I got laid after an excessively long hiatus. So I can't entirely claim as coincidence something that was so very much due to smooth-skinned confidence. Are there better places? Yes indeed. Have I found them yet? Alas, no. Thus, Rosa is my default siren of the linen strip.
You walk into her fluorescent-lit abode, move to the rhythm of whatever utterly and adorably dated cassette is playing in her boombox, and let her take you away. She's a walking waxing dichotomy: simultaneously sweet and savage, calmly accommodating and yet will fearlessly rip and rip away until you have to literally pry the wooden stick out of her hands. Watch out and you'll end up with a Brazilian when all you wanted was a tidy. You will leave covered in an unceremonious dump of baby powder. Oh, and don't think you won't participate. You--and your ladybits--will inevitably be holding taut your own undies/flesh while she burrows in.
The prices are average--a full leg and bikini and tip will run you about $65-70--and are stringently tallied per body part. Don't try and wrestle a freebee out of her. And NEVER let her do your "feet"--she does the tops with the leg, and you'll save yourself an extra $5 of pure toe-plucking pain. That said, she remembers me, she's a sweetheart, and I haven't found anything better.
Imagine that you walk into a hair salon, say you want a haircut and the people behind the counter look at you like they don't know what you're talking about.
[First time I should've left]
After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, one of the girls behind the counter is told that she'll cut my hair. She actually looks surprised--as if she'd never cut hair before.
[Second time I should've left]
She walks me back to wash my hair and doesn't say two words to me.
[Going for a third]
Sits me down in the chair and I tell her what I want: layers and for my bangs to be cut a little bit. I take my glasses off--keep in mind that without my glasses, I'm at the mercy of those around me so I've had to try to learn to trust hair stylists. After she blow dried my hair, I put my glasses on--and proceeded to cry (internally of course). I was 10 years old again with 90s bangs. I hated them in elementary school which is why I always wore my hair up and hairsprayed my bangs to the top of my head (it was a hot look) so why in the hell would I want them at 24? I immediately asked her what I can do about them because they were way too short and not what I asked for at all. Her response? "I think they look good."
At which time I actually walked out the door.
Luckily my hair grows kinda fast.
I'm used to cheap haircuts... and I've never really had a beef... but this time, I thought I'd try Mario's. Twenty-four dollars, a half hour of silence, and a mediocre haircut later, I'm wishing I would've just waited in line at Ann Marie's.
Maybe I'm just oblivious to the world of "salons," but this place was overwhelming. She wanted to wash my hair, and I was guided down a hallway of rooms with massage tables. The hair cutting station was very private, and the conversation was next-to-none. The latter of which did not bother me much, as I find awkward stylist conversations to be... well... awkward.
I could really use that $14 extra I spent on the exact same haircut... so I regret even trying Mario's.
Ann Marie's, I'll be back next time... promise.
I have been to a few places to get my hair cut in Boston, and I have to say that Maria at Mario's is absolutely wonderful. You tell her what you're looking for in a cut, and she provides.. She's super-friendly, but when you have those days when you're looking to silently unwind and not converse while in the chair, she's pretty good about that, too. I also have to say that Rosa does the best eyebrow shaping I have encountered in my entire life. She is affably pleasant in demeanor while simultaneously barbaric with waxing strips and a set of tweezers. Fine hairs, beware. The best part? Eyebrows at Mario's are only $8!
meh. Plain and simple. People tend to think that I'm snobby when I go to get my hair cut, but I just hate getting home and having it look off. When I got home I ended up having to pull out the scissors and play with it a bunch. Don't really want to complain too much cause Mario cut my hair and he was the nicest guy ever; super easy to talk to.
I'm gonna try em again but I think i'll make an appointment with Alan, heard he does a good job.
I can ONLY review Rosa's waxing since it's the only thing I've ever had done here, and it might just be the best wax I've ever had. Unlike the other waxed reviewers, I had a full leg and bikini wax, which was amazing. Rosa's choice in music was a little old for my tastes, but was pretty mellow and relaxing. Unlike some of the salons I've been to, the room was well-lit and efficient, something I think it kind of important when trying to make sure your client is hair-free.
Rosa was chatty, sweet and no-nonsense, getting the job done quickly, although it was VERY thorough--she spent quite a bit of time with the tweezers getting the strays that escaped the wax.
Benjamin enters at 5:30 and sits in barber chair with Mario. Benjamin exits barber chair at 5:40, hair identical to when he started. Benjamin approaches counter at 5:41 and pays $25 for something he could have done with a comb or some gel. At 5:42 Benjamin leaves, never to return. At least Benjamin didn't get a parking ticket.
I'm a bit torn about how to review Mario's. I had high hopes about a good (and cheap!) waxing you know where. Let's just say I have been less than satisfied... Rosa has told me several times that I haven't waited long enough between waxing, when I have been doing this for years and I know it is something another salon would handle just fine. The second time I went, I wasn't any happier... plus she kept opening the door and even leaving the room to ask someone to turn up the A/C. Can't she do that when she doesn't have a half naked customer in the middle of being waxed?! The bottom line: buyer beware. It's cheap here for a reason.
On the other hand, I've seen a few stylists here for haircuts and they were always really sweet, friendly, and went the extra mile to make sure I liked my hair. I give the haircuts a 4, the waxing experiences a 2, so that evens out to 3.
Just to make it clear, this review is only for Rosa's super wonderful Brazilian. I have never gotten any other services at Mario's. So you better stop reading now if you are not looking for tips on getting a bikini wax from here.
To be honest, I was a little uncomfortable during the first minute. Unlike the couple of other places, where I was told to fully undress from the waist down, Rosa asked me to keep my underwear on. So the rest of the time I was lying down, I had to assist her by keeping my underwear out of the way. This is pretty much the reason why I gave 4 stars instead of 5.
The rest went totally beautifully. She was chatty and traded turkey roasting tips with me. She even know about Yelp, which I think is pretty awesome given that she is totally in the coop with how the online social network stuff even though she is around 50 and she is conscious of how a sloppy job can translate into no customer no work. With all these distractions, I can actually say that I didn't scream/twitch at all.
She even nipped all the not so behaving ones out with tweezers. I honstly can't remember last time someone did that, so I would always go home and do a personal touch-up... it's not that big of a deal but I didn't really like them.
Conclusion: it's not luxurious and it's not perfect. My $35-wax from Rosa was totally, totally worth every penny.
Ok, so this was first time I went to SALOOOON.
I went to Mario's without appointment, as if I did some crime. Girl on counter got confused whn I said I am here for haircut. Thn someone frm behind said Ohhh he is here for haircut. Gosh!!!
I m used to cheap haircut for $10. Here I paid $30 for hair cut. the difference between cheap n SALOON haircut was nothing. Plus girl who was cutting hair never bothered to talk to me. I think...no!!! I am sure I m not goin back...
I have cut my hair very few times in my life. If you met me last year, you would have seen how odd it looks when somebody sits on his or her hair and then tries to get up. After a SHOCKINGLY short hair cut about 7 years ago, I had hair down to my ass and it was starting to look unhealthy.
I had a plethora of changes in my life this year and decided that if there were any time to donate my hair to Locks of Love, now was the time.
My friend told me about Zen at Mario's doing a really good job with her hair - it was a really nice cut and style that she got. Her husband also got his hair done there, by a man and was happy with the result.
I finally got all my gumption up, my little sister and a friend for support. I walked right into Mario's and told them to cut my hair so I could donate it.
They didn't really understand and washed my hair to cut it wet - but I wasn't prepared to go home and dry a ponytail of my hair to then mail it, so Pepi (the guy who cut my hair) had to blow-dry it and then cut it. Judging by his long discussion in Italian (only parts of which I understood) with the older man he was not prepared or excited to do this.
I was not really happy with my haircut, only because it was short and I wasn't REALLY ready for that. The cut was really nice, did a lot for framing my face and since I have naturally curly/wavy hair this nice guy Pepi gave me a few ideas of things I could do with it now that it was NINETEEN INCHES SHORTER!
Oy vey. What an ordeal. He was chatty though, talked to me and my sister the whole time and joked with me and told me that haircuts aren't for crying, even if it's been as long as it was in-between haircuts for me.
If I am ever brave enough to get another haircut, I am going to hunt Pepi down and get another - not as short, but the fantastic feeling of healthy hair is undeniable.
The mere existence of this review is by nature an overshare. However, it must be said:
I would rather lie on a bed of hot coals than endure another Brazilian bikini wax from Zen. I imagine it would be less painful. I'm sure she's a lovely girl in many other ways, but as a bikini waxer...well, the truth hurts. But not nearly as much as she hurt me.
It's a testament to just how vain I am that even in the wake of that experience I decided to go back, but I did, and this time booked a slot with Rosa. And Rosa, let me tell you, has not been unduly recommended in these reviews. She is AMAZING. The entire experience was almost completely pain-free - and I only pre-gamed with two Vicodin, so it should have at least hurt a *little* bit.
And the best part? $35. Worth every penny, and probably double.
I can't say anything for their cuts, but Rosa does one hell of a Brazilian wax. A nice lady who puts you completely at ease, Rosa gets the job done well and does her best to keep your mind off of it (she used to put Etta James on rotation during my waxing sessions, so to this day, whenever I hear "At Last," I always think of her).
Easy to get to and very affordable: Mario's is a two-minute walk from the Davis Square stop on the Red Line, and you really can't beat a $30 Brazilian. She's pretty well-known among the college crowd, so you can believe that her spots fill up quickly (esp. the weeks before spring break), so call way ahead!
I'm usually hesitant about trying new hair salons, since I usually stick with my one trustworthy coiffeur. Yes, I know the hair will grow back eventually but I'm traumatized - when I was 12, my mother had the insane idea that I would look good with an Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffay's length 'do (i.e., VERY short), which frankly I just can't pull off. And there I was, just at a tender age, who had excitedly told the (evil) hairdresser that I wanted a sleek, shoulder length bob. Just based off my mother's idea that the short might look good, the sadistic prick chopped all of my hair off for "art's" sake, to see if it would look good or not. The answer was NO, and trust me, the hair couldn't grow out fast enough. I was called a boy at school for a long time after, and I was destroyed. (This was before I developed my more feminine attributes, mind you).
Anyway, I'm not trying to relive my hair-horror-story, but I've been very wary of trying new places since then. I normally stick to Horacio at Safar Coiffure, but when I was at Tufts, really needed a haircut and Safar was fully booked (and I really couldn't be bothered to go all the way to Newbury St.) I decided to give Mario a go.
I got cuts from Mario himself (he's the only one I've ever gone to there), I definitely have to agree that he takes pride in his work as another Yelper wisely noted. I love the old-school vibe of this place, he made my hair look great, and made sure to keep checking that he was doing just what I wanted (with his good advice thrown in, too!)
I think what I love most about this place is the warm way they make everyone feel like family - no request ever seems bad or too great. The place is clean and comfortable, and they sell a lot of Paul Mitchell products which is cool. Tufts kids are huge fans of this place, so it's often booked up, but be sure that they will make every effort to try and squeeze you in. This was pretty much the go-to salon for most of the guys I knew in college - and they really did a great job.
Since I've long since moved away from the area, I haven't (and don't think I will) get the chance to go to Mario's for a while.. also, since I really do love Horacio at Safar too much (I love him! He's amazing), but I'd still definitely recommend Mario's to anyone looking for a great place in the area! Prices are great.
I had a horrible experience here getting a hair cut. This lady (don't know her name) seemed to have zero clue as to how to cut hair. She made me feel very uncomfortable. She even had to ask someone else why her razor blade wasn't working, and it was because there was NO blade in it! She then took an electric razor to the ends of my hair, how horrifying! And when i asked her to use a product that would help increase the curls she said, "uh, i don't know, hang on" and literally went and asked the receptionist what she thought, then asked me if i thought what she had was good enough. At this point i just wanted to get out of there and didn't care what she put in my hair!
Also,during my haircut, the receptionist washed her hair in the sink herself, then came over to chat w/ the hairdresser while toweling off her head and explaining she just needed to wash her hair because it gets so sweaty and gross! WTF?
It was so awkward and unsettling i never want to go back. Maybe its ok to get a wax here, but i'd say stay away for a haircut!
***EDIT: 3/2007***
If anyone knows where Alan went please message me! I am so sad he's not at Mario's any more. I will not be going back there.
***EDIT: 12/2007***
Need to give another edit. I've continued to be very pleased with my hair after a few months of going to Alan. Highly recommend this place!
***EDIT: 10/2007***
So I gave Mario's another chance and this time had my hair cut by Alan. He listened to what I wanted, gave me a great razor cut, and showed me how to style it with ease. I left feeling like I actually got the cut that suits me best. Mario's has redeemed itself in my book and I'll be going back.
************************
IT WAS A MASSACRE!
So I went to Marios on the advice of many yelpers below. New to the area, I needed to find a good salon since it took years to find one in Chicago.
I had just a few requests:
1. Keep most of the length but thin it out
2. Give it a shape
3. Give me layers
As to request #1 - There is a big difference in thinning and cutting. She did both and it was much too short on top and in back, while my bangs are quite long and so it's looking a little weird.
As to request #2 - See above - I don't think this is a nice shape (although it technically is a shape)
As to request #3 - There are no layers. There can't be layers when it's this short.
Perhaps I just don't know how to explain what I really want. Perhaps she was having a bad day (she never introduced herself and wasn't chatty at all). The best part was that it was only 20 bucks and included a shampoo. I may decide to go again and ask for someone else.
I went to get a brazillian from Mario's - Zen was who did it. No attention to detail, horrible! A week later I went to Skin and Body Works where Priscilla fixed me right up. Priscilla told me that Zen might have just broken the hairs but no! She didn't even get them. Never coming back.
My husband and I have been going to Mario's for the past two years and only have good things to say. We get our hair cut by Mario and Zen, and they have always been very friendly and professional. We love this place!
Just like the rest of the reviewers here, see Rosa for your Brazilian. She was great -- no fuss, efficient, and nice as could be. Personally I like chatty waxers because I can concentrate so something other than that constant ripping - - and once I got her talking the experience was so much better. You can't get a better wax for the price and really, with no money but still spending, I couldn't ask for anything better. Check out Mario's!!
*****A few additions for 2008*****
Since I last wrote the review, Maria and Jackie have both cut my hair, and I've really liked the results with both of them. My husband swears by Mario, and always requests him. I would say, for the most part, you can't go wrong with a stylist here.
*****Ok, now back to the original review*****
Even though I am no longer living within walking distance, I still drive all the way to Somerville to get my hair cut here and so does the husband. It's a great little place where you can trust them to do a very solid basic haircut. Over the years, I've gotten various haircuts here -- a cute blunt bob, long layers, and just a trusty old cleaning up the split ends. All of them with great results.
I usually get my haircuts by Zen, but I've also gotten my hair cut by Mario as well. Everyone's really friendly and it's definitely more cost-effective than some of the pricier salons downtown. (I usually pay about $35 plus tip. Men's haircuts are slightly cheaper.)
I've recommended Mario's to a number of friends who live near Davis Square and their hair consistently look great too. :)
Mario's is pretty great. They are definitely worth the price, since they only charge $30-$40 for a woman's cut. I have been there about five times, and got good cuts all but one time. That one time wasn't terrible, but the woman who cut my hair gave me short bangs which looked kinda dumb. Twice I had my hair cut by Mario, who gives a great haircut (along with his barber-style sparse conversation).
One thing to note -- from my experience, their cuts are better than their styling. So I've walked out of there looking okay, only to find that when I style my own hair the cut actually looks great!
I go here for a trim every now and then. Bangs trims are only $5!! And Zen does a great job! The place is clean, and they have a HUGE stack of mags (old and new) for you to browse if you have to wait. They are sometimes overrun with Tufts students (esp. guys) but def. worth checking out.
Zen does a fantastic job with my hair. I always leave feeling gorgeous. She's also the quickest hair stylist I know. So if you're pressed for time, def. check her out. But she books up quick, so call ahead and make an appointment (she works weekends).
All in all, not bad for the price. A woman's haircut will cost less than $40, so check out one of the many bars in Davis afterwards to show off your new 'do!
BTW Worst place to get a Brazillian. I've come in a few times due to the price ($30-35?) but it's not worth it. They do a horrible job, leaving stray hairs, and it HURTS!! I've had it done by both Zen and Rosa, and been disappointed. Walk down the street to April's. She does a *fantastic* job! And, she's only $25. As someone who regularly gets a Brazillian, April's is a no-frills place, but she gets the job done.
For eyebrows, Mario's is great. Rosa did an excellent job on my friend. Just don't get your bikini wax here.
I went to this place based on the recommendations of other Yelpers and was very, very happy with the service. Many salons in Somerville do only nails or only hair but Marios does it all with the lowest prices and amazing service.
I really like to wax off body hair in the summertime and now that its getting warmer I went to Marios lured in by the low prices and convenient location. The waxing rooms are in the back and very private, the ladies who work there are professional, and most importantly, they work very fast! Seriously, a $30 Brazilian, no joke.
Once I find a stylist that can actually manage a cut I love, I cling to them like a rat to driftwood after the ship has sunk. This has definitely been the case with Alan at Mario's.
I started seeing him after my old stylist left the business - and it was purely by accident. I have short, bleached hair and am anal about the cut and style. Contrary to what many believe, short hair is as unmanageable as can be about one week after a cut, and it's only the skill of the person cutting the hair that makes it easy on the wearer as it grows to unacceptable and awkward lengths.
I receive compliments almost daily on my cut and style and I have to give Alan all the credit. He ensures that he's giving me what I want while exercising his own creative license (he used to work on Newbury and it shows sometimes). He's easygoing, generous, sweet and funny, always making you feel like you're more than welcome in his chair.
His eyebrow waxes are also just about perfect.
The cost? I was accustomed to paying 180.00 every two weeks at a lesser salon for my regimen. Now, I pay 65.00 for the whole deal (not including tip).
When I moved from MA briefly, I suffered the loss of Alan at Mario's. I went through several stylists and hair horror stories before I found someone acceptable, but when I came home, I sank into Alan's chair with a sigh of relief and promised that I wouldn't leave him again.
To put it in perspective, the only other stylist I've loved almost this much is 8,000 miles away in Kuwait City...and the airfare to see her is simply too cost prohibitve.
I can't speak about his skills with longer hair, but I promise, if you have short hair, be specific about your desires for styling and you will walk out of Alan's chair feeling like 2 million dollars.
Looking for something better than supercuts but less than $50, I gave this place a try. The guy literally cut my hair at different lengths on each side. At the time I thought it must be an optical illusion or something -- there's no way a competent barber would not notice that the lengths on each side were totally different, right? So I figured that when I went home and combed it out, everything would be normal. Not so. So, I guess it's back to supercuts for me. On the positive side, it sounds like the brazilian waxes are pretty awesome.
Liked my haircut and eyebrow waxing done here. The price was all right, too.
Just had the best haircut of my life with Lemonia. My long wavy hair was super-scraggly, and she knew just how to fix the layers and chop off dead ends without making me feel like I'd hacked off half my head. My hair, which never, ever, looks good, finally waves in the right places and looks great.
Very little to no conversation, which is exactly how I like it: she asked me what I wanted, asked me how I style my hair (to which I replied, "I don't"), showed me how much she wanted to cut off from the bottom, and went to work. I didn't have her blow-dry, style, or put any product in my hair, and it still came out better than any previous trip to a salon. And for $25 plus tip!!!
I walked into Mario's today at 4pm, knowing that they closed at 4:30. Thinking that there would be no way that I could get in for a haircut, I was pleasantly surprised when Rosa said she could take me. She worked quickly, but I never felt like she was rushing me out the door. Half an hour later, I walked out looking chic with layered, blow-dried and straightened hair for $35. I have been to Mario's 4 times and seen a different stylist each time. I have yet to be disappointed. However, I have to say that I am a pretty low maintenance girl. I am not one to spend more than 5 minutes on my hair in the morning, so if you are looking for an exceptional haircut, I don't know if this is the right place. If you're looking for a great, inexpensive haircut, give it a try.
I experienced my first Brazilian wax with Rosa who made it as quick and pain-free as possible. I was shocked at how comfortable she made me feel. Rosa is also very thorough, inspecting her work with a magnifying glass and tweezing any strays that the wax may have missed. The small talk throughout makes the time fly. The price is right too, at only thirty dollars for a Brazilian. I highly recommend Rosa to anyone who may be apprehensive about waxing such a sensitive area. Rosa is great!
Mario does great men's haircuts. Fast and always looks great. Usually able to see you on little notice. Decent price. What else does a man need?
